Media Arts

Karl Staven
kstaven@uarts.edu
Chairperson
215-717-6552

The Media Arts Department offers majors in photography, film/digital video, animation, while providing elective classes to the University at large. The three-year curriculum of each major is built around a sequence of courses designed to move the student to a position of independence within the discipline. Many of our studio courses feature a written component to provide a balance between technical skills and the critical thinking and historical context necessary for a complete exploration of one’s medium. An introduction to the fundamental ideas and techniques of the medium fills much of the sophomore year. During the two remaining years, the student is expected to refine techniques, develop a sense of personal vision, identify goals, and pursue activities directly related to professional practice.

The Media Arts Department provides extensive studio facilities and equipment for students enrolled in its courses. Students majoring in Media Arts programs, and all students checking out equipment from the Media Arts Equipment Room are required to purchase UArts-approved insurance coverage prior to being granted permission to check out gear. The insurance is available from the department for a small additional fee.

Philadelphia’s professional resources have allowed the department to develop an extensive internship program for advanced Media Arts majors. This program allows students to gain professional experience while earning academic credit. Internship sponsors have included commercial photography studios; galleries; independent artists; animation, film, video, and multimedia production houses; television stations; medical facilities; magazine and book publishers; and digital imaging studios.

The Media Arts Department also offers minor concentrations in all three of its programs–film/digital video , animation , and photography –which are available to students outside of their major studio program. Those interested in this option should consult with both their major advisor and the Media Arts Department.

Media Arts Studios

The Media Arts Department (photography/film/digital video/animation) provides students with high-end equipment and studios modeled after professional environments.. In addition, Media Arts digital facilities include 23 Final Cut Pro editing stations - two of which are used for HD work, one AVID digital video editing systems, a state-of-the-art Windows computer animation lab, and a 16-station closed-loop color-calibrated digital imaging computer lab. Media Arts also houses two animation shooting studios, a specially built and acoustically isolated film shooting studio, two fully equipped digital sound studios, five flatbed film editors and three green screen shooting areas for film and animation compositing work.

Other Media Arts facilities include professional high-ventilation darkrooms with 55 4x5 enlargers, a black-and-white RC print processor, a color darkroom with 14 individual stations and a 32” RA four-color print processor, and four photography shooting studios with all the essential equipment for studio photography.

The Media Arts Equipment Room serves student needs by checking out animation, film, and photography equipment, including lights, cameras, tripods, animation discs, and sound equipment. The Equipment Room is open seven days a week and offers extended hours on weekdays.

Digital Imaging Lab

The Media Arts Department Digital Imaging Lab is a unique facility built to support high-resolution digital imaging and digital video. The lab has 16 Apple Macintosh G5 computers, equipped with two GB of RAM, dual high-capacity hard drives, dual Color Calibrated Display monitors for each CPU. Each station has an Epson 2450 FireWire flatbed scanner, and an Wacom Intuos 9x12 tablet. There are a number of Polaroid, Nikon and Minolta Film Scanners, and an Imacon 626 Film scanner. For output, there are a number of devices including a Tektronix Phaser 780 color laser printer, a Fuji Pictrography 3500 Digital Printer, a Xante Tabloid Laser Printer, a Polaroid Pro-Palette 8045 8K film recorder, a Hewlett-Packard 5000PS wide-format digital inkjet printer with both dye- and pigment-based inks, an HP Designjet Z3100, an Epson 4000 Pro, 2200 and 2000P Printers. The lab also has two Pro-Tools XP systems, five Panasonic DV1000 digital video decks, three Sony DSR-40 digital video decks and a sign Video Firewire 12 pt. patchbay. The lab is managed by an Apple G5 OSX server and an Xraid server, with more than 2.5 terrabytes of storage to facilitate the requirements of a modern digital workflow. The lab is available to students majoring in a Media Arts program, or enrolled in specifically designated Media Arts courses.

Computer Animation Lab

The Media Arts Department Computer Animation Lab is a lab designed solely for computer animation. It features 16 Cintiq 12WX interactive pen displays that can be used with student laptops, 8 Mac Pro Towers running Maya, for 3-D animation, and Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop for 2-D work. Digital Audio is handled by Sound Forge and Pro-Tools, and there is also a Dell PC system for output to a Sony BetaSP deck or a Sony DSR-40 Digital Video Deck. Each system is designed specifically for animation, and CD-RW drives, and a DVD and RW drive. Professional quality output is handled by a Sony BetaSP deck, two Sony Digital Video Decks, and a DVD burner on each computer. The lab also has a Tektronix Phaser 780 color laser printer for output of animation stills.

