Although I’m in my fifth semester, I still very much love my bachelor’s in Cast/Audiovisual Media. I’m a bit nervous about graduating but also excited. Part of me can hardly believe where I was three years ago and what I’ve since been able to learn. After training as a mediamatician, I worked in that field for a few years. But my learning curve stagnated and wondered what to do next. I’d already been interested in moving images as a child and experimented with shooting and editing my own material. I discovered ZHdK by chance. A former friend from vocational college borrowed a microphone from me for a student project. What he told me about his bachelor’s programme in Cast/Audiovisual Media, I was immediately taken by the practice-oriented training with a focus on interview techniques, cross-media storytelling and the resources available at ZHdK. The programme struck me as the next logical step in my professional development.
I’ve been working with cast student Anna Suter since starting my degree. We’re a well-functioning team and are now working on our bachelor’s thesis, which is exploring little known, often suppressed aspects of Switzerland. We believe that certain issues and people should receive much more attention than they do. Take Switzerland’s involvement in colonial history. Or people who fought for their rights against the social and political establishment. Combining real film and animation, our audiovisual productions aim to give these people a platform.
Over the last three years, I’ve evolved from a boring media specialist into a self-confident creative professional. I want my work to move people and convey knowledge. My projects are characterized by a personal touch and humour. This development has primarily been enabled by others: students, teaching staff and graduates. There is great solidarity among the students. This makes me worry even more about their financial situation. I have savings from my last job but most of them have to work alongside their studies, often for little pay. A lot of time and energy that could have been devoted to their studies is lost. That must change.