Multimedia technologies for the production of audiovisual and communications content

Catalogue of disciplines

Overview

The Master's degree programme "Multimedia Technologies for Content Production in Audiovisual and Communications" has as its mission the training of sound engineers and image engineers:

• Advanced technical and technological support specialists for studios specialising in the capture, processing and mastering of sound and digital images (classic and digital cinematography, television studios, AV production houses);
• Specialists in the design and implementation of integrated hardware/software systems as well as advanced technical support and maintenance for digital content production. An important focus is on mobile field capture devices (sound and/or image), with high-definition imaging capabilities (digital film and HDTV cameras), high-definition sound and spatial relativity.

The subject is at the intersection of the fields of study Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications (ETC), Computer and Information Technology (CTI) as well as Technologies and Techniques of Production and Postproduction of Audiovisual Content - tangential to the competences formed in the relevant sections of the Faculties of Cinema and Music.

This undergraduate master's degree programme is the combined response of two prestigious universities, UPB - Polytechnic University of Bucharest and UNATC - National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic ArtsThe sector's growth has been impressive, driven by the massive penetration of digital sound and image technology in all areas of society and industry (from digital cameras and mobile sound recorders to the distribution of AV content on extremely diverse channels - digital cinema, HDTV, Internet, etc.).

Through a multidisciplinary approach, the PCON master's programme harmoniously combines in tandem image and sound knowledge of electronics, systems theory, information technology, current film and TV studio practices as well as complex multimedia events, offering in the process an applied and up-to-date training.

The Master's degree programme "Multimedia Technologies for Content Production in Audiovisual and Communications (PCON)" is coordinated by the Telecommunications Department. It continues undergraduate studies from any of the study programmes offered by the Faculties of Electronics and Telecommunications (in Bucharest or other university centres). The distinctive specificity of this Master's degree programme is given both by its interdisciplinary character and by the rich and varied range of skills on offer.

It should be noted that, at the same time, this Master's programme is not exclusively dedicated to ETTI graduates, but is accessible to many graduates from polytechnic universities in the country, where there is not yet such a Master's specialisation.

Who is it for?

The Master's programme is aimed at undergraduates in the following fields (including all their programmes/specialisations):

Fundamental field of science art and culture - Engineering sciences:

Undergraduate fields of study:

• Electronic engineering and telecommunications,
• Computers and information technology,
• Applied engineering sciences,
• Electrical engineering,
• Systems engineering.

Fundamental field of science art and culture - Arts:

Undergraduate field of study:

• Cinema and media.

Objectives of the Master's programme

Graduates of the programme "Multimedia Technologies for Content Production in Audiovisual and Communications" will gain knowledge about the implementation of digital image and sound processing and analysis systems, both in terms of their hardware and software aspects, as well as their calibration and maintenance to international standards and procedures in the field. The Master's programme aims to train graduate engineers to be able to model and design software/hardware image and sound processing and analysis systems for specific applications in high-definition digital cinema, HDTV, as well as to identify and analyse specific problems of image and sound processing and analysis systems, and to develop strategies to solve them in the context of the remarkable evolution of technologies in the field. The courses and labs planned in the curriculum of the Master programme guide candidates through the whole chain of digital image and sound capture, processing and analysis, from acquisition (optical devices for electromagnetic radiation capture, integrated circuits for digital radiation conversion, microphones for spatial captures, image and sound editing and post-processing equipment and software), the composition of dedicated hardware systems, the theory and principles of digital image and sound processing through the software support required to process and store, transmit, view, manage and use the images and sound contained in software offered to contemporary consumers.

It should be distinctly mentioned that until this proposed study programme in Romania there was no specific qualification (sound and/or image engineering) as technical support, design and maintenance engineers for an area increasingly in demand by the labour market.

Specialist skills offered to graduates

The skills acquired through the PCON study programme allow access to the targeted segment of the labour market which includes:

• Sound Engineers - COR Code 214410
• Image Engineers - COR Code 214408
• Lighting Engineers - COR Code 21440
• Design, maintenance and technical support engineers for audio/video equipment
• Engineers for technical support for TV and film studios
• Engineers research, design and configuration of audio/video software
• Chief Engineer - COR Code 214430
• Emission Engineer - COR Code 214403
• Production Engineer - COR Code 214410
• Specialists in sound and acoustic design of halls and studios

Examples of research directions addressed

Sample dissertation topics:

• Designing a recording studio
• Audio effects processor
• The story of a modern-day Albie the Harp (animated short film)
• Short animated film as content production in the field of Audio-Visual
• Designing a Mixing and Mastering Studio. Acoustic treatment solutions