Audiovisual Media

The 3-year Media BA study programme adopts a ‘learning-by-doing’ approach to deliver the skills and understanding essential for the production of audiovisual content for multiple platforms. Students acquire hands-on experience in developing and creating audiovisual work in a variety of formats, including short films, documentaries, music videos and advertising.

Each semester students will work on semester projects like:

• Documentary TV shows
• Live TV
• Creative documentary
• Advertising
• Genre Based Tv series 
• Music Video production

+ additional exercises, films and assignments 

3rd year of studies is focused on Thesis project Development and production that can be Short Fiction Film, Music Video, Documentary or TV content.

The intake of students is organized into two specialty modules: ’creative’ and ’technical’. The selection of the students into either Creative Module or Technical Module is done right from the admission. In specific assignments, the students have to qualify for either one track or the other.

See the study programme

The nominal plan for studies

General requirements

• Completed Secondary Education or the equivalent
• Proof of English Proficiency

The portfolio of the candidate for the creative module:

1. The motivation letter is mandatory, has to be written in English;
2. CV and Filmography; 
3. At least 10 creative photos;
4. Short film/video link to website or Drive link;
5. Essay, script, poem, etc. which should show us your creative expression skills in written language (PDF file!);

All required portfolio content can also be sent to us as a website or drive link (must be accessible to everyone without registration).

The portfolio of the candidate for the technical module

1. The motivation letter is mandatory, has to be written in English;
2. CV and Filmography - mandatory;
3. The applicant has to select or take 10 photos as follows:

   1. 2x portrait

   2. 2x landscape / cityscape

   3. 2x still life

   4. 2x everyday life

   5. 2x of any theme, applicant's choice. 

      Please include both, color as well as BW photos. In case of having a larger photo portfolio, a link to it is recommended.

4. Link to website or Drive link to previous work (films, photography, editing, music etc) - optional;
5. Audiovisual portfolio (sound, video). Please select up to 10 minutes of your best work - mandatory.

Also, provide the link to the full portfolio (must be accessible to everyone without registration). 

• Portfolio to be sent to: media@tlu.ee
• For the purposes of identity verification at the admission procedure the Admission Committee has the right to take a screenshot during the oral part of the admission exam carried out via video bridge.

Please see the complete overview of the admission and application requirements for Bachelor's level applicants.

Entrance exams in 2023

The Audiovisual media admission consists of the following elements:

• Portfolio, CV and Filmography 20%
• Creative assignments (sent to applicant's email) 30%
• Interview 50%

Evaluation criteria 

We evaluate the work shared with us and students’ involvement in the area of audiovisual media plus curiosity in filmmaking. We also evaluate capacity of students to work in team and activities related to team work as well as self-reflective abilities about their own work.

Sample questions: 

Why are you interested in the programme?
What kind of projects you like to make?

Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) has more than 20 years of teaching experience.

• Graduates leave with an extensive portfolio of films and audio-visual content for further career, plus an internationally validated university degree.
• BFM believes in hands-on approach.
• Internship possibilities in different media enterprises and also in the Estonian Public Broadcasting.
• Lectures at BFM are given by well-known filmmakers and media professionals in Estonia such as Miguel Llanso Pinilla, Astrida Konstante, Dirk Hoyer, Marianna Kaat, Michael Andrew Keerdo-Dawson, Mart Raun, Kaur Kokk, Katariina Unt, Mihkel Ulk, Priit Pääsuke, Lili Pilt, Liis Nimik, Marianna Ostrat and many others.
• The university provides students with a state of the art facilities and equipment. BFM building houses Estonia’s first 4K cinema hall, film and sound studios, and editing rooms.
• BFM has over 30 partner universities in Europe and China, which offers a truly exciting mix of cultures that creates an invaluable professional network for your later career.
• Scholarships available

Remarkable Alumni

Media programme alumni include known faces from Estonian TV but also filmmakers in the beginning of their journeys: Esko Bros, Eldar Basmanov, Ahmed Fouad, Ville Koskinen Maksim Golomodov, Andres Arukask and Ivan Pavljutškov.

