Frequently Asked Questions

About AV-arkki
What is AV-arkki and what does it do?
How are decisions made at AV-arkki?

Membership
How do I apply for membership in AV-arkki and/or to the archive?
Who can apply to AV-arkki’s archive and/or for membership?

AV-arkki’s archive
What rights does AV-arkki have to the works?
How are works selected for the archive?
How does AV-arkki maintain the online archive of works?
How can I change the information about my works on AV-arkki’s website?
When is the information about my work published on AV-arkki’s website?
What is long-term archiving?
Which platforms and online services does AV-arkki use?

Submitting titles to the archive
How do I submit my works to AV-arkki’s archive?
On what basis are works selected for AV-arkki’s archive?
Who decides which works are selected for AV-arkki’s archive?
When is the archiving fee charged?

AV-arkki’s distribution
Why are some artists’ works shown more often than others?
How does AV-arkki know where it is worthwhile to offer works?
How does AV-arkki promote the accessibility of installations and interactive or live works?
When does AV-arkki charge screening fees?
How and when does the artist receive their share of the screening fees collected by AV-arkki?
Who selects the works shown at different events?
What should I do if my work is selected for an event’s programme through AV-arkki’s distribution?

Festival distribution
What is AV-arkki’s festival distribution catalogue and how are works selected for it?
Why is the number of works in the festival distribution catalogue limited?
What if my work is not selected for the festival distribution catalogue?

Independent promotion and distribution
How can I handle the festival distribution of my works myself?
Is it worth submitting a work to a festival that charges a submission fee?
How can I promote the distribution and visibility of my works myself?
What should I do if my work is selected for an event’s programme through my own distribution?

Terms related to distribution
Strategy for distributing and promoting a work
Promotional materials
Press kit
Trailer
Synopsis
Keywords

Consultation service for member artists regarding the sales
How can AV-arkki help with selling works?

About AV-arkki

What is AV-arkki and what does it do?

AV-arkki is the Centre for Finnish Media Art.

In terms of its organisational form, AV-arkki is a registered non-profit association. AV-arkki’s Business ID is 0976060-4. AV-arkki’s mission is also defined in the association’s bylaws.

AV-arkki’s activities began in 1989 within MUU ry as a project focused on the archiving and distribution of experimental audiovisual art. After a couple of years, AV-arkki’s activities separated from MUU ry. AV-arkki ry was entered in the association register in 1991.

AV-arkki is a unique promoter, information hub and network builder for media art both in Finland and internationally. AV-arkki is an important expert organisation to which both Finnish and international actors turn when they want to present Finnish media art.

Media art has become central in Finnish contemporary art and visual culture. Of the forms of contemporary audiovisual and visual art in Finland, media art clearly receives the most international visibility. AV-arkki’s work has contributed significantly to this.

In events and screenings organised by AV-arkki in collaboration with other actors, media art is shown in numerous different contexts and venues in Finland and abroad. The association’s distribution archive also makes it possible to access older works and serves the needs of researchers as well.

In addition to its distribution archive and distribution programme, AV-arkki supports its member artists by providing them with tools and advice for their own promotional work.

How are decisions made at AV-arkki?

The Executive Director is responsible for operational management at AV-arkki’s office.

The broader strategic direction of AV-arkki’s activities is the responsibility of the association’s Board. The Board meets 6–8 times a year to decide on important and topical matters. The Board also decides on the approval of new members to the association. The Chair of the Board can be reached by email at: president(at)av-arkki.fi.

In accordance with the association’s bylaws, AV-arkki ry’s general meetings are held twice a year, in spring and autumn. The members of the association receive meeting invitations by email.

Membership

How do I apply for membership in AV-arkki and/or to the archive?

You apply to AV-arkki’s archive and/or for membership via an online application form.

The form can be filled in at any time. The selection working group processes applications as they arrive and submits proposals on the selections to the Board.

Works can be offered to the archive even if you are not a member of the association.

Who can apply to AV-arkki’s archive and/or for membership?

AV-arkki is the Centre for Finnish Media Art. Our funding comes from domestic sources. For this reason, professional artists who permanently reside in Finland and/or are Finnish citizens can be accepted into AV-arkki’s archive and/or as members of the association. Similarly, companies, associations and cooperatives operating in Finland that produce media art can apply for membership.

For more information about becoming a supporting member of the association, please contact the Excecutive Director.

AV-arkki’s archive

What rights does AV-arkki have to the works?

AV-arkki signs a non-exclusive distribution agreement with each artist.

