New Gear Means New Opportunities for Our Broadcast Media Production and Filmmaking Students

From a professional anchor desk and studio cameras to an A-list-director-approved RED Gemini Camera and TriCaster video switcher, Broadcast and Filmmaking students are fully equipped to do their jobs.

Last year, NBC5 (WPTZ) television station moved from Plattsburgh, New York to South Burlington and recently donated their anchor desk and two studio cameras to Champlain College’s Broadcast Media Production program in the Division of Communication and Creative Media.

Program Director Dr. Van Dora Williams, Professor Keith Oppenheim, and Rental House manager Brendan Bubion facilitated the donation. Bubion said it’s common for news stations to collaborate with local schools by donating equipment when they upgrade. He said the equipment is in good condition and will help replicate the experience of working in a studio for Champlain’s students.

Champlain also purchased new equipment for the Broadcast Media Production and Filmmaking programs, including a RED Gemini Camera. This year, Filmmaking seniors are completing their Capstone films with the RED. Bubion said the addition of the industry-standard camera solidifies the film program.

What do Wonder, The Martian, Straight Outta Compton, and The Two Popes all have in common? They were all filmed on RED cameras. Since this revolutionary digital camera burst onto the filmmaking scene, it has been embraced by A-list directors and is now the industry standard for shooting film, television, and music videos. We’re looking forward to watching the films and documentaries Champlain’s students will create with the new RED.

Other new equipment students are getting their hands on includes newly retrofitted audio kits, new microphones, and a new TriCaster Video Switcher System.

If you’d like to learn more about studying Broadcast Media Production or Filmmaking at Champlain, come see the new equipment in action on a campus tour and information session. Make sure you ask about Champlain’s:

• Rental House: the place where students check out cameras, lenses, lighting, and countless other tools-of-the-trade.
• Production Stage: a professional stage with black walls, black floor, a lighting grid on the ceiling, a closet full of grip supplies, and a floor-to-ceiling green screen. The space also features live remote feed, multi-camera field production capabilities, and surround sound.
• The FlexSpace: a 3,000-square-foot warehouse full of possibilities for students to build entire sets with room to spare.
• Sound Recording Studio: a professional studio where you can record an album, a podcast, or score a film using the variety of microphones, instruments, and industry-standard soundboards available.