For Geeks & Techies
Designed for the Future
The Center for Creative & Applied Media will be the hub of Evergreen's media capabilities.
The design process is well under way. Geeks, techies and wannabees will want to check out the plans to learn more about the features and functions of each area.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Media Control
Media Control is the public face of the CCAM, a destination where all members of the Evergreen community can get information about the CCAM, drop off media for copy/transfer/transcoding, connect with a video producer to discuss upcoming productions, or view content.
Reception: Staffed by interns who will accept transfers, explain operation of the facilities, and provide general information about services.
Conversion, Viewing, Routing: In front of the "racks" is a workspace where any media formats can be viewed, checked for quality, converted (transcoded) to any other format, and routed to any A/V equipped space on campus.
CCU Controls: Camera Control Units and associated displays allow an operator to paint the cameras in the studio (control exposure, color balance, and other parameters of the image coming from the cameras).
Editing Suites: Suites are adjacent to other post production areas for correction of audio and video signal quality, conversion to other formats, and DVD/Bluray authoring. A smaller, enclosed edit suite is for working with clients on projects being edited by Electronic Media staff.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Control Room
Images and sounds from Studio cameras and microphones are controlled during studio and post-production from the control room.
Switcher: Allows images from multiple sources to be combined with graphics, titles, and other signals.
Character Generator: Used for creating titles. Large displays assist the operator as well as students observing or being trained.
Audio Mixing: Position manages the sound portion of a production, mixing together microphone or prerecorded music signals and sending results to the final recording.
Production staff and observers can view the Media Studio through large windows, which facilitates production coordination and lets observers watch studio and production activities.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Experimental Effects Lab
This is a truly versatile space. Complete with an overhead lighting grid and plenty of ways to connect equipment to the adjoining Control Room, also just steps from Media Control. It will be used for a variety of production techniques.
Flexible: It will support teleconferencing, small news or magazine-style video production, 2-D and 3-D (claymation/object) animation, blue/green screen matte production and can double as another small computer lab/workspace.
Green Screen: A flat-finished wall for matting techniques (to put actors into artificial sets), and for compositing live action with computer generated or remotely produced video.
Curtain Track: A curtain wall for standard video background use.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Media Studios
The heart of the CCAM is the Media Studio. A 40' x 30' space with a leveled floor, complete overhead lighting grid, and a discrete ventilation system which makes it the quietest space on campus.
4-Camera HD Resolution Production Studio: The core of the broadcasting, documentation, on-camera performance, A/V classroom and teleconferencing capabilities for the campus.
Full A/V Capabilities: Projection, sound system and network connections allow users to create any style of activity which can be fully documented, broadcast at any resolution from full HD to web, and can be carried live over the campus cable system or the regional public access channel.
Full Lighting Grid: Flexible lighting arrangements acommodate a wide variety of production styles and techniques.
Loading Dock: Easy access to a loading dock and set and equipment storage.
Seating In-Studio: An audience of up to 50 in the studio, while many more can participate/view from remote locations through full teleconferencing capabilities.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Audio Labs / Suite
These three interconnected spaces will provide an array of services: audio production for traditional and contemporary music, post production for surround sound for DVD, and specialized audio production like creating sound effects for animation, narration for radio and podcasts, and simple instrument recording.
Control Room: A mixing console, multitrack computer recording system, surround audio monitoring, and interconnection cabling will allow users to monitor, record, mix and transmit audio signals.
Audio Lab Studio: Designed for loud (read Rock and Roll) style recording.
Sound Effects Studio: Designed for Foley sound effects, narration and simpler, single source production.
These suites can also act as a stand alone production space for entry-level to sophisticated multi-channel live production, all connected to the Media Studio and Media Control.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Video Signal Flow
The CCAM will be an entirely data based production system, yet, conceptually the production system will act entirely like a traditional, multicamera studio facility.
Camera signals go directly to a router, where they become available to the switcher which can mix and modify the images with others.
Final output can be displayed and recorded in a variety of formats, primarily to servers and secondarily to tape decks.
Center for Creative and Applied Media
Network and Data Paths
From the traditional camera-switcher-program path, output data (a 1.6gbps stream) will be routed to 2 primary destinations.
The real-time path will allow CCAM studio productions to be viewed live, simultaneously encoded into a web resolution stream for Internet or mobile devices, cable for the campus and/or regional public access channels, or into a variety of resolutions up to compressed HDTV for viewing on campus computers, projection equipped classrooms and laptops.
The broadcast conversion path will allow the 1.6 gbps stream to be compressed to production formats which will be available over high speed or regular campus LAN connections to student accessible edit suites, the Multimedia Lab, and general classrooms where the contents can be edited.
Finally, the full HDTV datapath can be recorded directly to a high speed server for more advanced, post-production processing.