Audiovisual theory and techniques

Learning Objectives

The Second-Level Academic Diploma Course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques aims to provide the cultural and technical background necessary to acquire specialist knowledge in the audiovisual and/or cinematographic field.

Nowadays, the cold war between digital and analogue media, as well as the battle between formats, are considered historically outdated. All these elements are traced back to being options, opportunities for audiovisual expression, whose use derives from a conscious choice, primarily aesthetic, on the part of the director. The disparity between those who understand and those who do not, the digital divide, is clear. Originally underestimated, digital technology has powerfully reshaped the semantics of audiovisual media and/or cinema, professions, the market, the balance of power between those who do what, and the centres of decision-making, bringing with it transmedia storytelling, which today influences all art and culture: every piece of work, every cultural product, can be expanded and spread across multiple platforms (spreadable media), making the most of their characteristics. As a result, the experiences of both the author and the end user have been enriched.

The Second-Level Course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques provides historical and cultural knowledge and advanced professional skills that are useful for directors in communicating the multiple languages of contemporary audiovisual media, but also useful for artists who aim to tell their stories to the world through this medium, offering their own vision of the world.

At the end of the course, you will have all the cultural and technical tools necessary to create an audiovisual product from A to Z, in every sector of the performing arts and information industry. Cinema, advertising, video art, web or television: students are guided and supported throughout the process of shaping their cultural awareness, ideas and perspectives.

the course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques trains students in project planning, which is essential when communicating with financial stakeholders, financiers and producers, as well as actors, performers, other creative professionals and technical collaborators.

The student:
will be able to assess the cultural and artistic aspects of their audiovisual work and the appropriateness of the estimated costs for its production;
will be able to assess the prestige, reliability, showreels and CVs of potential collaborators;
will be able to present their professional choices and manage internal communication within their circle of colleagues, including (for example) verbal or writtenbriefings ;
will be able to manage a timetable (schedule) and analyse the various technical proposals, to choose the best possible one, in the context of their work;
will have the tools to face, even under stress, the most complex side of the directing profession: the decision, the continuous choice.
Particular attention will be given to the history of cinema and the performing arts, encouraging students to keep up to date, especially in the cultural sphere.

The Academy of Fine Arts in Rome has been cultivating audiovisual arts for decades, thanks to the long-standing and stable presence of many lecturers who, through their own perspectives and within their own fields, experiment with different languages and techniques, as well as thanks to collaborations with external experts selected from among the best professionals in the field.

The international environment of the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome also offers the opportunity to take part in a wide range of conferences, seminars, work placements, workshops, and meetings with artists and professionals from other fields besides the audiovisual and cinematographic arts.

Collaboration between students is naturally encouraged, including through shared production techniques, international exchanges and experimentation.

The experiential network and collaborations are potentially destined to endure over time and constitute the great wealth of every ABA student in Rome.

The Second-Level Academic Diploma Course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques aims to train professionals capable of supervising and managing the entire development process of an audiovisual project, working as part of a team and drawing on a wide range of artistic, cultural, communication, legal and technological disciplines. Professionals who, by consciously interpreting the psychological, social, cultural and economic aspects of the target market, arrive at innovative aesthetic solutions.

Career prospects

Director: a key figure, guarantor of art in the audiovisual and cinematographic fields.
He or she works closely with the producer, communicating with them and sharing every organisational decision.
He or she is a leader with the ability to plan.
He or she knows how to handle the various steps involved in presenting their project: to financiers, producers, actors, and collaborators.
He or she chooses their collaborators, directly or indirectly, relying on casting agencies.
The director directs the actors.
He or she is a leader capable of managing various professionals, coordinating and motivating their teams, aligning strategy, structure, systems, skills, culture and artistry. A creative architect who knows how to choose – depending on what is best for the objective to be achieved – whether to use the traditional production system (pyramid) and/or the shared production system (network).
Even under pressure, the director is able to select, guide, coordinate and motivate various professionals. A management of power that, while respecting the dignity and professionalism of all, has the ultimate goal of creating the best possible audiovisual product.

Creator of audiovisual content: a professional creative capable of designing, either independently or in collaboration with others, formats and content related to various audiovisual expression techniques that converge and transfer into digital language.
This term also refers to those who produce documentary, informational and journalistic videos, handling (sometimes alone) both shooting and editing, which can be used as audiovisual support for news or as news itself, for web or television distribution.
He or she is able to manage the various stages of presenting their project: with financiers, producers.
He or she shares the ultimate goal of the producer and director to create the best possible audiovisual product.

Entry requirements

To enrol in the Second-Level Academic Diploma Course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques, a First-Level Academic Diploma or an equivalent degree is required.
During the admission process, a committee composed of course lecturers will evaluate each prospective student’s application based on their curriculum vitae et studiorum, an audiovisual presentation created by the candidate, and a letter of motivation.
Graduates of the First-Level Academic Diploma Course in Audiovisual Theory and Techniques are automatically admitted without the having to complete the full admission process.

Type of final assessment

The final assessment consists of the design, executive production and creation of an audiovisual project, as well as a written report on the design process, including brief documents, the research phase and the original screenplay or adaptation, under the guidance of a supervisor, who may be assisted by other co-supervisors.