Qualification
Foundation course
Foundation
This course offers broad-based training to explore the main disciplines of film and audiovisual media and find your own creative path.
Foundation is an introductory course in audiovisual storytelling that presents the techniques, arts and crafts of the medium from a broad, technical and creative perspective. Students become familiar with directing, screenwriting, production, cinematography, art, editing, sound, music, animation, visual effects and analogue filmmaking. The training is structured around practical projects, seminars and workshops, with guidance from working professionals. Throughout the course, students develop fiction, documentary and animation pieces, as well as specific exercises that allow them to explore the processes of pre-production, filming and post-production.
The programme helps students identify their interests, acquire a solid audiovisual foundation and prepare to continue with further studies.
Successfully completing Foundation exempts students from the personal aptitude test (PAP) required for admission to ESCAC’s Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography.
It is aimed at people who want to gain the fundamentals of audiovisual media, explore its different specialisms or prepare to apply for the Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography at ESCAC. It is a useful introductory course as a foundation for continuing with further studies related to audiovisual creation.
It is also suitable for students who want to spend a year identifying and developing their interests before choosing a higher education path.
Upon completion of the course, students will have gained a global overview of the audiovisual process and a practical foundation for developing projects, recognising their interests and continuing their educational journey.
Understand the basic elements and resources of audiovisual storytelling.
Apply introductory tools of cinematic language in exercises and their own pieces .
Develop ideas and turn them into coherent audiovisual proposals .
Explore a voice of their own through fiction, documentary, animation and other formats.
Understand the basic functioning of the equipment and the hierarchies of a film shoot.
Identify the tasks, techniques and responsibilities of the main departments.
Use introductory tools for camera, lighting, sound, editing and post-production.
Experiment with digital processes, analogue processes, musical and animation processes.
Analyse narrative, camera, composition, colour, music and sound as expressive resources.
Plan a project from the idea to completion.
Select locations, lighting, equipment and suitable resources.
Organise audiovisual projects with limited resources.
Integrate pre-production, shooting, editing and post-production.
Understand audiovisual work as a collective endeavor based on the coordination of roles.
Communicate and present ideas clearly.
Give and receive instructions during the preparation and filming.
Collaborate with different departments and adapt to their working methods.
Participate in the decision –making for a project.
Adapt to different roles within a film and production crew. Work
independently to complete exercises and assignments. Develop responsibility, initiative
and organisational skills. Build a portfolio of the work completed during the
course. Identify interests and guide further study in the audiovisual field.
In groups, students develop scripts and complete three fiction exercises. With the instructor’s guidance, they go through pre-production, filming and post-production to experience team dynamics and make a short film in each exercise.
An introduction to the language of non-fiction through references, themes and styles. Students look for a topic, develop the script and make a documentary piece, taking on the processes of pre-production, filming, editing and post-production.
Analysis, preparation and direction of scenes based on the texts, proposals and games. Space, light, decorative elements, sound and audiovisual resources are explored to condense a process of representation into a brief mise-en-scène.
Design and set construction for a set based on a script. Includes documentation, technical script, storyboard, plans and presentation of the project, taking into account production constraints, location, construction, set design and filming.
Introduction to the complete process of an audiovisual work, from the idea to the screen. Departments, roles and working relationships are studied, along with planning, organisation, materials and equipment management, and shoot production.
A theoretical and practical workshop on filming techniques, aesthetics and visual storytelling. Through exercises and screenings, students develop their visual eye and create an individual photo-novel project with its own cinematic concept and style.
Exploration of animation techniques and principles, from the idea to the animatic and filming. Includes character, background and props design, a stop-motion short film, and an introduction to Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects and output formats.
Practice filming and projection in 16 mm, in-camera and celluloid editing, and photochemical development in black and white. The workshop also explores the manual intervention on film and the creative possibilities of experimental cinema.
An overview of the history and the expressive possibilities of the cut, from invisible editing to experimental editing. Topics include structure, counterpoint, mash-ups and emotional devices, with a practical introduction to Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
Fundamentals of screenwriting through exercises and challenges. The structures of short films, the dramatic construction of scenes, the character arc and conflict are explored to create coherent stories with rhythm and narrative purpose.
Introduction to technical concepts and sound equipment. Through listening and conceptualisation exercises, students explore spaces, create soundscapes and sonically transform given environments to understand sound as a narrative resource.
Historical and narrative study of music in cinema, basic concepts of rhythm and harmony and introduction to DAWs and MIDI. Includes practical use of the recording studio and the development of music applied to a scene.
The methodology is based on learning by doing: students learn through carrying out exercises, workshops and audiovisual projects. Subjects combine theoretical foundations with practical work guided by working professionals. Projects integrate pre-production, production, filming, editing and post-production, and enable the interdisciplinary application of knowledge of storytelling, directing, production, cinematography, art, sound, music, animation and visual effects. Individual work alternates with team activities and collective analysis of the material produced. Fiction and documentary exercises are part of the learning journey and culminate in audiovisual pieces developed during the course.
Theoretical and practical classes that explore specific topics in audiovisual disciplines, taught with the guidance of working professionals and linked to practical exercises.
Practical sessions with a defined production objective. Students apply narrative, technical and creative knowledge, experiment with tools and processes, and analyse the results.
Sessions focused on preparing for production, producing and completing the course projects. They bring together knowledge from different subjects and recreate the stages and basic dynamics of an audiovisual production.
Assessment is based on active participation in workshops, seminars and projects, as well as on applying theoretical and practical content in assignments set by each instructor. Each subject sets a submission or final project linked to its objectives. The process, commitment, acquisition of skills, quality of the evidence presented, and ability to work individually and as part of a team are assessed. To obtain the certified qualification, students must pass the assessable subjects and comply with the academic regulations.
The teaching team brings together professionals who are actively working in the film and advertising industries as well as ESCAC’s own teaching staff, who support students in their technical and creative learning and in carrying out their practical work.
Foundation course
Teresa Zuluaga
13/09/2027
Monday to Friday, 10 to 14 h and 15 to 19 h. Filming some weekends.
In person
10.185€
ESCAC Terrassa Campus
25 per class
Cristina Buxó
26/05/2028 – Last day of classes
18/06/2028 – End of the course
Spanish
60 ECTS
€9.167 before 09/04/2027
No prior specialisation is required , but we value an interest in the creation of images and stories, a willingness to learn through practice, the ability to work in a team, and a commitment to intensive study.
Pre-enrolment schedule for the 27-28 academic year: from 2 November 2026
Applicants must complete the pre-enrolment form available on this very page.
Applicants must provide links to their portfolio, a video pitch (maximum 3 minutes) and their CV.
Once admission has been communicated, the applicant may proceed to reserve a place and then complete enrolment, following the instructions provided by ESCAC.