[Translate to English:] Im Mittelpunkt der Audio-Projekte der Studierenden stand jeweils eine Geschichte oder ein Thema. Gemischte deutsch-amerikanische Studierendengruppen verbrachten die ersten Tage damit, bei Spaziergängen durch Hamburg Geräusche aufzunehmen, um ihr kreatives Konzept zu entwickeln. Anschließend mischten sie die Geräusche zu einem immersiven, erzählerischen und/oder emotionalen Werk, das am Ende der Woche vor Publikum im 3D-Audio-Labor abgespielt wurde.
Jedes Projekt war auf seine Weise einzigartig. Einige waren experimentell und verwandelten Alltagsgeräusche in abstrakte, nicht mehr wiedererkennbare Klangtexturen, während andere Geschichten erzählten, wie zum Beispiel den Reiz der Sirenen für einen SeefaThe student audio projects were centred around a story or theme. Mixed US-German student groups spent the first couple of days sourcing and recording sounds on walks round Hamburg, developing their creative concept as they went. They then edited and mixed the sounds into an immersive, narrative and/or emotional piece that at the end of the week was played to an audience using a multitude of loudspeakers that surrounded the listeners in the 3-D audio lab.
Each project was unique in its own way. Some were experimental, transforming everyday sounds to abstract and unrecognizable textures, while others told stories, such as the allure of sirens to a seagoing traveller or the death of a gladiator monk and his subsequent rebirth. Workshop participant Bea Tan (CSULB) said of her experience: ‘Professor Huff encouraged us to lean into our curiosities, work together as a team and push the boundaries of storytelling though sound.’
This summer programme added a new dimension to the strategic relationship between HAW Hamburg and CSULB. In the past eleven years there have been US and German film workshops on both sides of the Atlantic, but this is the first time a faculty-led group of US film students has come to Hamburg. Students bounced ideas off one another and collaborated in a way that allowed them to learn from each other’s expertise. CSULB student Juan Perez said at the end of the week: ‘Hamburg gave me hands-on experience with professional tools such a Reaper and full creative freedom within innovative 3-D audio. Education doesn’t get any better than this.’
Text & photo: I. Weatherall
