Interview with Francesc Font: The Degree Immerses You in the Creative and Communicative World.

If you’ve always felt more comfortable explaining how you see the world through images rather than words, in the Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia we speak the same language as you. But who better to explain what’s happening in this degree than one of the figures who helped create ERAM, or as it is now known, the ERAM Arts University Center – UdG?

Welcome Francesc Font, what is your current role at ERAM?

Currently, I am the Coordinator of the Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia. I also teach several subjects such as Transmedia Project Direction in Catalan, and both in English and Catalan the subjects Theory and Analysis of the Image and the Idea Generation Workshop, which are shared with the BA Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia.

Photograph of Francesc Font Andreu at ERAM. (Agramunt, J. 2023)

“This degree is a 4-year journey in which you delve into the creative and communicative world of the contemporary audiovisual and digital sector.”

How would you describe the Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia?

It can be summarized in one clear word: interdisciplinarity. This degree is a 4-year journey in which you delve into the creative and communicative world of the contemporary audiovisual and digital sector. Currently, audiovisual and multimedia products are the mass communication channels with the most impact on the population; at ERAM we learn all the necessary knowledge so that each student can decide how they want to participate.

“The students of the degree are characterized by their critical thinking, their awareness of the world around them, and their desire to make it better.”

After seeing many generations of students pass through, what do you think is the main potential of our students?

The students of the degree are characterized by their critical thinking, their awareness of the world around them, and their desire to make it better. Here we provide them with tools that should help them make their voices heard; these are their language for communicating with society. Therefore, from teaching, we strive to teach them to be proficient with the work tools; audiovisual and digital programs and machinery, as well as to develop critical thinking and maintain curiosity.

“If the student, once they have discovered their vocation, can work in it, it will be the best thing that can happen to them.”

Why do you think someone with this profile should choose the Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia at ERAM to study?

Because here they have the space to discover. We don’t want ERAM to be just a place where you learn to operate a camera. It is a place where you find guidance, both in terms of discovering life, the world, and its paths, and in a professional sense. It is a starting point where the foundations are laid to discover passions, voices, and the uniqueness of each person and find the tools to exploit them professionally.
The curriculum is designed with the idea of interdisciplinarity. We seek to make learning options help foster vocations by approaching diverse subjects such as 3D, audiovisual, music, sound, web programming, graphic design, etc. If the student, once they have discovered their vocation, can work in it, it will be the best thing that can happen to them.
Another fundamental part of ERAM is that the teachers are active professionals, and therefore connect with the reality of the artistic professional field and can transfer it to the students.

Student of the Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia editing in a study room at ERAM. (Caritg, A. 2022)

Let’s be more specific, which subjects do you highlight from the degree?

I divide them into 3 main blocks. The first block consists of subjects that work on the idea, reflecting on critical thinking. Here we find, for example, Theory and Analysis of the Image, which could be purely theoretical, but we make it practical by developing concepts through reflection.
The second block consists of subjects related to sensitive thinking and expression. For example, we have script, narrative, and direction.
The third block includes practical and creative subjects, which also have a theoretical base to develop creativity. A clear example is graphic design or audiovisual.
The challenge that our students face is how to deal with the fact that the world, and with it the communication paradigm model, are being questioned and changing. It is the responsibility of the new generations to make this change, but it is the responsibility of teachers to prepare and train them, not only through subjects but also through their experience.

“Here they will find the guidance that will make those fears that hold them back from pursuing what they are passionate about disappear.”

You’ve seen many students pass through your classroom, with a wide variety of profiles. Many of them have struggled to take the leap to study an artistic degree. What would you say to a student with that fear?

I can tell them everything I’ve been explaining to you. Here they will find the guidance that will make those fears that hold them back from pursuing what they are passionate about disappear. In the end, it is a fear of the unknown, of a sector that is not taught in school and is not seen as an easy path. There is a quote by Gilles Deleuze that says “think, create, and resist,” which I think is very fitting. At ERAM they will be able to think, create, and resist, as we will provide them with the tools to grow personally and professionally.