Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media and Arts School is an academic unit of Tallinn University that conducts studies on the three levels of higher education, continuing education and research, development and creative activities in the following study areas:

BFM's study areas

 

Film

BFM is a promoter of professional film education, maintainer and developer of Estonian film culture. Our international study programmes enable students to create and tell stories on a variety of platforms: TV, web platforms, internet environment, cinema, etc. The provision of education enables attention to be paid to various socially important topics and to discuss these in public, such as health, social relations, sustainable development, environmental change, and cultural diversity. We develop an international learning and creative environment; we are a networking hub for students, alumni, lecturers, and partners.

We actively cooperate with other Estonian universities (Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Pallas University of Applied Sciences, Viljandi Culture Academy of the University of Tartu) in order to combine the competencies necessary for the film industry in BFM’s teaching and creative work. We maintain and develop BFM’s international joint study programmes in the field of film and plan joint development activities to increase the quality of teaching, research, development, and creative work, including the strengthening of the study area of audio-visual arts in doctoral studies.

We develop research in film criticism, film terminology, including Estonian terminology, Estonian film history, and film. We systematically submit student films to domestic and international festivals. We create an internal system at BFM, through which we select the best films to be presented at festivals every semester.

In cooperation with partners (Estonian Filmmakers Association, Estonian Film Directors Guild, Estonian Screenwriters’ Guild, Estonian Documentary Guild, NGO Estonian Film Industry Cluster, etc.), we contribute to the continuing education of film professionals and organize a regular film industry conference to provide discussion opportunities for film industry makers. We are looking for partners and opportunities to develop professional standards in the art of cinema.

We popularize and develop film education; for this purpose, we offer continuing education courses for active teachers on film culture (incl., in the form of e-learning), create a film teacher’s Master’s study programme and a course in teacher education on how to use film in lessons.
We are developing a mentoring programme for the Film Arts (professional higher education study programme) and Documentary Film students, making it possible to establish contacts with film professionals, including BFM alumni, receive help and guidance during their studies, and create a network to cope in the film industry after graduation.

Contact:

Head of the area: Veiko Vaatmann, lecturer of film arts 

Media and Communication

Advertising and public relation

We understand communication, including advertising and public relations in particular, as the art of applying creativity and professional skills. Through advertising and public relations opportunities, we combine creativity and professional skills with the aim of finding a clear common ground in communication. We follow ethical, inclusive, and two-way communication to create a cohesive and understanding society. In addition to traditional communicative practices, we research and support the application of art-specific communication methods and techniques.

We increase the share of research and development in the areas that are important to us, such as business, risk and crisis communication, visual communication, brand storytelling, and image management. In all activities, we take into account the increase in the digitization of fields. In cooperation with influential institutions, organizations, and associations, we contribute to the development of society by carrying out projects related to our fields of research, including cooperation with others.

We prioritize cooperation with the employers’ associations related to the specialty (Estonian Marketing Association, Estonian Public Relations Association) in order to develop professional standards, common concepts, study programmes and internships, and legislation.
We offer continuing education courses that raise communication knowledge and communicative competencies for both private and public sector organizations, concentrating on the focus fields of Tallinn University.

To support a sense of professional cohesion and identity, we create a separate programme of seminars for alumni (RESK Club) that would bring alumni together on a regular basis and thus enable them to gain new knowledge and exchange experiences.

Media (including TV and press) and communication

BFM is a higher-level research and education institution focusing on audio-visual arts, content creation, and the preparation of a workforce competent in the region’s audio-visual and media sector (with good creative skills as well as the ability of critical analysis and a wide horizon).
In both degree study and continuing education, we teach self-expression through both words and moving images. At the heart of the provision of education is the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and analytical and practical skills to create meaningful content in society. Given the dynamic changes in the media system and markets, and the need to train media professionals, important areas comprise media innovation, economics, and politics, and we also focus on teaching media entrepreneurship. We develop and offer journalism and television education that meets the requirements of the media landscape. Particular attention will be paid to media convergence: creating and disseminating content across cross-media, exploring the datafication of the media area and developing the analytical skills needed for this purpose, promoting media platforms and critical research into the risks and opportunities involved, exploring participatory media forms, and teaching future media professionals the skills needed to cope with participatory culture and participatory media platforms.

