Publications

Between the years. It is December, that liminal stretch between the years. Cold and rain-soaked. Snow has not yet fallen, and yet the scent of winter already hangs in the air. The city is quiet; most people are with their friends and relatives. Public transport, however, continues to run.
The man responsible for lost property on the T-Bane carries a bag into the lost-and-found office at Nationaltheatret in Oslo.
An assemblage of personal belongings which, from this moment onward, lose their individuality and enter the canon of forgotten objects—until the moment someone attempts to retrieve the item and, in this sense, render the loss reversible. An attempt that most often fails.
Since the advent of modernity, Western society struggled against loss, even though the disappearance of things and bodies has always occurred.
Nevertheless, the question arises: why was this bag lost, and why was it never reclaimed?
Although it is uncomfortable to confront loss, there is nonetheless something compelling in contemplating the foreign objects—the loss—of another person.
I therefore arrive at the conclusion that we have a problem with loss. We have a problem with processing loss. The euphemism “everything will be alright”, applied to a generally bleak situation, almost forbids us from confronting loss at all.... [mehr]

Humans are social beings and actively respond to their environment. Consequently, it seems only logical that they are also addicted to entertainment. At first glance, this fact does not pose a problem, as throughout human history, entertainment has fostered a globally developed culture that is constantly changing. External influences and regulatory systems have developed accordingly. It did not take long for a system to recognise that it could influence people through messages, images and representations. The fact that we live in a social environment and have always had to be on guard against enemies or exclusion has had a strong influence on our cognitive abilities in terms of attention. It always seemed vital for survival to keep track of things and assess situations. Many centuries later, this cognitive perception ability still exists. In the meantime, the media, companies and politicians have taken advantage of this fact and influence people's perceptions to their benefit.... [mehr]

The advance of digitalisation is influencing medicine in various areas, which is why its relevance is also increasing in medical studies. For this reason, the Teaching Department of the Medical Faculty at Leipzig University is constantly reviewing new technical developments and their potential for use in medical teaching. The focus is on supplementing teaching and explicitly not replacing it with digital media. Virtual reality (hereinafter referred to as ‘VR’) is a technology that shows promising potential at first glance. In order to determine the extent to which VR adds value to human medicine studies and which hardware and software is suitable for this purpose, the VRmed – Virtual Reality in Medical Teaching project was initiated by the Media Department of the MF's Teaching Department.... [mehr]

When Eadweard Muybridge discovered in 1887, in the course of his experiments with chronophotography, that 24 frames per second could be used to turn a sequence of still images into a moving image sequence, he simultaneously created a paradox of time. Film was born and was first presented to the public as a mass medium in the Lumière brothers' La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon (1895). Cinema developed over the following decades. Through stylistic devices such as montage, cinema has the ability to create an illusion of time and manipulate it at the same time. A famous example is the film La Jetée (1962) by Chris Marker. Instead of moving images, it uses a sequence of still images, which are nevertheless presented in the form of a film with a fixed duration of 24 frames per second. It therefore seems interesting to take a closer look at this film. The construct of time is questioned in this film not only formally, but also in terms of content.... [mehr]

The 360-degree film as a new form of audiovisual presentation has increasingly come to the fore since 2015. The use of this technology can be found primarily in journalism, advertising and architectural views. This master's thesis examines aspects of image design using the example of the first 360-degree opera film, 360° Figaro (2018). With the help of a film log and film stills of the sphere, the mise-en-scène, the constitution of the cinematic space and the compositional principles of the ubiquitous image are analysed. The analysis is placed in a subjective viewing context appropriate for 360-degree film. This approach allows for a breakdown of the relationship between image design and mise-en-scène. The interdependence of these elements is examined in more detail and placed in relation to the construction of space. Ultimately, compositional shot size equivalents in 360-degree film can be identified and verified.... [mehr]

Why is augmented reality an interesting topic? Why is the combination of real and virtual objects in 3D useful? Augmented reality improves the user's perception of and interaction with the real world. The virtual objects display information that the user cannot perceive directly with their own senses. The information conveyed by the virtual objects helps the user to accomplish tasks in the real world." Ronald Azuma highlighted this insight and interest in augmented reality (AR) as early as 1997, long before augmented reality became widely known. The medium of augmented reality has become increasingly popular in recent years and, thanks to its applicability on smartphones, is now accessible to the general public. This work will focus on the augmented reality app Zeitfenster (2018), which describes itself as an interactive journey through time covering the Peaceful Revolution in Leipzig.... [mehr]

Since its inception, cinema has had great cultural value in society. However, it has faced fierce competition from the advent of television, DVDs and streaming services. Digitisation came at just the right time. The switch from analogue to digital was a media technology breakthrough, but also a material liberation. Cinema digitisation has been underway in the USA since 2002. The decision to convert cinemas had to be carefully considered in advance, both logistically and financially. In Germany, the first wave of digitisation began in 2007.Since its inception, cinema has had great cultural value in society. However, it has faced fierce competition from the advent of television, DVDs and streaming services. Digitisation came at just the right time. The switch from analogue to digital was a media technology breakthrough, but also a material liberation. Cinema digitisation has been underway in the USA since 2002. The decision to convert cinemas had to be carefully considered in advance, both logistically and financially. In Germany, the first wave of digitisation began in 2007.... [mehr]

When watching the television series Soko Leipzig, it is noticeable that the dramatic structure features different plots per episode. On closer inspection, each main character in the series has their own storyline, and each episode has its own main plot in which the characters act. In most cases, the main plot is in the foreground and the stories of the individual characters form a continuity of the narrative. These background stories of the characters are referred to as the B-plot, while the criminal case represents the so-called A-plot. It is therefore interesting to examine how a single B-plot is told and how often it appears in the episodes. To this end, Christopher Vogler and Michaela Krüzen's theory of the hero's journey will serve as a starting point for examining the dramaturgical structure of the plot of a main character in Soko Leipzig.... [mehr]

The systematic examination of genre and type in film and its potential for transformation, from blurred boundaries to the hybridisation of genres, are the focus of the chapter ‘Generic and conventionalised contexts – On the systematics and dynamics of genres and types’ in Zwischen Dokumentar- und Spielfilm (Between Documentary and Feature Film) by Florian Mundhenke. The text summarises the integration into existing types and different genres. It presents the distinctive features that differentiate type and genre in hierarchical and non-hierarchical models. In this regard, the classification is critically questioned and overlaps are highlighted as transformations. Consequently, the genres and their static, dynamic and integrating elements are examined, leading to the conclusion that hybrid forms of genre exist.... [mehr]

When discussing films in general, the actors are usually mentioned first, followed by the director, as they contribute significantly to the film's popularity. This may be due to the primary presence of actors in the picture. In contrast, scientific considerations predominantly focus on the filmmaker as the creator of the work. The reason for this can be explained by the fact that the director makes the key decisions regarding visual and narrative aspects, thus forming the basis of the film. At the same time, however, it is the cinematographer who creates the technical basis for the film's visuals through the camera. In terms of the film's internal structure, the cinematographer acts as the filmmaker's ‘right-hand man’.... [mehr]