In the agreement, it is defined separately for each work in AV-arkki’s distribution to which types of distribution channels AV-arkki has the right to offer the work. Possible channels include, for example, festivals, television, educational use, various online platforms and exhibitions in museums.

Sometimes an artist may need to restrict the distribution of an individual work. In that case, these restrictions are recorded in the distribution agreement and AV-arkki distributes the work within the limits set in the agreement.

AV-arkki’s staff always check the distribution rights of a work in the agreement before confirming screenings with the party purchasing the screening rights. AV-arkki’s distribution agreement is non-exclusive. This means that, if they wish, artists can also continue to handle the distribution of their works themselves.

AV-arkki is happy to collaborate in distribution with the artist’s gallerist and other partners.

How are works selected for the archive?

Member artists of AV-arkki as well as others can submit works to the archive twice a year, at the beginning of the year and in late summer. Calls for archive submissions are announced on AV-arkki’s website.

Each year, approximately 100–150 new works are accepted into the archive.

The selection of works is made by an archiving group appointed by the Board.

How does AV-arkki maintain the online archive of works?

The staff maintain AV-arkki’s online service. AV-arkki uses a work database through which the works are published in the online service.

How can I change the information about my works on AV-arkki’s website?

Contact AV-arkki’s staff and indicate what kind of changes you would like to make to the information about your work.

When is the information about my work published on AV-arkki’s website?

The information about new works is published in AV-arkki’s online service after:

The archiving group has accepted the work into the archive.
The artist has submitted all the necessary information, materials and the signed distribution agreement to AV-arkki.

The information and materials that are absolutely necessary for the online service and AV-arkki’s archive are:

Master file with English subtitles
Master file without subtitles
English and original language SRT subtitle files. For a work in Finnish, Finnish subtitles are also essential for accessibility. We aim to publish works with closed captions in the original language and in English.

In addition, we need an artist photo and a short biography. Most of the information mentioned above is transferred to AV-arkki when the artist carefully fills in the work information and distribution agreement form provided.

See more information under the section “Submitting a work for distribution”.

What is long-term archiving?

AV-arkki aims to cooperate with national memory institutions responsible for the archiving of audiovisual materials. We deliver works submitted to AV-arkki’s distribution for long-term archiving and for use by researchers.

Our main partner in long-term archiving is the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI).

Long-term archiving ensures that the works will be preserved as part of the national audiovisual heritage for future generations to see.

Cooperation with national memory institutions aims to ensure that the preservation of the works does not depend solely on AV-arkki’s own operational resources and continuity.

Which platforms and online services does AV-arkki use?

The core of AV-arkki’s activities is based on the WordPress-based websites av-arkki.fi and mediataidekasvattaa.fi.

In addition, AV-arkki stores information on the following platforms and in the following online services:

Vimeo
Dropbox
Gruppo Titles
Facebook
Instagram
FilmFreeway
Shortfilmdepot

AV-arkki can also upload information and files to online services or databases used by festivals and other events. The most common of these are Eventival, Filmchief and Cinedo.

Submitting titles for the archive

How do I submit my works to AV-arkki’s archive?

AV-arkki seeks new works for the archive twice a year. We send a notice by email to member artists whenever a call opens.

Archive calls usually take place in January and July, but changes are possible.

You can submit both new and older works to the archive, and also several works at once. The works can be single-channel or multi-channel, film and video works or moving image installations, VR and AR works, web-based works, performances or other live works that include elements of media art. At the application stage, we need a preview link to the work, a synopsis, the duration, the year of completion, and information on the music rights and other copyrights of the work.

On what basis are works selected for AV-arkki’s archive?

AV-arkki has limited resources, which is why we must also limit the number of works accepted into the archive.

In the selection of works, we look at whether the work meets the required artistic threshold and whether it is suitable for the overall profile of AV-arkki’s archive. The copyright status of the work must also be in order. Incomplete works are not accepted into the archive. However, for the open call you may submit a working copy as preview material, whose post-production is still unfinished. It must be possible to form an overall impression of the work based on the preview material.

We do not select works that, for example, consist of background material for some other work, or that have been made primarily as advertising or promotional videos.

Who decides which works are selected for AV-arkki’s archive?

The works accepted into the archive are selected by an archiving group appointed by the Board. The archiving group includes a representative of AV-arkki’s staff (for example the Executive Director), an artist member of AV-arkki’s Board and an artist member from outside the Board.

When is the archiving fee charged?

Each year, no archiving fee is charged for the first work selected into the archive.

Submitting several works to the archive and changing work information/files afterwards is subject to an archiving fee.

