# About VCL, our Mission & Values

## A brief history of VCL <a href="#history" id="history"></a>

Virtual Cinema Lab is a Research Group at [ELO Film School](https://www.aalto.fi/department-of-film-television-and-scenography), founded in January 2016 by [Tanja Bastamow](http://virtualcinema.aalto.fi/view/tanja-bastamow) and [Synes Elischka](http://virtualcinema.aalto.fi/view/synes-elischka/), with support from [Susanna Helke](https://www.aalto.fi/people/susanna-helke), Professor of Research at ELO, and [Teemu Leinonen](https://www.aalto.fi/people/teemu-leinonen) who was the Vice Dean for Research back then.

Both Tanja & Synes were researching the content side of Virtual Reality and Virtual Cinema, and decided to start a research group to connect with other people, share knowledge and resources.

## Mission Statement <a href="#mission" id="mission"></a>

We are an umbrella organization, building a community to support research and exchange of knowledge for content creation of emerging media technologies.

## Values

### Self organizing

We use a system of self organization that allows members to build VCL according to our needs, and has clear guidelines on how to address problems as they arise.

### Experimental

Trial and error are crucial parts of discovery. We organize rapid prototyping & practice based research events to enable trans-disciplinary cooperation.

### Community

When we combine our achievements we amplify their impact: that’s why we actively share knowledge and create inclusive, non-judgemental spaces for peer learning.

## Aims of this Handbook

This handbook is a tool that helps Virtual Cinema Lab's new and old members to check in how the organization works. It explains the different membership types, how get involved in projects and what members can do to help the organization to become even better.\
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This handbook will be continually updated as our organization evolves.&#x20;


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