Savannah College buys $1.45M of Avid editing solutions

Avid Technology Europe have announced that Savannah College of Art and Design, one of the largest art and design specialty colleges in the United States, has purchased $1.45M of Avid solutions as it creates a state-of-the-art media production facility for the Autumn 2002 quarter.
The sale consists of multiple Avid postproduction solutions, including 330 seats of Avid® Xpress® DV v3.5 editing software, 12 Symphony™ high-end finishing systems, two Media Station systems, seven Meridien™-based Media Composer® editing systems, and three Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork systems.
“Our decision to purchase additional Avid solutions and expand our existing Avid editing systems was based on the demand that we continue to see for skilled editors, animators and filmmakers in the marketplace who are trained on industry-standard systems,” said Edward Kinney, dean of the school of film and digital media at SCAD. “Though some students here were previously learning the general concept of editing in the Final Cut Pro labs, we knew it was best to replace these systems with a host of Avid solutions that would prepare them for real-world applications. Now they will be able to start and finish a project in the classroom on a range of Avid products and continue this practice in the professional community after they leave SCAD. By adding to our current systems, we are able to offer a curriculum of advanced training that our students will need to succeed in today's creatively and technically competitive postproduction environment.”
The Avid Xpress DV 3.5 systems will be used by SCAD’s computer art and video/film departments and by students working on DV-only projects. The majority of the Avid Xpress DV v3.5 systems will be installed in the college’s new 64,000-square-foot school of film and digital media. With access to a postproduction suite that includes multiple Media Stations, Symphony systems and Media Composer systems, which are all connected to the Avid Unity MediaNetwork shared storage solution, students will learn how to create, manage, and deliver media projects in the same kind of professional environment found in many of today’s leading postproduction facilities.
“Savannah College of Art and Design is now part of a rich tradition at Avid that includes almost all of the top schools for film and visual arts,” said Adam Taylor, Avid’s vice president of Americas Sales Operations. “Their investment in Avid solutions ensures that SCAD graduates will be prepared for the competitive marketplace for postproduction professionals. The school of film and digital media will provide on-the-job training that will really stand out on a resume.”
(GB)