Meet the Makers: Multimedia

new-media-center-sm
The New Media Center located inside of Walker Hall at Radford University.

Radford University’s Maker community puts professional, high-end audio and visual equipment into the hand of the student.

Located in the Center for Innovative teaching and Learning (CITL) in Walker 275, the New Media Center isn’t new to Radford. The New Media Center has been around since 1999 and has evolved into a space dedicated to developing and working within a Maker community that is beyond Radford’s campus.

The Maker community has worked on a variety of projects, including October Film Challenge, Core Connections Scavenger Hunt, Green Screen Build Party, Hebocon, Banjo Masters Series, Radford Veterans Project, Black Coffee and the Spring Film Challenge.

The facilities in the New Media Center allow for complete in-house productions. The documentaries and promotional films created by the multimedia Maker community serve as products for peers and the local – and even expanded – community to view. Some of these projects have led to partnerships.

“Over the past year, we've had partnerships with local K-12 schools, which resulted in various projects that have enabled Radford to have an impact at academic conferences in the U.S. and Europe,” said Associate Director of CITL John Hildreth. "We have also partnerships with Glencoe Museum and McConnell Library that have resulted in Radford having a wider educational media presence."

The New Media Center’s resources aren’t limited to technology.

“The space's greatest resource is its people,” Hildreth said. “This includes the staff as well as the patrons. We strive to help people find solutions, new ways to learn and create. In doing so, we create community and a culture of creativity.”

Technology has improved in all facets – students and faculty alike have phones capable of exceptional video quality. The New Media Center can work in conjunction with personal hardware to create the best possible product.

“We provide solutions and guidance to people both working in the lab as well as outside it,” Hildreth said.

The New Media Center doesn’t require any prior experience or training to take advantage of its resources. However, some resources do require training prior to their use, which is provided by the staff members.

Some of the available professional software and hardware includes: Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Final Cut Studio 7, the Adobe Creative Suite, Magic Bullet Suite and Max/MSP; Canon EOS 7d, Chimera and iKam Light kits and Shure wireless microphone kits are avilable to use in the New Media Center. Lighting kits, Canon HD cameras and a green screen are available for use outside of the New Media Center.

Aug 29, 2016
Max Esterhuizen
(540) 831-7749
westerhuizen@radford.edu