UNM Film and Digital Media Building @ Mesa del Sol
$4,000,000
The Film and Digital Media Building at Mesa del Sol will be an advanced teaching and research facility located next to Albuquerque Studios and the planned Sony Imageworks campus, adjacent to the Mesa del Sol town center. It is designed to be a center that will promote collaborations between the digital media industry and universities. The building will house advanced classroom and laboratory spaces where students in the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program will take upper division and advanced courses, as well as take advantage of industry internships. The building will also include space for a statewide center to coordinate and showcase the educational and research efforts from institutions statewide with programs in film and digital media. In addition, the building will feature a high-end digital theatre where the public will be able to see the results of faculty and student work that explores the intersection of art, science and business.
Building a native New Mexican Hollywood is a key part of growing the state’s economy and job opportunities. The UNM Film and Digital Media Building at Mesa del Sol, planned to open by 2010, will advance this goal as a hub for advanced teaching and research, collaboration and a statewide showcase.
Faculty and students in the pending Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program will use teaching and lab spaces in the new building for advanced coursework and industry internships that will give them practical experience to prepare for the field.
The flexible, multi-purpose lab spaces, equipped with computer labs, post-production editing and other digital media equipment, will accommodate a range of possibilities in the broad-based program. Students will use the facilities to explore many facets of film and digital media, such as special effects, animation, scientific visualizations, digital arts, directing, movie marketing and more.
There are currently about 75 students participating in the program, which will expand to support 200 undergraduate students with the next phase focused on developing a graduate program.
Located near Albuquerque Studios and the Mesa del Sol town center, the building will promote collaborations between digital media producers and universities. The new facility will build on existing UNM partnerships, including membership in the Sony Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence program, or IPAX, through which students and faculty can learn from industry experts.
The building will also house a showcase for educational and research efforts from colleges statewide. The public will be able to see the results of student and faculty work at a high-end digital theatre.
