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Membership & how to join

Who can join Virtual Cinema Lab?

VCL is open for everyone. We are interested in new perspectives and open for applications from researchers, artists and professionals alike. We're based in Helsinki region and our premises are in Aalto University, so you should be either based here or be able to travel to join our events on a regular basis.
You don't have to be studying or working in Aalto to become a member. However, accessing Aalto's resources is easier if at least one of your project's collaborators is from the university.

How to apply

First be clear about your motivation for becoming a member:
  • What do you hope to get from being a part of Virtual Cinema Lab?
  • How are you going to contribute to our community, and what way are you planning to keep active and involved with the community?
  • Are you joining an existing Virtual Cinema Lab project, or do you want to propose your own?
VCL has three membership types: Supporting, Active and Hyperactive. Read about each type and learn the basics of our organisation structure before applying for membership
Supporting members can join our discussions online, come to our events and learn about VCL's projects and other activities.
As an active member we also expect you to be, well, active. Active members should be present in monthly general meetings, be proactive about what we do and contribute to VCL's mission.
Hyperactive members are decision makers and take care of many practicalities on top of what's required from Active members.

Membership requirements for all members

Everything about this research group, its website, social media channels, the handbook, events and coordination has been created and are maintained by Active and Hyperactive members.
Everybody gives as much as they can, and they are excited about giving. If we find that you are not active anymore, we will change your member status to a supporting member after checking in with you – and retire any projects you might be coordinating.
This extreme measure is necessary to keep the group active and agile, and not clogged up by a lot of half-committed people and projects. And no worries, you can always re-join projects and be active again!

Can I get study credits from Virtual Cinema Lab activities or projects?

Many Aalto departments offer the possibility to get non-course specific study credits from working in projects or attending to a series of lectures. Many of the Virtual Cinema featured projects are repeated events: for example XR Encounters and Game Engines for Artists events are arranged 2-4 times per semester. Thus it would be possible for one to attend multiple times and gain credits. VCL itself cannot issue credits, but we can support your idea of tailoring your own study path within VCL activities or projects; we encourage you to discuss the possibility of gaining credits with your supervising professor.