Post Magazine

S ANTA CLARA, CA — In 1985, Santa Clara University (SCU) introduced its first Communication program, offering video production and offline analog editing courses. In 1999, the university switched to nonlinear editing with a new 2,200-square-foot broadcast-quality digital studio equipped with top-of-the-line video editing systems from Avid. Today SCU (www.scu.edu) has 450 Communication majors with an estimated 250 students enrolled in curriculum specific to video production and film theory. SCU's Craig Gower (manager of media systems), Yahia Mahamdi (professor, director of video) and Paul Soukup, S.J. (head of the Communi- cation Depar tment) discuss trends in edu- cation and filmmaking today, and how SCU is leveraging technology to deliver a unique learning experience for students. Describe the filmmaking curriculum at SCU? YAHIA MAHAMDI: "The video produc- tion program offers both film and television courses.The film production component en- compasses digital video production and vi- sual communication to screenwriting and documentary/drama production courses. In studio, we offer an introductory course and an advanced course in either television pro- duction or broadcast journalism, respectively. "Within each course, we allocate time to teach the aesthetics and practice of editing. All courses have a lab component where students get hands-on with the cameras and Avids. In addition, we offer a number of courses in film and television history, theory, and criticism for a variety of filmmaking styles and cinema traditions." Describe the workflow in place. CRAIG GOWER: "Our beginning stu- dents are shooting with Panasonic cam- corders and recording is to MiniDV. Inter- mediate and advanced students shoot with ENG/EFP-style Panasonic DVCPRO cam- corders. SCU has five edit bays with Media Composer-based workstations, all con- nected to an Avid Unity shared storage sys- tem. We also have three other Avid Xpress Pro bays and a 'Mac' lab equipped with eight Avid Xpress Pro seats for additional picture editing [all Avid systems run on Mac G5 computers and are connected to the Unity system through Ethernet]. We have one Pro Tools system in our studio control room." How are you leveraging a shared storage workflow at SCU? GOWER: "Our intermediate and ad- vanced classes see the benefits from the Unity-based workflow. With all the Media Composer stations linked, we're equipped to create that collaborative environment that our students will find in a pro setting. Not only does this set-up prepare them for the tools they will be using upon graduation, but it also provides the capabilities for our stu- dents to work on the same project simulta- neously from several different edit bays." How do you prepare students for pro careers? PAUL SOUKUP: "A few of the distin- guishing characteristics of the SCU program are: (1) our insistence that the students must have a comprehensive communication edu- cation; (2) a similar insistence on their balanc- ing theory and practice in all their courses; (3) the setting of communication study within the larger liberal arts and moral tradi- tions of the University.Within the production area, we aim to replicate professional work- flow situations as much as possible." MAHAMDI: "Our classes are ver y small [16 students] in comparison to a larger film school. Often, instruction spills over beyond the classroom/studio to the professor's of- fice or local cafe. We train our students to be practitioners and thinkers about film and the impor tance of images and sound in today's world. We provide them with a solid technical training in filmmaking and a strong grounding in media intellectual inquir y. We have an internship program that leverages many television/cable stations and corpora- tions in the Bay area and beyond. "We also maintain a shadow program, which puts our new graduates in touch with our alumni in LA.The film/video production faculty are working filmmakers whose work has been shown in film festivals and recog- nized by their peers. [So], many of our stu- dents actually work on faculty projects and gain first-hand pro experience in filmmaking." What is next? MAHAMDI: "As part of the new curricu- lum, we are planning to introduce courses in niche film production [production of shor t films for the Web and mobile apps]. Next year, we are revising the curriculum to insti- tute a digital filmmaking program and will be creating new courses in editing, cinematog- raphy and sound design. The Communica- tion department encourages the creation of new courses exploring the possibilities of- fered by the new distribution technologies that we're seeing today. We already offer courses in online journalism and blogging, among others. We'd also like to expand the current program with a digital filmmaking minor and potentially a BFA in film. And up- grading to HD is on the horizon." SCU's (L-R) Paul Soukup, S.J., Yahia Mahamdi and Craig Gower. This program is designed to teach students professional workflows. Santa Clara University's faculty discusses curriculum SCU students get hands-on experience via the school's Avids. COURTESY OF CHUCK BARRY, SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY CREDIT: CHARLES BARRY/SCU www.postmagazine.com May 2009 • Post 45

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