Established: 2016

Educational Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Duration: 4 years (8 semesters)

Form of Education: Full-time

 

Program Director:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valeriya Krachunova-Popova

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Team:

Prof. Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev (Character Development, World Culture,), Prof. Dr. Docho Bodjakov (Film & TV Directing), Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Ovcharov (Film & TV Directing), Dr. Radoslav Kamburov (Film and TV Directing), Martin Genovski (Film and TV Directing), Maria Averina (Film and TV Directing), Boya Harizanova (Film and TV Directing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emil Rashev (Film and TV Cinematography), Prof. Dr. Teodor Yanev (Film and TV Cinematography), Prof. Dr. Emilia Stoeva (Film and TV Cinematography, English Language Terminology), Dr. Krassimir Stoichkov (Film and TV Cinematography), Zdravko Ruzhev (Film and TV Cinematography), Hristo Bozadzhiev (Film and TV Cinematography), Petar Nenov (Film and TV Cinematography), Dr. Andrei Rashev (Film and TV Cinematography), Plamen Botovski (Film and TV Cinematography), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valentina Fidanova-Kolarova  (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Rossitza Ilieva (Film and TV Editing), Eng. Dimitar Stoichev (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nina Altaparmakova (Film and TV Editing), Andrea-Nikol Kostova (Film and TV Editing), Liuboslav Bonev (Film and TV Editing), Zina Nacheva (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valeria Krachunova-Popova (Film and TV Sound, Sound Recording and Editing of Folly Effects, Hearing Training, Dubbing, Sound Design), Assoc. Prof. Pavel Stefanov (Film and TV Sound, Sound Recording and Editing of Music, Elementary Theory of Music, Organology, Acoustics), Dr. Tsvetelina Tsvetkova (Film and TV Sound, Sound Recording and Editing of Music, Multi-channel Mixing, Audio Signals Modulation), Stefan Makedonski (Film and TV Sound, Sound Equipment, Studio Equipment, Broadcasting, Editing Software ProTools), Desislava Georgieva (Film and TV Sound, Basic Music Theory, Organology), Ivailo Natsev (Film and TV Sound), Georgi Penkov (Film and TV Sound), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elena Trencheva (Film and TV Design), Dr. Boyana Bachvarova (Film and TV Design), Hristo Karaivanov (Film and TV Design), Desislava Bankova (Film and TV Design), Iva Petkova (Film and TV Design), Elena Misheva (Film and TV Design), Assoc. Prof. Vladislav Budinov (Animation), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gospodin Nedelchev (Animation), Dr. Penyu Kiratzov (Animation), Ivailo Seferov (Animation), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimir Andonov (Photography), Assoc. Prof. Iglena Ruseva (Photography), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alexander Nishkov (Photography), Krikor Vanlian (Photography), Mariana Zhizhanova (Photography), Tanya Decheva (Photography), Dimitar Vladimirov (Photography), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ema Konstantinova (Film and TV Producing), Dr. Hristo Bonev (Film and TV Producing), Dr. Asparuh Nikolov(Film and TV Producing), Petar Harizanov (Film and TV Producing), Ivo Nikolov (Film and TV Producing), Prof. Dr. Sc. Maya Dimitrova (Screen Research and Journalism, American Cinema, Western European Cinema), Irina Ivanova (Screen Research and Journalism), Prof. Dr. Sc. Vladimir Ignatovksi (Theory of Entertainment Arts), Prof. Dr. Sc. Bojidar Manov (Aesthetics of Documentary Cinema),  Assoc. Prof. Yuri Dachev (Principles of TV Journalism), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimira Guercheva (Aesthetics of Animation Cinema), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Ivanov (Russian Cinema, Balkan Cinema, Eastern European Cinema), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andronika Martonova (Asian Cinema), Boryana Mateeva (Latin American Cinema), Dr. Krasimir Kastelov (Bulgarian Cinema, Introduction to the History of Cinema), Dr. Yana Dzharova-Karakoleva (History of Television), Prof. Dr. Kalin Gaidarov (Personality Psychology, Children Psychology, Social Psychology), Neli Dimitrova (Character Development), Nikolai Yordanov (Character Development, TV Reality Formats), Alexandra Petkova (Character Development), Prof. Dr. Sc. Miroslav Dachev (Semiotics, World Culture), Prof. Dr. Svetlana Stoicheva-Andersson (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivailo Kostov (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyka Donevksa (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rumiana Evtimova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Sc. Kamelia Nikolova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Milena Bratoeva (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boris Minkov (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Yuri Stoyanov (World Cuture), Prof. Dr. Madlen Danova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Julian Kuyumdzhiev (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rossen Roussev (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Kalina Stefanova (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariyana Lazarova (Copyright and Related Rights in the Audiovisual Field), Eng. Zhivko Ivanov (Visual Effects), Ivan Andreev (Microphones and Sound Recording Equipment in the Field), Alexander Simeonov (Microphones and Sound Recording Equipment in the Field)

 

1.ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

The aim of this educational programme is to develop capacities and skills of students to be able to undertake positions such as sound directors, sound engineers, microphone technicians, sound recording and sound processing assistants for all audiovisual genres.