AV-arkki’s distribution

Why are some artists’ works shown more often than others?

AV-arkki mainly delivers works for screening according to the requests of clients.

From time to time, a particular work may be very topical and several events will order that work from AV-arkki for their programmes. International visibility, an award at an important festival and similar recognition help the distribution of an individual work and significantly increase interest in it.

Sometimes an older work may become topical again, for example due to a societal change. For this reason, we encourage artists to offer older works as well to AV-arkki’s archive.

How does AV-arkki know where it is worthwhile to offer works?

Based on the distribution results of previous years, we know where works have been shown before. AV-arkki uses a deadline calendar as a tool for festival distribution, which is updated actively.

Festivals and events have different selection criteria that affect which works are offered to them. Limiting factors can include, for example, genre (experimental, narrative, documentary, animation, music video…), running time, year of completion, premiere status (whether the film has, for example, had an international or regional premiere) or a specific theme (human rights, equality, environmental issues…).

How does AV-arkki promote the accessibility of installations and interactive or live works?

AV-arkki’s online archive and social media are essential tools for distribution.

In addition to communication, we promote the accessibility of works other than single-channel works by recommending and directing curators to the artist and work-specific pages in AV-arkki’s online service. Installations are continuously rented from AV-arkki to museums, events and other art spaces as well.

When does AV-arkki charge screening fees?

Artists are entitled to income from the presentation of their works.

AV-arkki collects screening fees for the screening rights of works. 60% of the screening fees are paid to the artists as royalties.

Film festival competition programmes do not usually pay screening fees. For screenings outside competition programmes, we always aim to negotiate a screening fee.

The royalties accumulated during the current year are paid to the artists in the spring of the following year.

Royalties are paid to the artist when their total amount exceeds 50 euros.

Who selects the works shown at different events?

Programme selectors at film and media art festivals make their choices based on the preview material submitted by AV-arkki and other distributors. AV-arkki cannot directly influence whether a particular work will be selected for the programme of a specific film festival.

Sometimes festivals and curators specifically request a certain work for a thematic programme.

At times, our staff are asked to provide work suggestions related to a particular theme or topic. In these situations, in addition to the content of the work, our suggestions are also influenced by the total screening time available and any other criteria set by the event. The final selection is always made by the event organiser.

AV-arkki collaborates with numerous film festivals and events in Finland and abroad, and each collaboration is different in nature.

What should I do if my work is selected for an event’s programme through AV-arkki’s distribution?

AV-arkki always informs the director if their work is selected for presentation through AV-arkki’s distribution. We also take care of delivering the screening copy and promotional materials, as well as communication (AV-arkki’s website, social media, newsletters).

AV-arkki supports member artists with both technical questions and questions related to promotion. The artist, however, also carries responsibility for the contacts that arise through AV-arkki’s promotional work.

When you receive a message from AV-arkki that your work has been selected, for example to the programme of an important international festival through our distribution, it is highly recommended that you travel to the event to network. Contact the festival and ask if they can cover your travel or accommodation costs – festivals often offer directors, for example, a couple of hotel nights. You should also apply for travel support as soon as possible, for example from the Finnish Film Foundation (travel support for cultural export of short and documentary films) and AVEK (support for internationalisation). You can apply for travel and material support from the Finnish Film Foundation only if you have not received AVEK funding for the work. Otherwise, support for internationalisation should be applied for from AVEK. For exhibition travel, you can apply for support from, for example, Taike and Frame.

On location, you should network actively and gather contacts that you can later use in promoting your new works. Bring promotional material to distribute: for example, a small postcard or printout with details and an image of the work presented at the event, the screening schedule, your own contact details and a link to your and AV-arkki’s websites.

Mention AV-arkki as the distributor of the work in your promotional materials and communication (social media and your own website). We also hope that you will add a link to AV-arkki’s website to your press releases (for example, to the page of your work in our online service or to a news item about the event in our communications). In this way, together we make AV-arkki’s important work visible and help ensure that AV-arkki will continue to have the resources to distribute and promote its members’ media art in the future.

Direct all preview and screening copy requests concerning your work to AV-arkki.

You should also inform AV-arkki’s staff about important meetings, feedback and new contacts. This helps us develop our activities and our network.

Festival distribution

What is AV-arkki’s festival distribution catalogue and how are works selected for it?

AV-arkki’s festival distribution catalogue presents a selection of the most recent works taken into AV-arkki’s distribution and serves as a backbone for our distribution work. Our goal is to secure a premiere for as many works as possible in the competition or another programme of an important festival.

