Facilities
Study and experience film and media in the David Puttnam Media Centre. This centre of excellence for training hosts our 4K-UHD virtual studio, broadcast-standard HD TV studio, and Spark Sunderland radio studio. It's also an office location for Fulwell Entertainment, BBC Newcastle, and LOCAL TV Tyne & Wear.
Our 4K-UHD virtual studio is an exciting new facility that will bring your creative ideas to life. The £300k investment in Real Time Virtual Production includes a Mo-Sys camera tracking unit (which can be used with our Blackmagic cameras), handheld Viewfinder and fully refreshed Chroma Wall. Using Unreal Engine, you’ll be able to create immersive virtual worlds and scenes, and will be able to film real-world actors within them. This type of cutting-edge technology can be seen on Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian’ and at the BBC coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We’ve also invested in new LED studio lights to complement our new kit and make our studio more environmentally friendly.
Next door to our new Virtual Production Studio, you’ll find the TV Studio, which has had a recent investment. This broadcast-standard HD TV studio has a 10m by 3.5m LED Volume, with real-time virtual production and camera tracking, and a lighting system identical to those used at Pinewood Studios, so you’ll have access to industry-standard equipment from day one. You’ll experiment with multi-camera recordings, TV studio lighting, and sound recording to create, write, and produce your own films and television shows. The sound and video gallery, which is connected to the TV studio, is where you’ll gain experience in every aspect of off-camera roles in TV production. This includes vison mixing, auto-cue, sound mixing, producing and directing.
Post-production, you can edit your films and TV shows using our editing rooms. In our colour grading room, you can create the stylistic look for your project, and in the sound production room, you can use Pro Tools to mix your soundtrack and audio dialogue in surround sound.
Budding radio DJs and producers can get involved with Sunderland’s community radio station, Spark Sunderland. In summer 2021, Spark’s Studio 5 got a makeover worth £85,000. New equipment includes:
- Lawo Crystal 12 channel digital mixing desk, with touch screens to control the RCS Zetta playout software
- CallerOne, a digital call handling software for talk shows
- CameraOne, software control for video recording and/or streaming. This controls four Panasonic 4K PTZ cameras, allowing appearances to be streamed live or recorded for later uploading to the Spark website.
- A custom designed desk allowing clear sight lines between guests and presenters, offering easy access to all controls without obstructing camera views. The bespoke desk is electrically adjustable, allowing the height to vary at the push of a button to permit wheelchair access or to allow DJs to present standing up.
Following a recent £1.3m investment, our cinema has been completely refurbished and upgraded. It boasts 120 seats and has a top-of-the-range laser projector and Dolby Atmos sound system.
We have also received funding from Film Hub North as part of their Spotlight Sunderland campaign. This will support a series of public screenings at the cinema. These will celebrate independent cinema, north-east filmmakers, and the wider region.