In what fields can you find work?

Alumni can find work in creative journalistic, editing or directing fields, as well as producing and production-related fields both in television and film.

Further Studies

 Students can continue their studies at Master level at BFM or in related fields.

Mart Raun 
Course director & visiting lecturer. 

Cinematographer, colorist, screenwriter and illustrator Mart Raun studied directing and cinematography in Tallinn university Baltic Film and Media School. From 2005 he started working as illustrator and freelance storyboard artist for local and international commercials. As a big film lover, he started writing reviews for online space in 2012 and also worked as a weekly film critic for “Äripäev”, one of the most successful economic newspapers in Europe.

After graduating from film school he worked for a few years as a Camera Assistant and gaffer/electrician before becoming a full time cinematographer. He has been shooting commercials, TV, fiction and documentaries. Feature Films as cinematographer: "Cormorans” (2011) and “Kids of The Night” (2021), where he also shares co-writing credit.

Since 2015 he has been working as course director and teacher in Tallinn university with international Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programmes like “Kino Eyes MA”  & "Viewfinder MA".

Mart Raun on IMDB

Miguel Llansó - A big fan of experimental-punk-weird music and films, he studied philosophy and cinema before leaving on his many adventures. For him, filmmaking is friendship, risk, provocation, subversion and freedom.

Based in Tallinn since 2017, Miguel teaches writing and directing at BFM. His international recognition came when he started filming in Ethiopia. His films have been screened and awarded at many international film festivals such as Sundance, Rotterdam, Locarno, Fantasia, Sitges, Buenos Aires or Los Angeles.

Crumbs (2015), Miguel's feature film debut, was screened at more than 100 film festivals, TVs, airplanes and theatres worldwide. It got positive reviews in the New York Times, Hollywood Reporter and Filmmaker Magazine, among others.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (2019) - SciFi political satire shot between Ethiopia, Estonia, Latvia and Spain - is getting selected at more than 60 film festivals and released by Arrow Films, the reference distributor for horror, sci-fi and cult films. The film got positive reviews in Variety, Screen Anarchy or CineEuropa.

Dirk Hoyer  is a German born filmmaker and scholar. He obtained his Master degree from the Sorbonne and his Doctor of Arts from Aalto University.

Dirk directed and wrote feature films and documentary films. In his research he focuses on Estonian cinema of the 90s, Dimitri Kirsanoff, the role of political imagination in contemporary culture and on storytelling.

Dirk Hoyer in ETIS

Dirk Hoyer on IMDB

Astrida Konstante
Head of Technical Module & lecturer

Cinematographer, colorist and editor Astrīda Konstante holds a BA degree from Latvian Academy of Culture in Arts, TV and video and MA from Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media school in Film Arts. From 2000 - 2005 she worked in Latvian production company SIA TV un Video parks as a cinematographer and editor and from 2010–15 in Production company Vesilind as a freelance colorist and cinematographer.

Marianna Kaat
Associate Professor of Documentary

Marianna Kaat is one of the most successful Estonian documentary filmmakers and an important authority in central-eastern european documentary community. She graduated Phd studies from the St. Petersburg´s State Theatre Arts Academy in Russia. She founded independent production company Baltic Film Production (BFP) in 1998 and since then she produces and directed TV series and feature documentaries for local and international film markets. For example Rodnye (Close Relations) (2016), A Working Title: Wunderkind (2012) or Pit No. 8 are the most known productions which won national and international awards and were broadcasted worldwide. Her films were traditionally a part of the East Silver market catalogs and The last relict received a main East Doc Platform award in 2018 in Prague.

• Specific questions regarding the programme should be directed to the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School’s Media Department:

Maria-Silvia Kaarep

Study Counsellor and Specialist

• For additional guidelines regarding admission procedure please contact the international admission specialist.