Cinematography at Cologne Academy of Audiovisual Arts forms part of the Film and Television department. It approaches cinematography as an artistic practice. Exploring visual storytelling involves considering different ways of creating moving images that transcend the traditional genre boundaries.

Particular attention is given to how cinematic images are perceived, both during their creation and reception by an audience. Consequently, emphasis is placed on questions of perception, visual language and visual dramaturgy. How are images created? How do they generate meaning, atmosphere and emotional impact? And how do these effects change depending on context, moment and audience?

The curriculum combines technical fundamentals with aesthetic and artistic analysis. We consider camera, lighting and filming techniques as design tools that are always in  interaction with content, space, movement, sound and editing.

During seminars and projects, students develop their own visual concepts and carry out projects from preparation and shooting to post-production. Practical exercises, film analysis and group screenings complement one another. 

Seminars are individually supervised by lectures Prof. Patrick Orth, Prof. Sebastian Richter, Carina Neubohn and Ernesto Ojeda Sosa.

The course content is tailored to students' individual interests and projects.

The seminars are open to all students. The objective is to establish a precise visual language, enhance teamwork within the film crew and devise standards for evaluating one's own and others' work.