With diverse and professionally produced preview material, we facilitate the work of curators who select works for events. In addition to those responsible for festival programming, the catalogue is also distributed to curators and other professional audiences.

Alongside the works selected for the catalogue, we also offer other works in the distribution archive to events, according to the profile of the receiving event.

Your work will be included in the selection process for the festival distribution catalogue if:

Your work has already been accepted into AV-arkki’s archive after the previous catalogue was curated.
You have submitted the work to the archive as part of a separate open call for the festival distribution catalogue.

For example, works accepted into the archive in spring do not need to be resubmitted to the open call for the festival distribution catalogue organised in June–July.

Selections are made by an external expert, who changes annually, together with AV-arkki’s staff. Approximately 8–15 works are selected.

Why is the number of works in the festival distribution catalogue limited?

AV-arkki has a large number of member artists and limited operational resources.

A limited selection increases the chances of each individual work being chosen.

Thousands of works are submitted each year to a single major international festival. For a distributor, it is sensible to propose a carefully selected set of works that fit the profile of each event.

What if my work is not selected for the festival distribution catalogue?

See the section “Independent distribution and promotion.”

Independent distribution and promoting

How can I handle the festival distribution of my works myself?

AV-arkki’s website includes a deadline calendar for members, which collects application deadlines for events relevant to experimental film, short and documentary film and media art. This is a useful tool for starting your own festival distribution. AV-arkki’s staff are also happy to advise you in self-organised festival distribution.

There are various online platforms where you can upload films with all their information and preview links, and from which it is easy to submit them to festivals. These platforms also provide listings of festivals, their profiles and upcoming deadlines. Such distribution platforms include, for example, Shortfilmdepot and FilmFreeway.

If you have personal contacts at festivals from the festival circulation of your previous works, it is a good idea to approach these contacts directly and send a link to your new work. Even after considerable effort, your work may not be selected for events – competition is very tough and each event’s programme is often the result of many compromises.

Every work selected for AV-arkki’s archive is added to the work archive of AV-arkki’s online service, which serves as a tool for numerous curators and programme selectors. Our staff are continuously asked to assemble screening programmes and suggest works related to particular themes or topics. Works that are not in the festival catalogue also have a good chance of being selected for screenings, exhibitions or events. AV-arkki’s online service acts as a search engine for Finnish media art and also generates direct contacts between artists and event organisers.

Is it worth submitting a work to a festival that charges a submission fee?

A submission fee does not guarantee selection, and some fee-charging festivals are so-called “predatory festivals” whose activities are not professional but rather an attempt to profit from fees. On the other hand, submission fees are a way for festivals to limit the number of works submitted. Fees are also often used to pay freelance programme selectors. Charging submission fees therefore does not necessarily indicate a scam.

If you are not already familiar with the festival, we recommend looking online for impartial information about it. Are there photos of the festival’s venues and events? Which other works have previously been shown there? Is there evidence that the festival truly exists and is professionally run? Is the festival sufficiently respected and relevant to your work to justify paying the submission fee?

How can I promote the distribution and visibility of my works myself?

Good promotional material is essential.

Good promotional material (synopsis, artist biography and press photo, technical information on the work, stills and other documentation, including linking the work to AV-arkki’s online archive, and the artist’s own website) makes distribution easier. Carefully prepared, professionally translated and subtitled material gives a good impression of both the work and the artist.

Also make sure that your national and international networks know about your new work preferably already before its completion and premiere. Publish stills and a trailer from the work on your social media channels, send a preview link to domestic and international curators and programme selectors with whom you are in contact. Invite them to exhibitions, festival screenings or other events where the work may already be on view.

Remember to propose your work to AV-arkki’s archive and/or for the festival catalogue as soon as it is ready. Even though the archiving group processes proposals only twice a year, you can fill in the archive application form well before the deadline.

Think about who would be particularly interested in your work and approach these parties. Which events might be interested in its themes or its method of production? There are many festivals focused on environmental and human rights issues, as well as festivals dedicated to dance films – and even specialised events for mountain or sports films.

What should I do if my work is selected for an event’s programme through my own distribution?

If your work is requested for preview or selected for an event through your own distribution, you can also inform AV-arkki: we can help with delivering the screening copy and other promotional materials via file transfer, negotiate screening fees and assist with communication and publicity.

You can inform AV-arkki’s Programme Coordinator about an upcoming event by email (mention the name and date of the event, the title of your work and include a link and an image). In our communications, we prioritise making AV-arkki’s own distribution work visible, but within our resources we are also happy to share other news about festivals and exhibitions.

