Be the early bird Reality check

So you found yourself here, and you want to make

No, really…start early! The sooner you decide the
something out of it!

medium you want to work with, the easier it will be

to find the means to make your art. The medium you
choose, will determine who you ask for help and
how you build your network.
Let’s start with what you don’t have:

//Friends
—> There is life outside of VDA <—

//Network
And your life will be much easier if you realize that
soon. Depending on the medium you want to work //Knowledge of LT
with, pay a visit (e-mails hardly ever work here) to
their premises. As a filmmaker, my first contacts //Money (I am just guessing)
were: LMTA (Academy of Music, Film & Theatre) &
Kino Pavasaris (International Film Festival).

It’s not all that bad, cause you actually have:

It is important to open up to fellow students who go
through the same struggles, but also find people //Time
who are some levels up. Everyone in LMTA is rather

A guide to thriving
//Motivation
approachable, and you can join them for a screening
in their Film Club (Šobles Kino Klubas), or attend the //Creativity
open lectures held in EN. (facebook is widely used
in LT for promoting events).
//Tools in VDA w/ tips on:
Surprisingly, for its size, Vilnius has some notable
film festivals, where you can:
building a network &
A. Catch up with the latest films/find partners working eco-friendly
(many debut filmmakers are actually between Disclaimers:
30-35)

B. Discover film production companies/producers, This is not a success guide, but rather the outcome
note their names down for future use
of my successes and failures over 2 years in LT.

C. Participate as Talent, or Baltic participant

D. Actually get a job!

I was a MA student, but this guide will work great for
Ok, there is a catch; most production companies BA and/or PhD students.

won’t reply to your e-mails (or fcbk msgs) & working

in the film festival is an unpaid internship!
Spoiler: I did actually get some help!
by Mary Marinopoulou

find me @ www.marymarinopoulou.com

Steady as she goes
Now that you have built a network of people, break
down the steps/aspects of your project and see how
these people can contribute to your project.
Regardless of the medium you are working with, you
are usually in need of a space to exhibit, tools/
equipment and funding.
opportunities to apply for funding.
Here’s where VDA comes into play:
LTKT is the Lithuanian council for culture, and I am
• Explore other departments, see what they can
offer if you feel you don’t belong where you are
now.
partially, projects from individuals AND foreign
• Find people from different levels in their academic
career if you feel you don’t match with your
classmates (especially Ph.D. students here are
helpful, interesting and willing to devote some
time for you).
Tip: You can also ask them to fund your study trip or
• Get familiar with what you can get from the
established relationships VDA has with other
organizations/ institutions/ exhibition spaces, in
case you need any of those.
additionally apply @ NORDEN.EE
• Take advantage of the visiting artists/professors
and attend their talks. They are all held in EN and
you can take advice for your project at the end
(but you have to apply in time for that, check your
emails!)
You can receive funding to attend a workshop
*From my experience, the Titanikas gallery, and the
people who run it have been incredible. Make sure
you meet the application deadline: applications are
open every Sept-Oct and you apply for the next
academic year. Keep in mind that individual
applications are not accepted, therefore you can
only apply through an arts organization.
for “vienkartinės stipendijos”, which translates to “
And this is something you almost never hear in VDA!
have to apply for it in your department.
Let’s talk money Don’t be trash
You need to establish a trusted relationship with
someone who is active in the art world of LT and
believes in what you are trying to do. And that is
essential because it is challenging to apply for
spaces as an individual artist AND you have half the
sure you have seen their logo if you have been to
any exhibition here. They support, most of the time
(picture of the waste we created during our exhibition)
students, as well as arts organizations. There are
two application periods per year, and applications
You’ve made it so far, don’t be trash at the end!
are submitted in LT.
Depending on the medium you are working with, there
are always ways to be more eco-friendly.
Consider the following:
visit if you have invitation from an organisation
abroad. If you plan on traveling/working with any of
• Minimize the purchase of new materials/tools/
the other Baltic or Nordic countries, you can
equipment by using materials available in VDA,
universities, or just ask around in galleries!
Now that we are on the traveling/working topic, do
• Minimize the waste from the transportation of the
you know of kunonetwork.org? It is a network
things you use, e.g. keep the plastic packaging to
connecting the Baltic countries and Scandinavia.
return items or find carton boxes to carry things.
organized by any of the participating academies or
• Minimize the printing, whether it is for promotional
they can support your internship period (if it is not
purposes or inside the exhibition. Use the internet,
covered by Erasmus).
reuse paper, and carefully choose how you print
(colors, covers, size etc)
*Oh, and if you are a really cool person who has
achieved sth great in sports, or have a really cool
• Use animal-friendly materials (don’t use real leather,
project you are working on, you can be considered
avoid wool, and choose vegan-friendly inks or eco-
friendly paints)
one-time scholarship”. The amount is ~97E, and you