SCAD: Lights, Camera, Action!

November 22, 2023

South Magazine,

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SCAD Savannah – Fall 2023 – Savannah Film Festival – Savannah College of Art and Design President Paula Wallace attends Opening Night – Broughton Street – Photography Courtesy of SCAD

You don’t need to do much more than look around whatever street you’re on to see how SCAD has changed the game here. Through their efforts to expand on student offerings, they’ve also expanded throughout Savannah, revitalizing and rebuilding as they went.

“Savannah was beguiling four or five decades ago, but in 1978, the downtown was also largely derelict, a pale shadow of what it is today,” said SCAD Founder Paula Wallace. “We could have chosen the path of new construction, somewhere out on the edge of town, but I chose a “found object” approach to creating SCAD, building-by-building within an urban plan dense with three centuries of abandoned architecture.” Their efforts helped create a new appreciation for the historic district, kickstarting revitalization that has changed the landscape of the city. Nut even that doesn’t capture the full extent of their impact. For that, you might need to pull back from the establishing shot of what SCAD does, widening to a breathtaking panorama of opportunity in the university’s new backlot. An expansion of SCAD’s Savannah Film Studios, this newly minted backlot offers the kind of Hollywood streetscapes and settings that would put the big boys out in Burbank to shame. The first phase’s 11 acres boast 17 separate street facades as well as 4,500 sq. ft. of dressed set space for student filmmakers and professional film productions. “With every major studio scouting and shooting in Savannah nonstop, we wanted to provide SCAD students with a place just for them. No more vying for city permits, holding for ponderous trolleys and shuffling queues of tourists, and hauling generators into Lafayette Square or Forsyth Park for a night shoot,” said Wallace. “SCAD provides this priceless resource so our students can tell their stories in exactly the way they need to, removing potential impediments.” It’s not only giving students greater tools to craft their filmmaking skills, the backlot’s versatility in a location that has already courted major Hollywood productions gives them a chance to have hands-on experience on a major film. SCAD student films get first dibs on the Backlot and any outside productions must hire SCAD students and alumni for any films and shows utilizing the Backlot, LED volume stages, and any other elements of Savannah Film Studios,” said Wallace. “Our mission to prepare students for creative careers reigns supreme.” As with the transformation of downtown, SCAD endeavored to create a better experience for its students. Along the way, they happened to change the game for the entire city.

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