From November 4 to 13, Dubrovnik hosted the first teaching module of the Film & Media Sound Academy (FMSA), an international education program in professional film sound that brings some of the most renowned experts of the global film industry to Dubrovnik.
The Film & Media Sound Academy is an international education program that allows young film professionals and filmmakers to learn directly from leading experts working on the world’s biggest film productions. The program combines theory, intensive hands-on work, fieldwork and mentoring with an introduction to the professional standards and working methods of today’s film industry. It combines intensive in-person sessions in Dubrovnik with online learning, so that over several months participants go through the different stages of film sound work, from preparation and recording on set to post-production and the final mix. The Dubrovnik Film and Media Academy project was jointly launched by the City of Dubrovnik and the University of Dubrovnik to develop education, the creative industries and year-round tourism, as well as for international promotion. The Film & Media Sound Academy (FMSA) curriculum, jointly developed by Dreamaker Productions and the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET, was selected for its implementation. This has created a framework that connects the international film industry, modern education and the local academic community.
20 Participants from Croatia and Abroad
The first FMSA class has a total of 20 participants from 13 countries. In its very first full academic year, this confirms the program’s international character, while also strongly involving Croatian participants in working together with colleagues from different professional and cultural backgrounds. The participants come with different professional and educational experience, but they share an interest in film sound, production and the audiovisual industry. This diversity of experience is an important part of the FMSA concept: the aim is not only to pass on technical knowledge, but to build an international network of young professionals who will collaborate, share experiences and develop their own projects during the program.
“For the University of Dubrovnik, the Film & Media Sound Academy is exactly the kind of international collaboration we want to develop, one that connects education, top expertise, new technologies and the real needs of the creative industries. It is especially important to us that young professionals have the opportunity to learn and work with people at the very top of the global film industry, and that through programs like this Dubrovnik further strengthens its position as a meeting place for knowledge, creativity and international cooperation. Over the full academic year, FMSA has 11 lecturers, including six Oscar winners as well as BAFTA and Emmy winners, and its official ambassadors are the acclaimed actors Simon Pegg and Ciarán Hinds. I believe FMSA has the potential to grow into a recognized international education program, and I am glad that the University of Dubrovnik is part of its development,” said Professor Nebojša Stojčić, PhD, Rector of the University of Dubrovnik.
“If we were looking for a better place for a program like this, we would be hard pressed to find one. Film and culture have been intertwined in Dubrovnik for decades. Naturally, the logical next step is an education program like this one, launched on the initiative of the University of Dubrovnik and bringing together experts from all over the world. We are aware of how important sound is in creating a film, and I am pleased that Dubrovnik has a program that brings together experts of a caliber that no other city in Croatia has at the moment, and I would even dare say no other city in Europe. For that reason, I wish this program every success, and the City of Dubrovnik will continue to support it in various ways and through cooperation with the University of Dubrovnik,” said Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković.
“From the start, we imagined FMSA as a place where students would not just listen to people who have worked on the biggest films, but actually work with them. We want them to be able to ask questions, make mistakes, try again and understand why quality sound is one of the key elements of a film. We are especially proud that the first class brings together students from as many as 12 countries, and that they are meeting some of the best professionals in our industry right here on the University of Dubrovnik Campus,” said Marijana Glaser, co-founder of the Film & Media Sound Academy.
“CARNET brings to the Film & Media Sound Academy its experience in connecting technology and education, and an understanding of how modern skills are developed in cooperation with industry. We took part in the methodological development of the curriculum, and as a technology partner we help connect the academic environment with the practice and knowledge of leading global experts. It is precisely in this kind of connection between education, technology and industry that we see room for developing new models of learning that prepare students for rapidly changing professions,” said Hrvoje Puljiz, Director of CARNET.
After the Dubrovnik module, the Film & Media Sound Academy will continue with online classes, followed by further training and practical phases during the 2026/2027 academic year.
Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy Winners Among the Mentors
FMSA brings together an international team of film professionals covering the different stages of creating film sound, from production sound on set to sound design, post-production and emerging technologies. The mentors and lecturers include Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy winners, as well as experts with many years of experience on the most demanding international film and television productions.
Mentors and Lecturers
Mark Ulano, Academy Award winner for Titanic and one of the world’s leading production sound mixers. Over a career spanning several decades, he has worked on more than a hundred film and television productions, including Titanic, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Killers of the Flower Moon and Ad Astra. A longtime collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, he is one of the best-known experts in film sound and on-set sound recording.
