COM’s Film and Television Studios for the Future

COM’s film and television studio occupies a renovated floor at 808 Commonwealth Ave. The college opened 9,400 square feet in August 2025, with more space to be ready in 2026. Tim Palmer, a COM professor of the practice of cinematography, taught one of the first courses in the new space. Photo by Cydney Scott

Film & TV

COM Opens State-of-the-Art Film and Television Studios for Students Dreaming of Hollywood

808 Comm Ave facility quadruples the college’s production studio space and lets students use professional-grade equipment

October 2, 2025

Steve Holt

You don’t have to look too hard in Hollywood to find Boston University Terriers who are writing, directing, and producing the films and television series that audiences love. From brothers Benny Safdie (COM’08) and Josh Safdie (COM’07), who cowrote and codirected the acclaimed 2019 film Uncut Gems, to director Jennifer Getzinger (COM’90), a 2025 Emmy nominee for the finale of HBO’s The Penguin, to executives at Hollywood’s biggest studios—BU alums have learned about show business in the College of Communication film and television department, which received a big facilities upgrade in fall 2025.

The new studio is “a collaboration hub,” says Craig H. Shepherd, COM chair of film and television. “Because this art form is completely a collaborative art form, where cinematographers can talk to directors, can talk to producers, can talk to actors. That’s where the best ideas are generated.” Jan Egelson, an associate professor of the practice of film and television (above), teaches a course on directing for screenwriters. Photo by Cydney Scott

A $3.5 million, 9,400-square-foot production studio at BU’s 808 Commonwealth Ave., upstairs from the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, accommodates a growing department and gives students a chance to work on their projects using professional-grade equipment, says Tim Palmer, a COM professor of the practice in cinematography. A second phase of the project will eventually bring the total studio space to more than 12,000 square feet.

The old space “could not cope any longer with the ambitious work the students were doing, and from a practical point of view, simply could not contain the camera and lighting equipment and props,” says Palmer, whose recent cinematography credits include Geek Girl on Netflix and Bad Sisters on Apple TV+. “808 Commonwealth, with its state-of-the-art studios and generous storage, is a godsend. Designed from the ground up as a fully functional film production studio, it will cater very well to the needs of a burgeoning department whose students want to experience the art and craft of filmmaking in a way that will prepare them very well for a life and career in and out of studios.”

Sarah Secunda, a COM lecturer, teaches a beginning cinematography course at 808 Commonwealth Ave. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

Since 2015, COM’s film and television production courses have been held at its 2,900-square-foot studio at 300 Babcock Street. Craig H. Shepherd, a COM professor and chair of film and television, envisions the fifth floor at 808 Comm Ave becoming the department’s “centralized production hub where cinematography, directing, producing, postproduction, and screenwriting all come together under one roof.” The move and renovation will serve a growing film and television program, which he has led since September 2024.

Shepherd says the new studio makes an already good film and television program even better. In The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 rankings of America’s top film schools, Boston University came in at No. 16. The space will also help the department recruit talented new students.

COM’s new studio space allows students to work in a professional environment with professional tools. Sarah Hussey (COM’27) (above) changes a lens during a cinematography class. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

“The College of Communication—alongside Dean Mariette DiChristina [COM’86]—recognized that to stay ahead in the fast-evolving world of film and television, our facilities had to rise to meet the moment,” Shepherd says. “This new infrastructure isn’t just an upgrade—it’s an investment in our future. It’s where we build what’s next.”