Digital Audio Sound Studios

The Media Arts Department houses two state-of-the-art Digital Audio Sound Studios that are able to record and mix surround sound. They are based around two Pro-Tools 24 Mix-TDM systems, each with a Mackie 16x8x2 Mixing Console, a Tascam 234 4-track Cassette Recorder, a Tascam 122 Stereo Cassette recorder, two Neutrik 48 pt. patch bays, a Yamaha SPX900 Sound Processor, an Apple Macintosh G4 with a 17-inch monitor, DVD-RAM, FireWire CD-RW Drive, Tascam DA60 DAT recorder, and a USD Sync Controller. Both rooms can record from the Film Studio, or an Isolation Booth with microphones, foldback, and direct instrument connection.

Media Arts Department Dub Room

The Media Arts Dub Room allows conversion of audio and video media to differing formats. The following components are supported through track-mounted patch bays for dupes of conversion. Sony Beta UVW-1800 video deck, JVC BR-5800 SVHS video deck, Mackie mixer, Elmo TRV-16 Film Transfer unit, Otari 1/4-inch halftrack studio editing deck, Tascam 122 Stereo Cassette Deck, Yamaha DVD Player, Panasonic AGW3 Multi-Standard VHS deck, Tascam DA60 Studio DAT recorder, Tascam MD1 Minidisk deck, Technics Turntable, Magnasync 16 mm magnetic film recorder, Nagra 4.2 tape deck, two Sony UMatic 3/4-inch video decks, a Sony DVD-R VX500 deck, and a Tascam Patch Bay.

Photography (Link)

David Graham
dgraham@uarts.edu
Coordinator
215-717-6543

This major prepares students for a wide range of careers in photography by providing a solid grounding in traditional photography and digital imaging. In the sophomore year, students receive in-depth training in craft and ideas fundamental to photographic imaging. Technical exercises emphasize electronic imaging as well as traditional black-and-white and color processes. The curriculum covers both descriptive photography and more experimental manipulated image-making.

During the junior year, students consider photographic forms beyond the traditional print, such as the photographic book, non-silver processes, and installation work. Large-format photography and studio practice with its control of artificial lighting are also part of the junior curriculum. In both the junior and senior years, students may pursue the study of specialized interests on an elective basis, including illustration and editorial photography, photojournalism, environmental portraiture, creative portfolio development, advanced digital imaging, and professional practice.

The senior year is primarily devoted to the production of an independent body of work of the student’s own choosing and direction. The senior thesis provides the opportunity to begin the process of self-definition as photographer and artist. A required junior-level course in photographic criticism, coupled with required classes in the history of photography, exemplifies the strong emphasis that the department places on critical thinking and self-expression in words as well as through photographs.

Each spring, the Media Arts Department hosts the Paradigm Lecture Series, an outstanding resource available to photography majors. Through this series, photographers of national and international renown are invited by the department to visit the campus to discuss their work and meet with the students.

Film/Digital Video (Link)

Peter Rose
prose@uarts.edu
Coordinator
215-717-6554

The Film/Digital Video program in the Media Arts Department prepares students to work in Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental film. A solid preparation and foundation in craft has enabled an extremely high percentage of our graduates to enter the professional field as freelance editors, sound recordists, cinematographers, technicians, animators, screenwriters, and directors.

The Filmmaking major provides students with a background in all phases of film and video production, including film cinematography, videography, film and video editing, and sound/image manipulation. As in still photography, filmmaking students acquire a strong background in criticism, theory, and history of media. All Film/Video majors pursue at least one practical internship as part of the degree requirements.

The study of film and video at the University has been supplemented by a number of other activities, including the Paradigm Lecture Series through which each spring film and video artists of national and international renown visit the campus to conduct lectures and present screenings of their work.

Animation (Link)

Chris Magee
cmagee@uarts.edu
Coordinator
215-717-6549

The Animation program in the Media Arts Department prepares students to work in computer, traditional, stopmotion, and experimental animation. The basic principles of animation can be applied to all forms of image and object manipulation. The program gives its graduates a strong understanding of timing and motion, and a grounding in the wide variety of techniques available to the animator. Animation majors get a solid background in life drawing and traditional modes of animation, as well as 2D and 3D computer animation. Animation majors choose the area(s) on which to focus as they construct their junior and senior thesis films.

This broad-based approach has allowed graduates to obtain professional positions in both the animation industry and as independent artists. Alumni become computer animators, directors, storyboard artists, production assistants, special-effects animators, and character designers.