Simon Clark AMPS, British production sound mixer and BAFTA winner for Wolf Hall. He has worked on major film, television and documentary productions, including Barbie, and alongside his professional work he is actively involved in training new generations of film professionals. He is Co-Chair of the Institute of Professional Sound.
Chris Munro AMPS, two-time Academy Award winner for Black Hawk Down and Gravity, and two-time BAFTA winner for Casino Royale and Gravity. As a production sound mixer, he has worked with directors such as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Paul Greengrass, Ron Howard and Alfonso Cuarón on major British and American productions around the world.
Patrushkha Mierzwa, one of the first women boom operators in Hollywood and a film professional with a long career. She has worked on dozens of film and television productions and collaborated with filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman and Robert Rodriguez. She is the author of professional books on the work of on-set sound technicians and boom operators, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Michael Minkler, three-time Academy Award winner and one of the most respected American re-recording mixers. He won his Academy Awards for Black Hawk Down, Chicago and Dreamgirls, and his filmography spans decades of work on major Hollywood productions. In addition to his film awards, he has also won an Emmy for his work in television.
James Mather, supervising sound editor who won an Academy Award for Top Gun: Maverick, and one of Britain’s leading film sound designers. His career covers production sound, sound editing and post-production on major international film projects. As a supervising sound editor, he has worked on several installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Roland Vajs, three-time Primetime Emmy Award winner and sound editor with a long international career. He won his Emmys for the documentary Free Solo, the HBO series The Night Of and the series Boardwalk Empire, and has worked on numerous film and television projects.
Samir Fočo, Emmy Award-winning sound designer and sound editor with an extensive international filmography. He was part of the award-winning sound team on Moonage Daydream, the documentary about David Bowie, which won an Emmy for sound editing.
Alex Serdiuk, co-founder and CEO of Respeecher, one of the world’s leading AI voice technology companies. Respeecher’s technology has been used in major film and television projects. The company won an Emmy for its work on In Event of Moon Disaster and today develops its technology for film, television, video games, animation, localization and other creative industries.
What sets the program apart is not only the mentors’ names, but the hands-on way of working. Students do not just attend their lectures; they go through real professional situations, work with equipment, analyze locations, prepare sound recording plans and solve the problems film crews face every day on set and in the studio.
Ten Days of Intensive Work on the University of Dubrovnik Campus
The first FMSA in-person session runs from November 4 to 13 on the University of Dubrovnik Campus. The program begins with student orientation and an introduction to the teaching facilities, followed by the start of work with Chris Munro. Munro will continue working with the students on November 5, while Mark Ulano, Patrushkha Mierzwa and Simon Clark will join the program during the first few days. On November 6, the official launch of the Film & Media Sound Academy will take place, with students, mentors, representatives of the University of Dubrovnik and guest experts taking part. The program will include two thematic panels: “FMSA: From University to Industry – and Back. A New Model Connecting Academia, Industry, Technology and World-Class Expertise” and “AI Is Changing the Rules: What Remains Human in Film, Education and Work?”
From November 7, classes move to a more intensive hands-on format. With Simon Clark, Mark Ulano and Patrushkha Mierzwa, students will go through the location scouting process: assessing a location before filming, identifying potential sound problems and understanding how the choice of location affects the production’s budget, schedule and creative decisions. The theory will be complemented by practical assignments and the preparation of scouting reports and visual presentations. This is followed by intensive work on production sound mixing, boom microphone techniques and wireless miking. Students will learn to analyze a script from a sound perspective, choose microphones and equipment, plan their placement and respond to problems that arise during filming. A special part of the course is devoted to organizing the sound department on set, from IFB systems and expendables to labeling, checking and organizing equipment.
From November 9 to 13, the program moves almost entirely to hands-on work. In small groups, students will apply what they have learned in simulated real film set conditions, working with equipment, mentors and actors on assignments that reflect real situations in film production. The last day is reserved for one-on-one meetings with mentors, professional networking, an introduction to professional associations, a Q&A and a final review of student projects. Over ten intensive days, through lectures, analyses of real professional cases, practical exercises, work with equipment and direct mentoring, students will go through the key processes of production film sound in the academic environment of the University of Dubrovnik Campus and in line with the standards of the professional film industry.
