Columbia College Hollywood Renovation

Columbia College Hollywood (CCH), an accredited educational institution that has offered degrees in film and television production for more than 56 years, has completed a renovation of its entire facility and a rebuild of its studio facilities. The Los Angeles college has installed state-of-the-art digital systems that allow students to work with equipment used at any professional broadcast station. While this upgrade represents a unique opportunity for students at CCH, the school''s early emphasis on hands-on production and its unusual interior design also contribute to a singular learning environment.

CCH worked with broadcast systems integrator TV Magic and digital media consultant Darren Doerschel to create an infrastructure and SDI workflow that would enable a smooth migration to HD. The upgraded digital studio supports courses that focus on live studio production and how to produce, direct, and light sitcoms, dramas, talk shows, and other shows set in this environment. Within the studio''s new workflow, students work with JVC ProHD cameras that can be switched between SD and HD acquisition.

The studio features a Ross Video Synergy switcher package; JVC DR-HD 100-80 portable DTE (Direct To Edit) recorder; 15in., 17in., and 19in. JVC CRT monitors; dual LCD monitors from Marshall; a Focus Enhancements media converter; a Compix Media LCG 5050R single-channel character generator; an Audiocom intercom system; and a Wohler AMP2-AMVU audio monitor. Students can shoot entirely within the studio or connect two or three remote cameras with the switcher and send another camera roaming the building to create a four-camera shoot.

The studio''s updated technology gives students the ability to perform live switching and record on a hard drive in a variety of NLE formats, then take that drive to the edit facility for Apple Final Cut Pro editing or to punch up and further sweeten audio in Digidesign ProTools. Together, all of these elements raise the standard for production at the college while giving professors and their students the freedom to focus more on the creative elements of television, rather than the trade of television.

“Until we made this upgrade, we were working with decent but outdated analog equipment,” says Ronald Reeves, director of IT and production services at Columbia College. “The dynamic of the broadcast industry has changed dramatically, and in overhauling our TV studio, we wanted to be certain that the installation would be able to support the way the industry works in five or 10 years. Students attending the college now will graduate in three or four years. Our goal is to ensure that what we''re teaching students today will be relevant when they hit the mainstream.”

The radical overhaul at CCH didn''t just include the college''s television studio. Eighty-five percent of the campus, located in the historic Panavision building, was upgraded. Except for in administrative and secure storage areas, the college was made over, much of it to serve as a backdrop for student productions. All of the classrooms and restrooms were repainted in different styles, and a production designer was hired to design rooms, colors and schematics that would be visually appealing to the camera. The main part of the facility now incorporates two vignettes equipped with open ceilings so that production teams can drop in canvases and light from above.

A tour of the facility reveals the Easy Rider truck stop washroom, located adjacent the Victorian Brothel washroom. Two other washrooms reflect 21st-century, Italian-inspired design and an Art Deco look. The student lounge looks into a New England living room set on one side and an Irish pub and billiards room set on the other. Even the marble lobby, once the main entrance to Panavision, provides a suitable environment for upscale bar and hotel scenes. These permanent sets help students to spend more time on shooting and less on the time consuming challenges of building sets.

This focus on getting right to work is one of the characteristics that sets CCH apart from other film schools. Unlike larger schools, CCH encourages hands-on shooting from the very first quarter. As students get more experienced through training and working on their own and other people''s projects, they gain more opportunities to work with and get certified on the facility''s state-of-the-art equipment.

“Everyone wants to shoot, and so it is important that every inch of space can be used by our students,” Reeves says. “With the renovation of our facilities and upgrade of our production equipment and television studio, we''re even better positioned to help each student explore and define what his or her voice in the industry will be. It''s a very exciting time here for all of us.”