Swain Multimedia Facilities and Equipment for Media Studies and Production in the Department of Communication Studies

Media Production focuses on the making and use of media in contemporary culture, coupling research studies with laboratory research and production skills. We have experienced a steady growth in the number  students serviced, as well as quality and quantity of work produced. Our program is actively reaching out through the community, creating links of theory and practice with the Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH), Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), the athletic department, the entrepreneurial studies program, UNC’s Development office, Carolina Testing and Orientation Program Sessions (CTOPS), Memorial Hall and the Office of Alumni Affairs.  Also, we have actively supplemented the festival publications through new and rejuvenated programs such as iTunes, linkage with local NBC affiliate, Full Frame, Hollywood internship, and Department of Radio, Television and Motion Pictures (RTVMP) alum re-linkage.

Through careful and steady growth in the past six years, the production concentration operates with a stable infrastructure with regards to support and equipment. The production concentration continues to offer quality instruction in lab-based learning and through research opportunities.

Our equipment room houses many great production toys such as a GlideCam, doorway dolly, spider dolly, fig-rigs, full lighting selection, and a collection of Pro-sumer level HD cameras such as the Sony Z1U, V1U and the Panasonic HVX200. We have two large studios, one with a 385 sq. ft green screen, a voice-over booth and an advanced color correction and surround sound authoring screening room. We are offering courses in Compositing, Experimental video, Narrative, Documentary, Audio, Interactive, Gaming design, and 3-D and 2-D Animation and do so from a Mac based lab comprised of 24+ workstations running a full suite of Adobe products as well as Final Cut Studio 2. Within the concentration you can expect to couple writing skills with production skills to produce a well rounded and potentially powerful portfolio with which to enter the marketplace or further your academic career.

The labs work collaboratively  with two student organization STV (Student Television) and CPG (Carolina Production Guild). STV focuses on TV-like productions while CPG offers film production.

Additionally, the department offers a minor in Screenwriting – An intense exposure to the art of writing for the screen and stage piloted and run by writers from the industry who have moved back to the UNC community.

The Hollywood internship is one of several internship opportunities that capitalize on the comradeship generated through Carolina and its alums. This opportunity, in specific, places students in Hollywood internships in their senior year and situates those students in the Hollywood experience with a support structure. Jessica Smith will address the logistics of the program is you so desire. And, I am happy to be more specific if you have questions concerning the program. I will say that it is a fantastic opportunity and most often leads to employment in the industry post graduation.

The strength of the program hinges on the liberal arts armature of the College. The diversity of courses and exposure to opportunities coupled with the production instruction and projects will prepare you to solve problems and assertively enter the workplace post graduation.