Since 2015, COM\u2019s film and television production courses have taken place at its 2,900-square-foot studio at 300 Babcock St. In a relocation that department chair Craig H. Shepherd compares to moving from an elementary school football field to an NFL stadium, that studio will soon have a new home at 808 Commonwealth Ave., upstairs from the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. Shepherd says the new facility, which will be on the building\u2019s fifth floor, will house studios for cinematography and directing. The move and renovation will cost roughly $3.5 million and serve a growing film and television program. They follow a $500,000 investment in equipment and renovations at Studio West, which primarily serves BUTV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shepherd inspected the Comm Ave space in summer 2024, when it was still filled with debris, including a Model T car\u2014perhaps a remnant of the building\u2019s history as a car dealership. \u201cBut I saw a barren, open space that would be gutted and bespoke for the film and television department,\u201d he says. \u201cI also saw the ability, because the space is so large, to prep it for future technologies we don\u2019t even know about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Construction is underway with the goal of having the space ready for the fall 2025 semester. Shepherd says the new studio, which he calls \u201ca complete game-changer,\u201d will be the hub of COM\u2019s film and television production activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see it as the home for the students to not only have the appropriate studio space and technical equipment to create, but also a collaboration hub,\u201d Shepherd says. \u201cBecause this art form is completely a collaborative art form\u2014where there\u2019s common spaces, where cinematographers can talk to directors, can talk to producers, can talk to actors. That\u2019s where the best ideas are generated from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shepherd was tapped to take over the film and television department in September 2024. He\u2019s said he aims to make an already good program even better. In the Hollywood Reporter\u2019s 2024 rankings of America\u2019s top film schools, BU came in at No. 18. A larger, state-of-the-art studio space\u2014which will be closer to what graduates encounter when they enter the industry\u2014will serve as its own recruiting tool for talented new students, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like being in [Willy Wonka\u2019s] chocolate factory, like walking into a fantasy land,\u201d he says. \u201cYou just say, this could be all at your disposal, and you have the ability to use this space as you grow your career as a television, film and content maker. It\u2019s inspiration, right off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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