Abstract: A method of producing a polycrystalline film of a metal compound, AlN or ZnO, on a substrate with a non-zero mean tilt of the c-axis relative to the surface normal of the substrate, is disclosed. The method comprises deposition of crystallites of said compound onto the substrate that has a suitable surface for crystal growth with tilted c-axis relative to the surface normal by operating a deposition system designed for sputtering of metal atoms from a target, in a gas mixture of inert gas and nitrogen or oxygen, respectively, at a process pressure such that the mean free path of sputtered metal atoms is comparable or larger than the target to substrate distance, the geometry of the deposition system being such that there exists at least one arbitrary area on the substrate where the distribution of the depositing flux is asymmetric relative to the surface normal at that area.