By Slobodan Doknic, RTCG

Going to the public service of another country was not unfamiliar to me, but going to Germany and getting to know the work process of the Documentary Program of Deutsche Welle Television is a completely new and pleasant experience.

After a long wait for the travel date to arrive, I headed to Berlin on March 22nd. Already on Monday, I was welcomed by the hosts from the Documentary program and the process of getting to know the way of work began. As a major media outlet, Deutsche Welle covers almost the entire world with stories and documentaries from every part of the planet. Precisely because of the size of the media and the large audience around the world, in this television they buy licenses for broadcasting documentaries from different countries. The system I come from is much smaller compared to the Deutsche Welle television system.

A particularly interesting part of the work of the Documentary Program department is the fact checking and editing of the attachments adapted to the program schedule and viewers. I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the way Deutsche Welle works on a project from its own production. The attention to detail, messages, shots and discussion among the team members involved in filming, editing and delivering the story is interesting. The complex system, not only because of its size, but also because of the coordination of the work of each segment in the department, gave me a new perspective on the way a large media works. Translation and adaptation of documentary films is the daily routine of part of the team in the department. Social networks are also an important segment, where a young and creative team of people works.

I used the time outside practice to visit the city, parks, historical places and get to know the lifestyle of the area. A refreshing experience, lasting eight days, for me and my further professional development. I learned a lot in terms of organizing the work of the entire department, editing, marketing content for social networks and part of creating a documentary film from my own production. My experience at Deutsche Welle will help me in the next steps in my career.

Funded by the European Union, the Innovation. Media. Minds Program: Support to Public Service Journalism in the Western Balkans, is managed by the Goethe-Institut on behalf of the European Commission and in collaboration with its implementing partner DW Akademie. The contents of this story are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.