About RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios building
A. Sue Weisler
Angelica Agelviz, a graduate animation student from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, shows off the capabilities of the new 2D animation lab in the MAGIC Spell Studios building. The lab, one of five designed around the core principles of learning by doing, facilitates education and hands-on interaction in film and animation and game design and will be used to support commercial and academic activities, research and experimental work, hackathons, game jams and more.
The 52,000-square-foot MAGIC Spell Studios is the only one of its kind in the Northeast and boasts the latest in technology and design, rivaling media production studios in New York City and Hollywood.
Building features include:
Wegmans Theater at RIT—A 180-seat theater with a projection booth and a cinema-quality audio-video system with 4K projection capabilities showcases academic and commercial productions and accommodate film showings, computer game events and guest speakers.
Sound stage—A 7,000-square-foot area that provides resources and space to student filmmakers. With storage, a control room and green room facilities, the sound stage will be equipped for use with green screen and motion-capture capabilities and meets the requirements for the New York state film tax credit.
Baselight Color Correction Suite—This tiered 50-seat color correction room doubles as a screening room.
2D animation lab—A 2D animation lab is one of five labs designed around core principles of learning by doing. The labs, which include a 3D animation lab, facilitate education and hands-on interaction in film and animation and game design and can also be used to support commercial and academic activities, research and experimental work, hackathons, game jams and more.
Sound mixing facility—A tiered 40-seat audio-to-video mixing suite comes complete with mixing board, professional theater-quality audio systems, professional acoustics based on Dolby standards, and a voice-over/isolation booth.
Innovation suite—An academic and commercial startup environment that combines student work spaces with high-end computing capability with academic and commercial offices.
Collaborative partner suite—This area supports next-tier product development and collaborative work with external corporate partners and internal start-up. Forbes Media is the first in-residence company and RIT students have already helped develop a new web platform that the company is rolling out for its writers.
Demo lounge—Designed for demos, client briefings and showcases, this space includes a media wall, theater sound and lighting controls, virtual reality and augmented reality capability, and a workplace for clients, partners, guests and dignitaries to showcase digital media capabilities.
VR/AR Lab—Features an updated and expanded presence of the MAGIC VR/AR Lab, which serves the campus as a place for exploration and experimentation with virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, platforms and hardware.
The 180-seat Wegmans Theater at RIT is outfitted with a project booth and a cinema-quality audio-video system with 4K project capabilities. During the MAGIC Spell Studios grand opening event, short films created by RIT School of Film and Animation students were featured, as well as movie trailers from Hollywood blockbusters including A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody. A. Sue Weisler
Dave Sluberski, senior lecturer in RIT’s School of Film and Animation, demonstrates state-of-the-art sound mixing equipment during a demonstration at the grand opening of MAGIC Spell Studios. A tiered 40-seat audio-to-video mixing suite, the room comes complete with mixing board, professional theater-quality audio systems, professional acoustics based on Dolby standards, and a voice-over/isolation booth. A. Sue Weisler
Ying Yu, foreground, a graduate student in visual communication design from China, takes a turn playing Crazy Platez, a video game created by student team Aesthetician Labs. The Rochester-themed game took top honors in the student developer category at the New York State Game Development Challenge last April. A. Sue Weisler