Santa Fe College Enhancing Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department With New Virtual Production Studio

December 16, 2021

December 16, 2021 – Santa Fe College (SF) is partnering with Tampa-based Vū Studios to add a virtual production studio to the college's Northwest Campus in Gainesville, FL. The new 23- by 13-foot curved LED screen will produce the kind of virtual worlds made popular by series like The Mandalorian and in gaming environments like Fortnite and Borderlands.

SF is the first school in the Florida College System to add a virtual production studio. This new technology will expose students in the Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology department to the lighting, camera usage, digital effects and motion graphic techniques utilized at a growing number of virtual production studios.

"Virtual production studios are technological innovations that are disrupting the industry and transforming how videos and movies are made," said Marc Shahboz, professor of digital media technology at SF. "With this new technology, you can shoot in real time with the background behind the actor instead of a green screen. That eliminates a large amount of post-production time and what once took weeks can now take only days to produce."

"The investment in this new studio affirms the college's dedication to preparing our students for high-tech and creative careers." said Eric Flagg, SF coordinator of digital media technology.

Shahboz added, "Students will use these skills broadly – from TikTok to the big screen, and everything in between!"