Cambridge Media Arts Studio

Narratives

Architect Narrative

The project is a collaborative enterprise of the Rindge and Latin School, the city’s municipal television office, and the non-profit Cambridge Community Access Television (CCTV). The center is hands-on, community-based media production facility serving students in the high school’s technical arts program (RSTA), as well as community users. The storefront location, across the street from the high school, was designed attract and engage both student and adult users by displaying the busyness and excitement of TV and video production, in a non-school environment. Classroom learning activities in the storefront instruction space are visible from the sidewalk as well as from the interior of the building. Likewise, in the Be-Live studio, on-air telecasts are visible behind the corridor’s acoustic glass wall.

The planning process involved the collaboration of three existing city and community offices that offer TV and video training and production. While hosted in a school-based facility, the center occupies an old auto dealer showroom next to the high school’s state of the art auto mechanics and machine technology program. Through an inclusive planning process, issues of cost, use and control for the three different sponsoring groups were turned from typical turf conflicts to a shared commitment to make a flexible, multi-use facility that serves, equally comfortably, students during the school day and community users on evenings and weekends.

New Media Arts Studio Unveiled

On a cold November night an enthusiastic crowd filed into the just completed project. The Open House marked the official beginning for the state-of-the-art facility that houses the High School’s School for Technical Arts Media Technology Program, The City’s Educational Access TV 98/99, and City TV8. Visitors were not only treated to refreshments provided by School for Technical Arts Culinary Arts students but a palette of new technology tools and the recipe for creating media that matters.

The beautifully designed space features two fully-operational studios - a state-of-the-art 3-camera production studio and control room, and an easy-to-use ‘hot set’; master control for direct transmission of our three community cable channels; two dedicated edit suites; a classroom/edit lab for 16 students; and is fully equipped for field production.

During the school day, while staff works to create programming for the city’s Educational and Government channels, students engage in the latest techniques for media making, and create programming for Channel 98. In the School for Technical Arts classroom/edit lab, equipped with high-end Macintosh Computers (G5’s), students work with multi-media software and field (off-site) production equipment. Working with the Media Technology Instructor, students learn to use camcorders and editing software, and then move to studio production. Studio B is an easy-to-use ‘hot set’ that allows students to create small productions and is a precursor to Studio A, a full-sized, fully equipped production facility.

In the afternoon, the Sports Media Team takes over. Ten high school students use field equipment and our dedicated edit suite to create ‘Game of the Week’ which airs on Channel 98. The Sports Media Program is funded by the 484 Foundation and works in collaboration with the School of Technical Arts work-study program and the Athletic Department.

The project is open to all of the City’s Public School students, faculty and staff, and anyone can be trained to use and borrow equipment to work on specific projects. Current examples include National History Day and Neighborhood Service Projects. Elementary schools are offered a 14-week Media Literacy and Production Workshop for middle school students and teachers in collaboration with Library Media Specialists. Professional Development workshops are also on the menu and are offered monthly throughout the school year.