MODULE 01
Introduction and Finding the Focus
Two hours: how we work together, what the four weeks contain, and one document read closely. From 19:00 you are in breakout rooms. Wars begin in many ways. They usually end with a document — that is where we start looking.
Where this sits
18:00–20:00 CEST · 19:00 Istanbul · 20:00 Yerevan
Creator's workflow
- 1Idea and the topic — you are here
- 2Research to collect and verify materials
- 3Decide how to present the document
- 4Write a screenplay and record the voiceover
- 5Assemble the visuals with tools that fit you
- 6Polish: subtitles, visual effects, sound design
- 7Pre-publishing screening and evaluation
Tonight
| 18:00 | Before we start — recording and how we talk here |
| 18:05 | Warm-up — “A war ends when…” |
| 18:12 | Who we are — the team |
| 18:22 | What this course is, what we produce, the deal |
| 18:32 | Calendar and where everything lives |
| 18:42 | Finding the focus — the German Instrument of Surrender |
| 19:00 | Breakout rooms — your needs, your doubts |
| 19:25 | Back together — three headlines per group |
| 19:45 | Homework for Module 02 |
| 19:55 | Three questions before you go |
Before we start
18:00 · 5 min · recording and how we talk here
While we wait: rename yourself → Name, City.
How we talk here
| We record the plenary parts only | For those who cannot join live and for the team. Not published. Breakouts not recorded. |
| Camera off is fine | If you prefer not to be visible, use the chat. No explanation needed. |
| English, imperfect English welcome | Ask people to slow down. Nobody here is being graded on grammar. |
| We will disagree about history | That is the point. No personal attacks. What is said in breakouts stays in breakouts. |
Warm-up · 18:05 · 7 min
“A war ends when…” Finish the line in five words or fewer.
Type it in the chat now — but do not press enter until I say GO.
Who we are
18:12 · 10 min · the team
| Arkadi Miller | History educator, Museum Berlin-Karlshorst · historical supervisor |
| Alexandra Polivanova | Media coordinator, MemoActs 2026 |
| Oleg Lutohin | Educator · MemoActs 2026 coordinator |
| Valeria Pasternakova | Historical content creator · tutor |
| Konstantin Koryagin | Curator syg.ma · video editor, raz/rez × Mediazona |
| Egor Isaev | Documentary film director, educator · tutor — not with us tonight |
What this course is
18:22 · 10 min
A media laboratory, not a lecture course.
Research projects on the basis of Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, built on Erasmus+ principles of informal education.
How it works
| Practice first | Every session pairs one critical-historical idea with one tool you use the same evening. |
| Project-based learning | You are not preparing to make something later. You are making it from tonight. |
| Mixed levels by design | Team roles and tiered assignments — beginners and professionals in the same room. |
What we produce
Short vertical videos about the end(s) of the war.
- Resolution
- 1080 × 1920, MP4
- Aspect ratio
- 9:16 · vertical
- Published
- 8 videos
- Channels
- Instagram · TikTok · Telegram · YouTube
- Collective reel
- 1 — made by the whole group, start to finish
Wars begin in many ways. They usually end with a document — that is where we start looking.
What's the Deal?
| You get | We ask |
|---|---|
| Guidance in tools and methods of media creation | Come to the sessions — all seven |
| A personal page for your work | Do the homework between them |
| Support in production | Submit one finished short video at the end |
| Constant feedback | Tell us early if something is not working |
| A chance to meet in person in Berlin | |
| The joy of research and experimentation |
16 seats in Berlin, 21–27 September — selected from those who complete the intensive.
Calendar and channels
18:32 · 10 min · four weeks, seven sessions · 18:00–20:00 CEST · 20:00 Yerevan
| 14.08 | 01 Introduction and Finding the Focus — tonight |
| 18.08 | 02 Research Phase — AI-powered or AI-distorted |
| 21.08 | 03 Ethics of Intervening in Archival Footage + Moodboard |
| 25.08 | 04 Editing as Thinking Through a Fragmented Reality — script workshop |
| 27.08 | 05 Tools Implementation: Choose What Works or Build Your Own |
| 02.09 | 06 Production Process: Visual Effects and Sound Design |
| 07.09 | 07 Final Screening and Wrap Up Discussion |
+ 2 × 60 min individual consultations between modules 05–06, 06–07.