After an interdisciplinary education during the first academic year, priorities focus on editing documentaries and feature films, television commercials and music videos, reality TV formats and studio programs, etc.

The practical modules comprise of sound recording and sound post-production tasks on different kinds of short films and documentaries, TV adaptations, commercials, music videos, etc. Additionally, the students take classes in theory of sound and music, sound engineering, sound recording and editing of folly effects, sound recording and editing of music, studio equipment, broadcasting, editing software, sound recording equipment in the field, sound design, film music, orchestration, acoustics, dubbing, etc.

Additionally, there are modules on philosophy, religion, literature, theater, music, art, architecture, psychology, history of cinema, semiotics, theory of performing arts and others.

 

 

2. EDUCATION

Education is only full-time, lasting 4 years. Graduates who have completed their credits under the programme curriculum have to pass an oral and written graduation exam in the respective field of study, as well as a final diploma defence on their work as sound directors of a realized project of a student from the Film and Television Directing programme (not shorter than 20 minutes).

 

3. QUALIFICATION

Graduates acquire the educational qualification degree “Bachelor of Arts” with professional qualification “Film and TV Sound Director”. They have options to work in the creative and production companies in Bulgaria and abroad, in the creation and realisation of feature films, television series and adaptations, documentaries, corporate and educational films, music and commercial videos, online productions, multimedia projects. Graduates could also continue further their education in Master programmes.

During their education, students get acquainted with the world practices and models, as well as with the professional terminology in English language, which allows them to work with/in foreign productions, as well as co-productions in Bulgaria and abroad.

 

4. ADMISSION 

When submitting their application, candidates must also submit a portfolio. It may contain scripts, essays, poems, short stories, plays, novels, paintings, drawings, photographs, films, original music, performances of songs and musical instruments, recordings of musical performances and other artistic materials of the candidate’s choice. Textual materials must be in a pdf format and not exceeding 5 pages. Images must be in jpg format. Audiovisual materials must be in mp-4 format and not exceeding a total duration of 10 minutes. Sound materials must be in mp-3 format and not exceeding a total duration of 10 minutes. The purpose of the portfolio is to show the applicant’s interests, artistic preferences, potential skills and mindset in as many details as possible. All materials must be uploaded in the Google Drive cloud space with a limit up to 3 GB.

 

Stage I – Practical Exam (anonymous)

Part one – a test to check the hearing of the candidates.

Sample Tasks:

  1. Identifying musical instruments. Applicants listen to a piece of music for a solo instrument and determine what the instrument is.
  2. Identifying changes in the tempo. Applicants listen to a recording with a change in the tempo (for example: fast-slow-fast). Applicants determine what the change is.
  3. Discovering adjustments to the dynamic range of a music piece. Applicants listen to a piece of music where there are three deliberately mounted changes in the level (for example: strong dynamics – quiet dynamics – strong dynamics). Applicants determine the correction.
  4. Detection of defects in the phonogram. Applicants listen three times in a row one and the same recording – the first time without defects, the next two times – with distinctive defects (e.g. cracking, missing parts, etc.) Applicants describe the defects.
  5. Detection of changes in the frequency of a music piece. Applicants listen once to the excerpt without any correction, then twice with an equalizer correction in the low or high frequency range. Applicants choose between four possible answers: a) the correction raises low frequencies; b) the correction raises high frequencies; c) the correction cuts low frequencies; d) the correction cuts high frequencies.

Exam duration: 15 minutes.

 

Second part: A test to check the basic knowledge on physics and physiology of hearing. Applicants answer 10 questions on the material studied in the ninth grade at secondary school, related to the physical nature of the sound, sound sources, sound waves in different environments, sound intensity, ultrasound and infrasound, reflection and absorption of sound, sound as a carrier of information, etc.

Exam duration: 15 minutes.

 

Third part: Applicants receive an audiovisual sequence with no sound/music (same sequence for all applicants) lasting up to 2 minutes, as well as a set of sounds and musical compositions which they can use for creating their version of the sound/music of the sequence. NATFA provides students in sound and editing, who technically assist the applicants in the sound editing of the film.

Exam duration: 120 minutes.

 

Candidates who receive a score lower than average (3.00) cannot participate in Stage II.

 

Stage II – Oral exam

Applicants’ sequences admitted to Stage II, are viewed by the Final Selection Committee. The Committee comprises of: NATFA’s Rector, the Dean of the Faculty of Screen Arts and the Program Directors of all the programs in the faculty. Applicants attend the screening of their films and are then invited to analyze the results and answer questions, related to their choice of sounds and music, their interweaving in the narrative, the eventual technical imperfections of the result and the reasons for them, the choice of title, and other components of the film. The Final Selection Committee also interviews the applicants about the materials, included in their application portfolio. The aim of the interview is to understand the applicants’ potential capabilities, interests, overall cultural knowledge and mindset, ability for independent thinking and artistic reflections.

Candidates who receive a score lower than average (3.00) cannot participate in the final ranking.