Study Programme

The programme takes an associative and often experimental approach to teaching visual storytelling and conceptual work with moving images. We aim to challenge your visual thinking and the way you use cinematic forms. As part of the programme, you can choose intensive courses from our own programme and from other Master’s programmes at our school to suit your personal needs and interests. The programme is thus largely centred on your own project, which you will ground in in-depth research. You will carry this out within an open, experimental framework in any audiovisual format, produce a short documentary film (20 mins) or develop a longer or serial project suitable for funding, the feasibility of which you will demonstrate in a proof of concept.

A key aspect of the Master’s in Documentary and Experimental Film is networking with other filmmakers. These may be your fellow students or filmmakers from various fields whom we invite as guest lecturers for the course. Each year, the students collectively choose a guest whom they invite to the school to lead a workshop.

The master’s programme is an intensive, four-semester study programme. We teach mainly in English, international candidates must be able to communicate in written and spoken word in German or English and must be willing to learn the other language. The programme is also available part-time with up to eight semesters. It yields 120 ECTS credit points (CP). The weight of your own project in CPs is almost 2/3 of all credits, that is, you will be able to give the development of your individual project your highest attention.

The Lucerne School of Art and Design boasts a state-of-the-art film and animation infrastructure. Thanks to its low five-to-one student-teacher ratio, your MA in Film lecturers will be available when you need them. You will be given personal tuition according to the requirements of your project.

Full-time studies

Part-time studies

The programme is structured along modules dedicated to your practical work, your written thesis, the theoretical and practical framework of filmmaking, and transdisciplinary work, including a range of elective courses.

Project
This cluster of modules is designed to give you the space and skills to develop your individual master's project. 
In the core module you will develop the story or the concept of your project, work on your production design and prepare the production of your film. If your aim is to gain experience in the financing of films, you will write a production dossier. If you wish to self-promote as a professional filmmaker, production company or artist, the programme will equip you with the necessary tools.

Research and Written Thesis
This cluster of modules is designed to guide you through your project-based or scientifically oriented research and towards your written master’s thesis. We encourage our students to consider the practical and the written thesis as two aspects of the same project and to establish a close link between the two.

Documentary & Experimental
In the Documentary & Experimental module, we teach the theoretical and practical context of filmmaking. You will attend classes in narration theory, film- and media theory, film- and media history, image making, editing, documentary theory and various forms of expanded cinema. You will also attend classes to faciliate your positioning in the market.

Workshops
The ‘Workshops’ module is transdisciplinary. You will work with the latest moving-image technologies and tackle the challenges of teamwork on a set topic. In this module, you will also collaborate with students from the Master’s in Design and the Master’s in Fine Arts.

Transfer
The ‘Transfer’ module is an elective in which you can set your own personal priorities. Depending on your interests, you choose the areas you would like to explore in greater depth or in which you wish to develop your skills.