Where everything lives
| Main channel | [ADD LINK] |
| All materials | [ADD LINK] |
| Recordings | [ADD LINK] |
| Consultations | [PROTOCOL] |
| If you miss a session | [PROTOCOL] |
| Who to write to | [CONTACT] |
Finding the focus
18:42 · 15 min · the document that ended the war in Europe
Wars begin in many ways. They end with a document. Our topic tonight: The German Instrument of Surrender.
Three things about this document
- 1Signed twice. Reims, 7 May. Berlin-Karlshorst, 8/9 May. Two ceremonies, one war.
- 2Three languages, one missing flag. The French flag had to be improvised from scraps of cloth.
- 3A ceasefire that does not match its own signature. Effective 23:01 on 8 May — signed at 00:45 on 9 May.
Three moments, three dates
| 7 May Reims, 02:41 | Jodl signs the unconditional surrender of the whole Wehrmacht. A protocol demands ratification by commanders with actual power of command. |
| 8 May 23:01 CET | The moment the document itself names: active operations cease. Truman and Churchill have already announced it. |
| 9 May Karlshorst, 00:45 | Keitel, von Friedeburg and Stumpff sign in Berlin. Moscow announces it on 9 May — and marks that date ever since. |
Legends and facts — what the internet remembers
| Legend | Fact |
|---|---|
| L1 Germany surrendered to the West in Reims and to the USSR in Karlshorst. | F1 Both acts took place before representatives of all the Allies, with France as witness. |
| L2 Reims was only a preparatory protocol — the real surrender was Karlshorst. | F2 Reims was legally binding. The Soviet side knew it, and kept quiet during the Cold War. |
| L3 Stalin refused to recognise Reims, and that forced a second ceremony. | F3 Ratification by commanders with real power of command was agreed already in Reims. |
| L4 Allied argument over the wording delayed the signing past midnight. | F4 The delay was technical: the Russian translation arrived incomplete. |
How to tell it — curiosity before clarity
Most people tell it: Problem → Solution. Predictable — the audience knows what is coming.
- 1Result — reveal an unexpected outcome
- 2Question — hide the process
- 3Story — build tension
- 4Lesson — then explain
Make people feel smart, not make yourself sound smart. Before you post anything: am I giving the answer too early?
Breakout rooms — 25 minutes
19:00 · 25 min · your needs, your doubts
25:00
| Left | Phase | Done by the end of it |
|---|---|---|
| 25–21 | 60 seconds each | Name, city, what you make, one thing you published or want to publish |
| 21–6 | 2–3 concerns | Not wishes — concerns about the next four weeks. Write them in the shared doc |
| 6–0 | One speaker | Pick someone to report three headlines back to everyone |
Space starts and pauses · R resets · The clock is shared, the phases are a guide
Rooms
- AArkadi
- BAlexandra
- CValeria
- DKonstantin
Shared doc: [ADD LINK]
Back together · 19:25 · 20 min
Three headlines per group.
Three minutes each. We answer what we can answer tonight, and write down what we cannot.
- AGroup speaker · 3 min
- BGroup speaker · 3 min
- CGroup speaker · 3 min
- DGroup speaker · 3 min
Homework
Due before 18:00 CEST, Tuesday 18 August · read a machine, then a source
1 — Bring: one thing the 4-pager got wrong, one thing it left out, one thing you cannot verify.
Preliminary Research on the German Instrument of Surrender — LLM-generated, no citations. Read it as if you were about to script from it tomorrow. Mark: green = would put on screen, yellow = sounds right but unsourced, red = feels wrong.
Brief On German Instrument Of Surrender2 — Before Tuesday: prepare your digital environment
- 1Zoom desktop app, updated
- 2Google account — check you can open our folder
- 3Telegram — join the group channel
- 4A chatbot you already use (free tier is fine)
- 5A video editor you know (CapCut, Resolve, Premiere…)
- 6Headphones with a microphone
- 720 GB free disk space
- Deliverable
- Vertical 9:16, 1080 × 1920, 30 FPS
Next
| Monday 18 August | 02 — Research Phase: AI-powered or AI-distorted · 18:00 CEST · 20:00 Yerevan |
Thank you. Find your focus object before Tuesday — a document, a photograph, a date.