Second-year Bachelor's students attended a workshop with Belgian cinematographer Benoît Dervaux, known for his work on the Dardenne brothers' films. He was responsible for the cinematography on the Swiss films Laissez-moi by Maxime Rappaz (2023) and À bras-le-corps by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo (2025).
"When Rachel Noël asked me to come to ECAL to give a workshop on image centred on light, I thought about it for a while and then immediately thought of this quote that I really like and that has stayed with me for a long time, by Serge Daney: 'In artistic terms, an absolutely intuitive, almost animalistic understanding of what can be done is much more important than knowing what one wants to do.'
Throughout my career, I have often observed how light in cinema remains a mystery that is difficult to unravel for many people, including numerous professionals in the sector, producers, directors, etc.
However, for the director of photography, who is responsible for the image of a film, light, however fantastical and artistic it may be, inevitably requires at some point to be forged from tangible and material elements.
Starting from the axiom that a film shot must above all be structured and constructed according to the camera position, during this workshop we observed the interplay of light and shadow.
Through a series of simple, practical exercises, I attempted to introduce the students to cinema lighting so that it would no longer be an abstract concept for them.
By giving them these few keys, I hope that they will now be able to observe photography in a more analytical way and gain a deeper understanding of films."
Benoit Dervaux
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BA GRAPHIC DESIGN
with Guy Meldem
First-year students were invited to design a 16-page publication. By experimenting with duotone through various printing techniques, they structured a dual reading experience dependent on the printed colors.
BA GRAPHIC DESIGN
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Anouk Schneider Agabekov, Nicolas Polli
As part of the magazine course led by Anouk Schneider and Emmanuel Crivelli, second-year Visual Communication students had the opportunity to design a magazine during the second semester. Students were encouraged to fully embrace their artistic freedom at every level of creation, whether in terms of format, paper choice, binding, layout, illustration, text, or typography. In this course, the magazine can take shape through various forms of illustration, such as photography, reproduction, contextualization, drawing, 3D, and more. The focus is placed on the author’s artistic vision and the means used to bring it to life. Students take on multiple roles as editor, curator, and architect, assuming the responsibilities of art director, designer, photographer, stylist, illustrator, typographer, editor-in-chief, and editorial secretary. This course highlights contemporary editorial design by exploring the narrative potential of a carefully crafted content sequence.
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Nicolas Poillot
By conceptualizing and producing visual content as part of an editorial series, students will explore the concept of applied photography in a practical, creative, and professional manner, working closely with Art Director Nicolas Poillot.
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Philippe Jarrigeon
Drawing on Moncler’s Alpine heritage, its timeless style, and its technical mastery, the ECAL Bachelor Photography students developed their own interpretation of the brand’s visual language, blending documentary photography with staged scenes, and merging reality with fiction, under the artistic direction of French photographer Philippe Jarrigeon. As part of Paris Photo 2025, the students’ work was showcased at the Moncler boutique on the Champs-Élysées.
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Maisie Cousins
The aim of this workshop, led by photographer Maisie Cousins, is to use photography as a tool to broaden our powers of observation. During the week, students explored macro photography to create miniature and abstract worlds using everyday objects and accessories. This invites us to reflect: what else are we overlooking in our immediate environment?