Future Movie Makers Lab Renovated

Lucido, who is the Director of the Film Program, has just led the efforts for a small renovation himself this past summer; of the post production classroom, located in the first floor of Taylor.

With funds from the Communication Arts, Languages and Literature Department (CALL) and Mountaineer Media (a student-run media production company, funded by the Student Government Association) this room has been transformed to what Lucido calls, "a much improved teaching space."

Improvements vary from arranging the room for excellence in pedagogy to superior equipment. A major difference in the overall set up is the 65 inch LCD monitor that Lucido can use to guide his students with their film production work. Lucido, along with Computer Services and Facilities Services, arranged the room so that students can operate computers while also facing the screen at the front of the room. Previously the room was not oriented this way.

The classroom is used for three Communication and Theatre (COTH) courses: Introduction to Production and subsequent upper level film production courses

While teaching editing in his Introduction to Production course, Lucido proves that the space is working well for him, and his students. He is able to explain editing functions on the crystal clear 65 inch monitor, run energetically around the classroom to assist the 16 students with questions, and then move onto the next point in his lesson. In this particular class students were taking footage they shot on campus, loading it onto the computer and editing it; while also explaining how to insert sound, alter speed and other functions of the final cut program they were using.

If he wants to show an example of how a certain function looks in an existing piece of work he can quickly pull up video and display it on the big screen. In the class this past week he screened a short promotion video for the "Making the Connection" project, which is based out of the Environmental Studies department. In the video, shot in Kenya, Africa, he notes a particular scene where he slowed down a flowing river to make it work with the rest of the footage and music.

This room is now well suited for film screenings for small audiences of up to 30 or so people. Recently Lucido teamed up with the Multicultural Center to show a film and Computer Services also used the room for a live 'webinar' broadcast.

In the upper level Film Production courses students will use the room to create films of their own; culminating in 490 class where they write a script, a proposal and do detailed research for their original film.

With the Taylor Hall renovation expected to begin in early 2010 Lucido feels like he is getting a glimpse into the future in the Post Production Suite in Taylor. "This room, to some degree, is an example of how the remodel might look," he said.

And, he added, "The winner here is our students."

Story by: Luke Mehall, assistant director of public relations