USC School of Cinema-Television Opens Center For Digital Arts

Country's First And Only Fully Digital Training Facility Made Possible Through Generous Support Of Hollywood Community

12-Mar-01

One of the most ambitious projects in the USC School of Cinema-Television's history will culminate with today's opening of the state-of-the-art Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts. Launched by a generous gift from alumnus and Academy AwardÆ-winning director Robert Zemeckis, the center is the country's first and only fully digital training center. The 35,000-square foot facility, located across from the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles' revitalized Figueroa Corridor, houses the latest in nonlinear production and post production equipment, as well as production stages, a 50-seat screening room and the USC student-run television station, Trojan Vision. ""The opening of the Zemeckis Center is a milestone in the School of Cinema-Television's evolution, further enriching the curriculum with the most advanced tools in digital filmmaking,"" said Dean Elizabeth Daley. ""We are deeply grateful to Robert Zemeckis and all of our donors for ensuring that our students stay ahead of the curve in the new technology of storytelling."" Designed to offer students hands-on experience with the latest industry-standard technology, the center is highlighted by an expansive digital editing laboratory with 60 of Avid's recently-released Xpress DV systems. Each new Xpress system features an IBM IntelliStation M-Pro workstation with Avid video editing software and digital distribution options for publishing to the Internet, CD, and DVD. Joining Avid, other corporate contributors to the Zemeckis Center include Alias Wavefront, Apple, Canopus Corp., DTSÆ, Intel Corp., Kodak, Lucent Technologies, Niagara Broadband, Philips Broadcast, Pinnacle Systems, Quantel, Rorke Data, Softopia, Silicon Graphics, Sony Corp., Ultimatte, Vicon, and Zuma Networks. ""I am thrilled to share in the first educational venture to embrace all aspects of digital production, leading filmmakers from concept through completion,"" said Zemeckis. ""Our goal is to offer the next generation of USC Cinema-Television students a new palette of technical tools with which to enhance the vision and scope of their storytelling."" The Zemeckis Center also boasts an impressive array of visual effects equipment, including blue and green screen technology, digital stages with motion control computers, CGI classrooms and digital compositing equipment, such as a Quantel Edit Box special effects workstation. Among the other state-of-the-art features are five studio-quality sound stages, nonlinear digital shooting systems, multimedia cable connections, a screening room with 16mm, 35mm and digital production capabilities and a THXÆ sound system, and a Pro ToolsÆ station for audio editing. In addition, the Zemeckis Center is home to the Trojan Vision programming and production offices, which include two soundstages, a broadcast-quality control booth, suites for digital sound and picture editing, and more.Following Zemeckis' lead, fellow alumnus George Lucas contributed funds toward the Akira Kurosawa digital soundstage, as well as a CGI/advanced media classroom. Steven Spielberg helped fund both a digital studio honoring Stanley Kubrick and an additional CGI/advanced media classroom. Other notable contributions include a multicamera sound stage funded by David Geffen, the Universal Studios Motion Control and Performance Capture Library, the Ron Howard Screening Room, the John Wells Advanced Media Classroom, the David Kirschner Family Visual Effects Studio, the Warner Bros. Advanced Media Classroom, the 20th Century Fox Conference Room and Lounge, the Creative Artists Agency Reception Center, the William Morris Agency Green Room, the Scott Sassa Family Television Control Room, the Stone Stanley Entertainment Patio, and the Tokyo University of Technology Digital Systems Laboratory.

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