On 15 November Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Events hosts the FilmSkills Conference “Projecting Forward: Crafting the Next Scene in Baltic Filmmaking & Education”.
Baltic film industries and schools find themselves at a crossroads, presenting new challenges on how we make films and how we teach and include new talents.
"The film industry is an ever-evolving, dynamic field, and our goal with Baltic FilmSkills is to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in it." – said Vytautas Dambrauskas, the Head of Department of Film and Television at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater when asked about the project's vision. “As the film industry is simultaneously growing and changing, it is important that we find new ways to welcome and educate new talents and professionals.”
"Historically, much of the Baltic film recruitment and training has happened via personal connections, but rapid growth sets new rules and possibilities. The schools must provide new educational pathways that lead to a successful career in the changing film industry. The keyword is the constant collaboration with the industry but also re-training and micro-credentials for further education and specialisation", said Veiko Vaatmann, Head of the Film Arts programme in Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University. This means recognizing and raising awareness of the film industry as a whole and each profession and required skills.
FilmSkills organisations agreed that besides upgrading higher education, they also focus on collaborations with vocational education institutions. “We analysed an overlap of various assisting film professions and vocations taught at our vocations schools. For example, work in the costume department aligns with skills obtained in the clothing industry or studying tailoring and these are much in demand on set.” said Birgit Rosenberg, researcher for the FilmSkills project. As a result, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School developed micro-credentials for people who already have certain prerequisite skills, experience, or qualification. FilmSkills created 18 new course programmes for specific occupations on various levels, so that people who are already working in film can acquire and diversify skill sets.
The conference, targeted to film professional, educator or decision makers, celebrates the outcome of a 2-year collaboration between Tallinn University's Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Latvian Academy of Culture, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Filmmakers Association and Lithuanian Shorts to study skill requirements for variety of film occupations, update curriculums and find innovative solutions to teach film.
FilmSkills Conference “Projecting Forward: Crafting the Next Scene in Baltic Filmmaking & Education” takes place on Wednesday, 15 November 15 at 14:00-17:30 at Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallinn.
The conference can also be viewed via live stream.
The project and conference are co-funded by the European Union.