Utah Higher Education’s First Virtual Production Stage Allows for Real-Time Filmmaking Cameras rolled across a vast stretch of barren desert. The next day, the scene had shifted to a dew-dripping rain forest, and just hours later, a scene played out in the far reaches of outer space. This was all filmed without the filmmakers and actors ever having to leave the new Taylor Virtual Production Stage at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC)—the first one in Utah’s higher education landscape. Students studying film at SLCC’s School of Arts, Communication & Media (SACM) now have access to the same state-of-the-art technology used in movies and television series, such as the new Marvel releases and The Mandalorian. This same technology is also used in creating video games, allowing for photorealistic, real-time renderings of fully fictional characters and environments. “We are incredibly proud to offer this state-of-the-art technology to our film students—and to be the only film program
This year, the joint Salt Lake Community College and University of Utah campus in Herriman is celebrating not only its first anniversary but a 34% increase in students as well. “The U and SLCC have a history of strong transfer bridges between our two institutions,” said Taunya Dressler, director of campus & site services and assistant dean of students at SLCC. “The Herriman campus is special because our faculty, staff and students have an opportunity to build relationships with one another in the same space. We provide one-stop resource hubs for our students to support their success in exciting ways.” Of the 1,000 students enrolled in the class at the Herriman campus, 50 of them are taking upper-division classes through the U. Currently the U offers three majors that can be completed entirely at the Herriman campus —economics, human development and family studies, and financial planning and counseling. As the student body grows, the U will expand its course offerings into busi