Photography and media Laboratory

VAA VF Art and Desing Laboratory. Photography and Media Arts laboratory. Animation room No. 417 ir 418

Animation room is designed for students to work with traditional hand-drawn animation, digital and 3D virtual reality animation and work on creative projects.

For traditional hand-drawn animation there are specified tools:

• Special paper puncher device to make holes in the paper. Adapted tables to work with hand-drawn animation. These tables have integrated led lights;
• Tables with peg bars for fixation. Each student is provided with a peg bar at the start of the academic year;
• A4 format tablet scanners;
• Animation Line Test Stand;
• Computers with “TV Paint” software;
• Adobe software bundle for video editing and montage.

Besides hand-drawn animation, using “Dragonframe” software students can try 2D “Stop Motion” and fame-by-frame “Cut-out” animation. For more complex projects students can use clay or model animation. These kinds of projects are made by using special equipment in the room Nr. 417 – three-axis tripod, “Cut-out” table with interchangeable screens, studio lights.

The newest addition to the laboratory is 3D animation, design and virtual reality technical base. For these projects, students can use powerful stationary computers, “Autodesk” and “Adobe”, “Cinema 4D”, “Blender”, “DaVinci Resolve 16” software. There is also “Insta  360 EVO” camera with special software package. For virtual reality simulation projects, students can use “Unity” and “Unreal” game engines. Projects can be showcased via virtual reality headsets “Oculus Rift” and “Oculus Quest”.

Photography studios. Rooms No. 431 A, B, C

These spaces are designed for photography projects that require artificial light. Here you will find portable and suspended “Hensel” studio lights with additional accessories.  These light sources can be used in constant and pulsating mode.

Studio in the room 431 A can be used to photograph models in full length. Here you will find a variety of different light sources with two powerful generators and a suspended background system.

Studio in the room 431 B can be used to photograph small objects that can be placed on a special table.

Studio in the room 431 C is mostly used for video making, since it only has a constant light source.

Photographic printmaking laboratory. Room No. 413 and 414

This laboratory can be used to make black & white photographic prints.

Here you will find:

• Kaiser and Meopta enlargers for various formats;
• Special developing trays to make prints (from 24x36 mm to 130x180 mm) from negatives, washing trays and other accessories.

Developing room No. 412

Developing room is used to develop black & white negatives by hand.

Here you will find:

• Developing tank for 35mm and 120 format films;
• Darkroom sink;
• Negative drying area.

Specialized laboratory. Room No. 411

This room can be used by advanced students, who are familiar with traditional old photography techniques and want to learn other alternative processes and make bigger prints.

In this room you will find:

• Two Durst enlargers. The smaller one is used to work with 4x5 and 8x10 negatives;
• Special developing machine Jobo ATL1000 used to develop color negatives;
• Photo paper storage and cutter Metrolon;
• Heated tray;
• Darkroom sinks;
• Print frames for large format (up to 50x60cm);
• Other laboratory equipment.

Chemical storage room. Room No. 407

Here, chemicals are stored inside special lockers. Inside this room photographic solutions are prepared. This room can only be used by the laboratory workers and instructed students who are familiar with the safety requirements policy.

Storage room No. 421

Students and employees of Vilnius Academy of Arts can rent equipment and inventory for study purposes. 

You must to make a reservation in advance, no later than few days in advance. If you have any questions, please contact the laboratory employee via email

Equipment in the storage room is designed for photography, video, sound and media works:

• Digital cameras for photography and film making purposes with interchangeable lenses;
• Tripods for filming and photography;
• Reflectors;
• Sets of portable halogen lights and flashes with accessories;
• Projectors;
• Media players;
• Monitors / screens;
• Voice recorders, microphones, speakers;
• Equipment for animation study program;
•  Various adapters, vires and other accessories.

Laboratory room No. 410

The room is designed for:

• Image cropping;
• Drying analog photo prints with special machine;
• Scanning photo positives and negatives.

Professors and their students can discuss and inspect practical tasks in this room. Up to 5 students can work in the room at one time.

Video editing room No. 427

Video editing room is specialised to work with moving and 3D image. Here you can edit videos, create 3D models, edit photographs. In this room there are two computers equiped with full Adobe software package, which can be used by students and employees of Vilnius Academy of Arts by signing in with your VAA email.

Video editing room can be used by 8 students at once – there are separate work places to work with personal computers. 

In the video editing room, you can also find special equipment to review old standard video material such as VHS, MiniDV, CD, DVD. We also have some old tube TVs.

Students working in the Photography and Media Arts laboratory are provided with equipment and tools for various technological processes as described in the presentation of the laboratory's capabilities.

All materials and tools necessary for the technological processes are provided to students in the laboratory:

• Wet process photography (equipment and tools, distilled water, developers and fixations of black and white photo film, plastic bottles for chemical solutions);
• Photographing and filming in a photo studios (video equipment, paper of studio backgrounds, lighting equipment, stands, light shaping accessories, screen);
• Drying (specialized equipment, cotton work gloves);
• Traditional animation (peg bars and light desks);
• Computer animation (computer programs "Dragonframe" and "TV Paint", full-body motion scanner, work tools);
• Tools for detailed work.

Students working in the Photography and Media Arts laboratory are provided with materials necessary to perform practical tasks during the study process, while lecturers are provided with what is necessary for their work functions:

Photographic tapes (according to the budget provided by the department);

• 16 mm and 8 mm filmstrips (according to the budget provided by the department);
• Photo paper (according to the budget provided by the department);
• Photographic developers and fixations of black and white film;
• C-41 photographic solutions (according to the budget provided by the department);
• Photochemical materials and reagents for alternative photographic processes (according to the budget provided by the department).

Students are partially supplied with materials when carrying out their artistic experiments (according to point 24 of the "Work Rules of Photography and Media Arts laboratory", approved Rector‘s order No. Nr.VĮU-88/1, dated 2018-11-08).

Photography and media laboratory work rules