This programme is for students passionate about all genres of film and moving image (fiction, documentary, experimental movie, institutional film, TV programme, video clip and advertising). Although training in directing – including personal scriptwriting – remains central, this Bachelor course also provides extensive multidisciplinary skills in the various filmmaking professions (scriptwriter, director of photography, editor, sound recordist, script supervisor…).
Options: Direction – Screenplay – Photography – Edition – Script Supervison – Sound
Rewatch the live information session dedicated to the Bachelor Cinema
We give you the keys to:
From the second year onwards, students specialise in one of six possible options: Direction – Screenplay – Photography – Edition – Script Supervison – Sound
Direction option
There is a specific two-year (2nd and 3rd year) programme for each option, which includes:
Image option
Screenplay option
Edition option
Script Supervison option
Sound option
For all options:
The whole year is devoted to the making of the graduation film (free work, fiction, documentary film, experimental film, etc.).
Film director of documentaries or fiction, Director of photography, Editor, Sound mixer, Sound engineer, Scriptwriter, Producer, Teacher…
Bachelor and Master Cinema:
Fabrice Aragno, Kaveh Bakhtiari, Claude Barras, Fulvio Bernasconi, Jean-Stéphane Bron, Frédéric Choffat, Blaise Harrison, Marie-Eve Hildbrand, Nathan Hofstetter, Frédéric Mermoud, Klaudia Reynicke, Lila Ribi, Christophe M. Saber, Rafael Sommerhalder, Karine Sudan, Mathieu Urfer....
Ecolage annuel (matériel inclus)
CHF 2 425.–
Language: French
Length: 6 semesters
Credits: 180 ECTS
Qualification issued
Bachelor of Arts HES-SO in Visual Communication, major in Film
The limit is fixed at 3 minutes per film.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATION
* ECAL evaluates title's equivalences. This procedure being relatively long, a request of examination must be submitted by email to ECAL Secretariat inscription@ecal.ch until 17 February 2021 the latest. Request of evaluation submitted after the above mentionned date will not be processed.
In addition to the requisite diploma, registration for the Bachelor in Visual Communication (Graphic Design / Photography / Media & Interaction Design / Film Studies) or the Bachelor in Industrial and Product Design requires either:
- at least 36 weeks (or nine months) of full-time certified experience in the world of work related to the chosen field;
- or successful completion of the ECAL Foundation Year or of a recognized bridge year for the colleges of higher education in art*.
Professional experience or the Foundation Year diploma are recommended but not compulsory to register for the Bachelor in Fine Arts entrance exam.
* For example, in Switzerland, the Art & Design Foundation Year of CFP Arts Genève, the Art & Design Foundation Year of the édhéa (Sierre) or the Art and Design Foundation Year of Bienne/Bern. Don’t hesitate to contact the ECAL Secretariat for additional information.
No. ECAL offers a foundation year, but does not help applicants find an internship to register for a Bachelor programme.
In some cases, recognition of prior studies may be granted in the form of ECTS credits, depending on the applicant’s previous education. ECAL management makes a decision to this effect only after the admissions procedure has been completed and on receipt of an artistic application providing information on all previous studies (type, field, skills, courses, credits, grades, etc.).
Yes. ECAL may exceptionally accept applicants demonstrating extraordinary artistic talent in a Bachelor programme even if they do not meet the admission requirements. However, applicants must first send the ECAL Director a written waiver request.
NB: This concerns in particular applicants who have not completed any training and who have no diploma. Applicants who are under 25 at the time of the application and who have a CFC or a diploma from an upper secondary specialised school (école de culture générale, ECG) must first obtain a professional or specialised baccalaureate before registering for a Bachelor entrance exam.
Applicants requesting a waiver submit an application comprising a letter of motivation, a CV and a portfolio. If the request is accepted, they can register for the entrance exam in the field they have chosen.
No. If in doubt, please contact the ECAL Secretariat.
No. You are allowed to register for only one Bachelor entrance exam at a time, as it is not possible to do the practical and/or theoretical tests for two at the same time. Don’t hesitate to contact the ECAL Secretariat if you have any questions.
Courses and workshops are in French in the Foundation Year and at Bachelor level (some Bachelor workshops are in English). Master / MAS programmes are for the most part bilingual (English/French). Fluency in French is therefore essential for the Foundation Year and Bachelor programmes. The same applies to English at least for Master programmes.
Yes. For the Foundation Year and Bachelor programmes, non-French-speaking applicants who have not attended school in Switzerland must be able to attest that they are proficient in French at the B2 level of the European Language Portfolio. The B2 level is required on registration.
Generally speaking, language proficiency is also checked by the juries during the entrance exam.
ECAL has neither a residence nor a campus, but it can, to a limited extent, help students looking for accommodation. As the housing market in the Lake Geneva area is relatively tight, students are advised to make arrangements well in advance.
No, not at the moment.
Due to a serious lack of availability on the local market, it is very difficult to find an accomodation in Lausanne therefore you should look well in advance to find a suitable accommodation. Please keep in mind that you may be required to provide a
3 month safety deposit.
The following solutions are available:
Furnished studios or flat-sharing for students in Lausanne
Rooms to rent
Educational assistance (grants or student loans) is awarded by the cantons and is intended for Swiss students (nationals, foreign permanent residents and persons with refugee status). It is not available to foreign citizens residing in Switzerland for the purposes of study only. However, the Swiss Confederation offers excellence scholarships to foreign students, researchers and artists for a period of study or research in Switzerland.
Except for the Foundation Year, where the course fees are determined by the student’s domicile, tuition is the same for all students in the same Bachelor, Master or MAS programme.
No, not at the moment.
En dehors des manifestations organisées par l’ECAL (expositions diverses, Open Day, etc.), aucune visite n’est autorisée à titre individuel. Des visites de groupes peuvent être organisées, mais planifiées suffisamment à l’avance. Le cas échéant, merci de contacter directement le Secrétariat de l’ECAL, à l’adresse ecal@ecal.ch.
Please send the ECAL Secretariat, at ecal@ecal.ch, an advert in A4 PDF format containing all the information on the internship or job. The advert will be published on the ECAL intranet. Interested students will contact the advertiser directly.
