University of Surrey unveils new media studios to boost numbers of sports broadcasting trainees and more
The new media studios at the University of Surrey will help bring more trained individuals into sports broadcasting
Industry leaders, alumni, contractors and current students joined course academics from the University of Surrey to officially open the Department of Music and Media’s brand-new media studios, on the Guildford Stag Hill campus.
“With updated connectivity cross-campus to our brand-new TV studios, we can also now live stream from the Surrey Sports Park with host commentating as well”
Susan Pratt, programme leader for the Film Production and Broadcast Engineering course, gave a lively introduction to the new facilties before University of Surrey Provost Professor Tim Dunne officially unveiled the studios.
Pratt commented: “The studio space and facilities enable us to teach real-world techniques and production skills. We have had a huge success over the past three years with live streaming our version of Eurovision, called ‘Univision’; with updated connectivity cross-campus to our brand-new TV studios, we can also now live stream from the Surrey Sports Park with host commentating as well.”
Those attending were then invited to tour the TV studios, production gallery, sound gallery and vision gallery in small groups, learning more about the course and the state-of-the-art equipment available to students.
The facilities also boast new mac labs, self-study labs and performance room, and will be used by students across the department studying Creative Music Technology, Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister), Music, and Film Production and Broadcast Engineering.
The new media studios are stocked with industry-standard broadcast equipment and students practise skills using the same sound, vision and lighting apparatus they will work with throughout their careers. The studio floor has a fully fitted LED lighting rig with wi-fi control, acoustically treated walls and ceiling with green screen infinity curve alcove. It’s the perfect environment to develop technical studio skills, put creative and production skills into practice and learn the engineering behind video streaming and live broadcasts, whether as director of photography, camera operator, director, production manager, sound engineer, camera assistant or gaffer.
The second phase of the media studios is due to start build this year. It will include two sound isolated recording rooms, Dolby Atmos-equipped surround sound recording studio, acoustic works to the existing synth lab studio and addition of a new synth room, foley/voice recording room, colour grading/edit room and three additional audio edit suites.