State-of-the-art studio for film students

By Justin Combs, Staff Writer

There’s no need for any Oklahoman to relocate to California for an education in filmmaking when a state-of-the art Film Studio Lab is located in OCCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Center.

Especially when that studio — stocked with the same equipment used in high-budget blockbusters — is partially manned by professor and seasoned filmmaker Gray Fredrickson.

The Oklahoma native produced two of the “Godfather” movies, associate producer for one and producer for “Apocalypse Now.”

Students can get a sneak-peek of the facilities online, Fredrickson said.

He said a recently-produced recruitment video is posted on the college’s website at www.occc.edu.

The video is being used as a recruiting tool to get more film students interested in the program, Fredrickson said.

“Basically, [it’s] an information video about the Film and Video program in the new studio and all the facilities we have.”

“We’ve filmed the stage, equipment and cameras, and we did stills of all that to put in the brochure, plus a video to put on the website.”

Fredrickson said the video also will be sent to high schools, he said.

Students visiting the OCCC Film and Video website also can watch video showing film students at work on the film set as well as the production stage, equipment and other amenities.

The equipment used in the studio is the best around, Frederickson said.

“The cameras are high definition,” he said.

“Two of the cameras are called the Red cameras. They’re the latest 35mm look, high-definition cameras used in Hollywood now.”

Not only are the cameras high definition, he said, but the stage also is high tech and completely soundproof. The lighting board has virtual studio capability.

“You can build your set in the computer, put people in and light it to see where the shadows go.” Fredrickson said. “Then you send that information to the light board on the stage and it will light the stage exactly the way you did your virtual set.”

The editing facility has more than 20 Avid editing stations as well as the Isis switching system, another Avid product.

Fredrickson said the Isis switching system allows those doing edits to keep track of everything that each person has done and save all the changes.

“It’s all real high tech and has an incredible amount of memory because it will cut real time high-definition video,” he said.

The studio is available to the general public for a fee, Fredrickson said.

A rate sheet is available that shows the cost for renting equipment, the stage, for prepping and construction on the stage, and for office space for a production if needed.

Fredrickson said film professors are constantly receiving scripts for filming and have made some of them.

He said the Film and Video program has already graduated students who have gone on to work in Hollywood and in movies he’s done in Oklahoma, as well as Oklahoma television stations.

Staff Writer Justin Combs can be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

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