Digital Editing Laboratories

    Gone is the glow of safelights and the smell of developing chemicals.

Although the School went completely digital in Taylor Hall several years ago, the new facilities in Franklin Hall have retained one good idea from the old photo darkroom configuration.

There still is a darkroom where students gather to work on projects. Now, though, it's digital.

The idea, according to assistant professor Teresa Hernandez, was to regain the interaction that was lost among photographers when processing went from the lab to something one could do from any computer that had the proper software.

“The digital darkroom is something that allows that culture to still exist,” Hernandez said.

Here students can download projects onto high-end Macs equipped with photo editing software, and use color printers, scanners and an overhead projector to view images.  Working in the same room lets photographers see and discuss each other’s work and techniques, which Hernandez said, is an essential part of learning the trade.

The digital darkroom is just one of several first-floor digital editing labs in the newly renovated Franklin Hall, set up specifically for audio, video and still photography.

The spacious editing suites are located on the first floor.

On the video side of things, however, the biggest change hasn’t yet been installed.

Associate professor Gary Hanson said spring semester 2008, the school will begin testing a 28 terabyte video server where students will be able to store and access their work from different rooms in the building.

 “Right now they all reside on the individual computers. If you start (a project) on one, you need to finish on one because you can’t really move it around,” Hanson said.

   The school is currently waiting on a firm quote back from Apple as to the price of their test unit. Also, issues of access security and search functions need to be worked out for what will essentially become a massive archive.

In addition to helping the individual students, Hanson said professors will also benefit.

“Those of us who grade those things will be able to see the work in progress,” Hanson said, “something print students can easily do, and wasn’t even previously possible for the broadcast side of the school.”

Student media will also be able to pull video right from the server, as well as  store and retrieve photos and PDF documents, Hanson said.

And while that whole system is still a little ways away, the students still have better access than in Music and Speech, which only offered eight editing stations. In Franklin, that number has gone up to 18.

The audio editing lab has a few new features too, though they are expecting to start using the new software next semester, assistant professor Ben Whaley said.

— Tyrel Linkhorn, The Co-Lab