Artist Training DIGITAL BASICS

The DAAD project Artist Training DIGITAL BASICS is a qualification program at the UdK Berlin Career College for artists in exile. From August 2020 to December 2021, professional artists will be provided with educational videos about main subjects regarding to freelancing and self-employment for professionals. Furthermore, in-depth workshops, consulting, practical modules and excursion will be offered to the participants. Teaching goals of the advanced training program are networking in the local cultural and creative industries, strategic positioning in the respective artistic orientation, and establishment on the Berlin job market.

More information/ Register here

 

Information about the workshops

Scriptwriting I: Where the Story Lands

When we watch a film, there is a constant moral evaluation going on. We constantly judge if we like the film or not. When a character enters a room you have an immediate judgement with your frontal cortex of your brain, whether this is a good or bad person. This happens parallel to the meta-cognitive process on the highest thinking level. How a film ends has a major effect on the “meaning" of it. As a filmmaker you need to be aware of this – if you put things in a certain way that are acceptable and if you put them in a different way that are shocking. And if you put them in another angle it becomes even more nuanced. But how much of this is cultural? The dynamic you create as a writer eventually leaves your control and lies in the hands of the audience. Is this avoidable? How does this apply in an intercultural and international context? Do you mind „Where your Story Lands“ in the head of your audience?

With Sina Ataeian Dena


Sina Ataeian Dena is a Persian Berlin-based Filmmaker and Artist. He received his Bachelor’s in Film Directing from Sooreh University of Arts in Tehran. His debut film “Paradise" (2015) was nominated for Golden Leopard in the main competition of Locarno Film Festival and won Best Film at Ecumenical Jury and Art Peace Award. “Paradise" was subsequently awarded at various international film festivals. Since 2016 Sina has been a scholar at Goethe-Institut. He has exhibited video arts, interactive video installations and photographs in prestigious contemporary art museums like Villa Merkel in Stuttgart and Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin.

The workshop is held in English and is free of charge.
Date: 05 – 08 April 2021, 5 – 7 pm

Financing I + II: Filmmakers

This is simply a crash course that will provide you with the focus and tools to write a competitive film/video art application. In this workshop you will be instructed step-by-step through the narrative structure of a grant application. You will receive personal consultations for your project. Additionally, we will explore ways of finding suitable German and international application calls for your film project/ video artwork.

With Sina Ataeian & Veronika Grob (Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg)

Sina Ataeian Dena is a Persian, Berlin-based filmmaker and artist. He graduated with his master in Animation and Absolvent Study Art and Media at the UdK Berlin. He received his bachelor’s degree in Film Directing from Sooreh University of Arts in Tehran. His debut film “Paradise" (2015) was nominated for the Golden Leopard in the main competition of Locarno Film Festival and won Best Film for the Ecumenical Jury and Art Peace Award. “Paradise" was subsequently awarded at various international film festivals. Since 2016, Sina has been a scholar at the Goethe-Institut. He has exhibited video art, interactive video installations and photographs in prestigious contemporary art museums like Villa Merkel in Stuttgart and Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin.

The workshop is held in English and is free of charge.
Date: 12 & 16 April 2021, 10 am – 12 pm

Taxes I + II: Legal Form

In this 2-day workshop of "Basics to Accounting" you will learn how to create your own tax return.

We will cover the following topics:
- Basics of VAT and income tax (Umsatz- und Einkommensteuer)
- Filing system: differentiating between income and expenses
- Creating an income and surplus account
- Business expenses and receipts management
- ABCs of business expenses: car, food, telephone, travel
- How to write off expenses and low value assets
- Tax rates in Germany and VAT exemption (Umsatzsteuerbefreiung)
- VAT returns (Umsatzsteuervoranmeldungen)
- Options and obligations when submitting the tax return to the tax office, e.g. tax programs, ELSTER, certificates
- Tips about communication and dealing with tax authorities, tax advisors, accountants and lawyers, e.g. tax law

With Mahmoud Achour


Mahmoud Achour was born in Saarbrücken in 1972. He completed his studies at the faculty of law of the Universität Hannover (University of Hannover). His vocation as a lawyer first emerged during his legal clerkship. Accordingly, he made the practice of law the focal point of his education and training. He began his career working for a medium-sized law firm in Dortmund and completed his training in a Berlin office specializing in commercial law, where he continued to work after his bar examination. He passed the bar in 2003. Following further specialized experience in a commercial law office in Berlin, he founded the law firm Achour, which gradually expanded into the partnership company Achour & Partners still existing today. Since 2011 Mahmoud has further added the practice of fiscal law to his expertise.
 

The workshop is held in English and is free of charge.
Date: 19 & 21 April 2021, 10 – 12 pm

 

Scriptwriting II: Unfolding the Story

A good story is always a complex story, in the sense that life is complex. Life is a constant source of stimulation. The original idea of the script comes before one decides to write something or to drop it. Sometimes an image, an atmosphere or an event sparks a creative process, and then a flood of ideas follows. Ideas can be anything – it is necessary to remain open and receptive to them. The notions of excitement, pleasure, desire and enjoyment are very important in this phase. What follows is a period of collecting and gathering. Ideally this period is uninhibited, uncensored (from both the outside and the creator) and lasts as long as possible. This is an activity that is free from critique, feedback and other opinions, and at the same time, secure and a little bit lonely. The more we postpone the act of writing, the more we gain clarity on this path, and stay even more open to as many possibilities as possible. A long, pre-writing phase can help avoid being locked in a narrow path of options. We are all brought up with the romantic idea of the brain of the writer. However, in reality, the span of possibilities you start to write with functions against what neuroscientists call cognitive miser.

With Sina Ataeian Dena

Sina Ataeian Dena is a Persian, Berlin-based filmmaker and artist. He graduated with his master in Animation and Absolvent Study Art and Media at the UdK Berlin. He received his bachelor’s degree in Film Directing from Sooreh University of Arts in Tehran. His debut film “Paradise" (2015) was nominated for the Golden Leopard in the main competition of Locarno Film Festival and won Best Film for the Ecumenical Jury and Art Peace Award. “Paradise" was subsequently awarded at various international film festivals. Since 2016, Sina has been a scholar at the Goethe-Institut. He has exhibited video art, interactive video installations and photographs in prestigious contemporary art museums like Villa Merkel in Stuttgart and Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin.

The workshop is held in English and is free of charge.
Date: 26 & 29 April 2021, 5 – 7 pm

Media Law I + II

Did you know that the copyright for the work of an artist in Germany is protected up to 70 years after the death of the creator?! Unlike in any other country in the world, the artists here have the right to reasonable compensation. The law says if a body of work is being used by someone else they must pay for it.

But who decides how an artist’s work can be used, for which purpose and for how long? Who has the rights to it? What about royalties? And what do you have to be aware of in regards to commissioned work? How do you protect your creative rights then?

In this 2-day workshop you will receive answers to all these questions and also learn about different memberships for royalties like GEMA, VG Wort (for writers) and VG Bild (for visual artists) and who can offer support and free consultation.

With Henner Merle


Henner Merle is a Legal Expert and knows the special professional situation of creatives also from his own experience as a Gallery Owner. He was Legal Adviser of the Screenwriters Guild of Germany (VDD) and focuses on cinematic and copyright law. He has negotiated contracts with many film producers, broadcasters and publishers, always with a focus on bringing creative processes to a mutual success of the contractors through well-balanced contracts. He is a Lecturer at the Babelsberg Film University KONRAD WOLF and also at the Script Academy Berlin.

The workshop is held in English and is free of charge.
Date: 27 & 29 April 2021, 10 – 12 pm