Scripps College of Communication introduced an LED wall shooting studio in the Radio-Television Communications Building at the beginning of the school year. Installed in June, the LED wall is 12 feet high by 21 feet wide and is made up of 364 small LED panels that fit together to give the effect of one large screen.
LED technology, known as an LED volume, has been popular in video games and VR technology for some time, but has gained prominence in filmmaking in recent years due to its use in the show, “The Mandalorian."
An LED wall, such as the one in the RTV Building, is a digital background that responds to camera movement, allowing for a more realistic experience compared to greenscreens.
As LED volumes are gaining popularity in the film industry, the LED wall installed at OU will give students a leg up when they transition into the workforce.
Brian Plow, an associate professor of media arts and studies, said students are learning technology and software with the wall that will help them to work in the industry.
Samantha Fanger, a sophomore studying media arts production, said she hopes her experience using the LED wall and its programming will help her get internships and jobs. She said being able to claim she has worked with an LED wall, knows how to work the camera and can understand what goes into producing an image on the wall should benefit her in the workspace.
Currently, the use of the LED wall is limited to the special topics class designed around understanding and utilizing the wall, Intro to LED Volume Production.
However, the students in the class have collaborated with OU Athletics to produce media for their sports teams, such as hype and walk-on videos. There have also been collaborations with OU’s marketing team to create advertisements.
Plow also said the LED wall was created as part of the Scripps’ Digital Cinema Initiative. The goal of the initiative is “to really push the boundaries of the technology that our students are using to create media, to tell stories and to communicate,” Plow said.
Additionally, students hope the LED Wall can be used to expand opportunities for student film.
Cooper Dawson, a junior studying media arts production, said student films are limited in locations. They typically take place in coffee shops or a college campus, as that is what students have access to, but he said the LED Wall will give students more opportunities to expand topics and locations for student films.
In addition to the LED wall in the RTV Building, a smaller version of the wall was built in the Esports Arena in Scripps Hall. Jeff Kuhn, OU’s Esports director, said the LED Wall in the arena is focused on live broadcasting on Twitch during their matches.
Kuhn said he hopes the LED wall can be used for all kinds of classes to make learning more interactive.
