Production Workshops and Safety

The Visual and Media Arts department believes that production and safety should go hand in hand. Knowing how to operate state-of-the-art gear safely and properly allows students to successfully achieve their artistic and educational goals.

Rigging Workshop

Covers gripping and setting lights from a technical standpoint. Hands-on training with 12 X 12 overheads, hanging lights from ceilings and other rigging points, setting a backlight using a menace arm, dolly use, and some camera rigging.

Electricity Workshop

Covers basic elements of electricity including electron flow, heat/friction, watts, volts, amps, resistance, frequency, capacitors, single-phase and three-phase power, grounding, Ohm’s law, dimming, and safe set practices.

HMI’s, Panel Lights & Rifa Lights Workshop

Covers the technical and aesthetic use of lights. Topics include HMI versus Tungsten, color correction, Par versus Fresnel, and the efficiency of HMI’s. Also covers system parts (cable, head, lenses) and problem solving.

Jib Workshop

Covers what a jib is, its purpose, and the various lengths and motions available. Also covers setup safety, assembling and wrapping the jib, the mechanics of shot intent, and execution relating to story, and hands-on exploration of the jib. Upon completion of this workshop, students are eligible to use the jib for MFA, BFA and potentially BA projects, depending on availability.

Sony F3 Workshop

Covers menu operations, Chroma subsampling, color bit depth, use with PIX 240 recorder, the difference between S-log and regular video, workflow, and downloading procedures. Upon completion of this workshop, students are eligible to use the Sony F3 for MFA, BFA, and potentially BA projects, depending on availability.

Steadicam Workshop

Covers the basics of how to build, balance, wear, and operate a Steadicam. Through use of a Steadicam, students can achieve smoothness in shots that mimic the human experience of moving through a space. The workshop is split up into four 2 hour sessions, the first is an introduction and the next three are one-on-one sessions.