Terms related to distribution

Strategy for distributing and promoting a work

Especially for film and video works, it is often necessary to design a festival strategy.

A festival strategy is a plan for which festivals would be desirable premiere venues for a work that is in production.

If expectations are high, it is advisable to first offer the premiere to major and important events and only after that to smaller ones.

It is, however, important to balance ambition with realism. It is beneficial for a work’s distribution that it is seen while it is still as new as possible.

For an installation, it is a good idea to consider where else it can be presented after the original exhibition. Often it is possible to create separate installation and screening versions of the same work. These versions may have different years of completion, running times or formats.

Remember to submit both the installation and screening versions of your work to AV-arkki’s archive!

Promotional materials

Good promotional material includes:

Synopsis
Artist biography
Artist press photo
Technical information about the work
Credits for the work
Stills from the work and, if possible, other documentation

If the work is, for example, a site-specific installation or a live piece, it is recommended to create high-quality documentation that conveys what the work is like when experienced in the space and event.

For different events, there may also be a need to prepare additional promotional material, such as:

An accompanying text about the work for an exhibition
The artist’s curriculum vitae
A press kit for a festival (see the section “Press kit”)

Even though marketing of works has moved increasingly online and into social media, it can be useful to print a flyer or postcard about an exhibition or festival screening that concisely states where and when the work can be seen. At the event, such a flyer or card is a helpful tool for networking.

Press kit

A press kit is a downloadable folder that contains basic information about the work and the artist being promoted:

Synopsis in English
Artist biography and filmography in English
Artist press photo
Technical information about the work in English
Credits for the work in English
Stills from the work and, if possible, other documentation
Contact information for distribution and press (here, an AV-arkki member artist can use AV-arkki’s contact details)
A link in the work information from which a video trailer of the work can be downloaded for communication purposes

The texts must be clear and carefully edited. Save text files in common formats (pdf or rtf) from which users can easily copy the information.

You should include a few image files. Make sure that the total file size remains reasonable.

The press kit should be saved as a .zip file, which you can share via Dropbox or your own website with those who request additional information about the work.

Trailer

A trailer consists of excerpts from the work. The purpose of the trailer is to promote the distribution of the work. Based on the trailer, programme selectors get an idea of the work’s subject and approach, style and atmosphere, and become interested in watching the entire work. A trailer is particularly important if your work is fairly long or feature-length.

Festivals, museums and event organisers use trailers online and in their social media channels as part of the marketing of their upcoming programmes.

A trailer should give as representative a picture as possible of what the work is like. Its duration should generally not exceed a couple of minutes.

On AV-arkki’s website, a trailer or an excerpt chosen by the artist is published for each work and is visible to all visitors without logging in.

Synopsis

A synopsis is a short description of the work. Its purpose is to first arouse the interest of a programme selector or curator and later that of the audience of the event or exhibition. A good synopsis is informative. It should convey what the work is about and what its style or atmosphere is.

The synopsis may also briefly mention the technique used (for example stop-motion animation or hand-processed 35 mm film), especially if it is an essential factor influencing the work’s content or style. The synopsis is not intended to be an academically jargon-filled or overly poetic and cryptic riddle that excludes the viewer. It does not need to reveal the entire content of the work, only the essential.

Keywords

AV-arkki collects keywords describing the works for its online service, in order to help curators and programme selectors find works that match their interests. The keywords should describe the subject, structure, content and themes of the work. It is useful to use the YSO service as a tool: https://finto.fi/yso

Consultation service for member artists regarding the sales

How can AV-arkki help with selling works?

Artists in the archive need very different kinds of support services for selling their works, because depending on the nature of the work, questions related to sales can be very varied.

The price of sales consultation is 30 €/hour, with a minimum fee of 50 € (VAT 0%). The fee is invoiced so that the total price of the service is at most 20% of the work’s sale price, which used to be the amount of our commission for mediating sales. The hourly service can cover, for example, the following matters:

Confidential discussion with the artist about the sales price and edition size of the work
Defining online screening rights as part of the work’s sales agreement
Confidential commentary on the work’s sales agreement
Questions related to copyright
Questions of format and long-term deposit

If necessary, a representative of AV-arkki’s staff can also accompany the artist to negotiations concerning the sale of the work.

Questions related to artwork sales by member artists should be addressed well in advance to AV-arkki’s Executive Director.

Museums and collectors still have the opportunity to acquire media artworks for their collections directly from AV-arkki’s archive by contacting AV-arkki’s staff. The commission is calculated in accordance with the model described above also in cases where the acquiring party contacts AV-arkki directly.