In addition to training journalists and other media professionals, we also support the development of media competencies, critical analysis skills, and more specifically, media criticism in Estonia and the surrounding region. We carry out broader research and development work in media and information literacy, as well as emphasize the training of media analysts with critical skills in degree study.

In order to promote media criticism and analysis, we will continue to organize international media conferences in cooperation with the Estonian Public Broadcasting.

In cooperation with the Student Academy and the Open Academy, we organize courses and (refreshment) training for various target groups from basic school students and high school students to the elderly in order to promote media competence.

Contact:

Head of area: Andres Jõesaar, Associate Professor of Media Policies

Arts and Didactics

In cooperation with strategic partners both in Estonia and abroad, we turn the development work of the creative subjects and didactics of these subjects into important international research for the School. We extend teaching, research, development, and creative work in the field of creative subject teaching to all levels of education. In cooperation with teachers and students, we develop and integrate the arts taught at BFM, creating innovative solutions that combine cultural heritage and modern technological possibilities. We are involved in the projects of transmedia storytelling; we use virtual and augmented reality and other storytelling technologies. We will continue to run an annual competition of digital composition for young people, combining different fields of art. The aim is to make the competition international.
In cooperation with the School of Educational Sciences, we develop blended learning in music and art, thereby expanding the study opportunities of didactics and arts subjects. We also cooperate with partners in Finland (University of Helsinki, University of Turku, University of Eastern Finland, University of Jyväskylä), Latvia (Daugavpils University), Lithuania (Klaipeda University), and Estonia (EAA, EAMT, KUMU, ERM, KAI, Museum of Estonian Architecture, Estonian Theatre and Music Museum, etc.) and take the technical base necessary for conducting e-learning to a new level.

We will continue to organize the Art Education Ideas (KUHI) conference, working even more closely with professional associations and other stakeholders. The publication of the interdisciplinary and internationally edited scientific journal The Changing Face of Music and Art Education continues. We offer continuing education on the didactics of creative subjects for teachers of all levels of education. In that regard, it is important to link theory to practice. In order to achieve the best result and move effectively towards the goal, three universities (TU, EAA, EAMT) cooperate.

Art of dancing

BFM is a leader in professional and lifelong dance studies. We popularize dance as a sustainable and open professional creative field and an art form with wide possibilities for self-realization, where theory is intertwined with practice and where somatic, dance-technical, creative, aesthetic, analytical, health and environmentally conscious attitudes and working principles are integrated, which have been developed on the basis of an approach to life with an active societal attitude. We contribute to the sustainable development of Estonian folk and traditional dance and dance festival traditions. For this purpose, we train professional and versatile choreographers-directors, dance teachers, instructors, and leaders who value the dance tradition and are aware of the development of the art of dancing, know the terminology and how to apply it in their work, can analyse the society and dance landscape, express evidence-based opinions in broad think tanks concerning Estonian and contemporary dance, and whose work is based on the traditions of national culture and systematically enriches the repertoire of collectives all over Estonia. Dance studies at BFM value dance education in the mother tongue and are open to international cooperation.

We actively develop the understanding of the meaning and value of the art of dancing, including professional dance, study the choreographic process and make productions, publish articles and opinion stories in the media. We popularize the acquisition of dance education under the guidance of professional dance teachers and, in cooperation with partners, ensure that people with professional training and education engage in dance education in both hobby education and amateur activities. We involve people with special needs in dance education, creating dance performances for them and with them, offering opportunities for students and dance teachers to conduct appropriate training. In this way, we increase the professionalism of dance specialists, and regulate and influence the level of professional hobby education and the labour market.
In addition to degree study, we offer opportunities for continuing education for teachers, people who have ended their professional dancer careers, and adults, enabling them to approach the body and movement creatively, regardless of style and age.

Contact:

Head of area:
Krista Aren, Associate Professor of Design