Almost 60 years ago, the radio arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto became the first place in Canada to broadcast a television signal to the rest of the country. The school of Radio and Television Arts has again made a quantum leap into the future with a complete hi-def studio makeover, new media labs and live Internet streaming.

On its heels are a number of academic institutions across the country that are also responding to the inevitable transition to high definition as the breakthrough format of image capture and transmission.

‘We’ve attempted to create a variety of [television] studios, from the fundamental to the state of the art,’ says David Tucker, chair of Ryerson’s RTA.

The green light for the overhaul of the existing tech infrastructure came last June, and would have cost an estimated $3 million without strong industry support in the form of heavily discounted equipment. The dust settled a miraculous five weeks later, revealing a facility boasting three studios equipped with HD cameras and pedestals, the latest Ross Video switchers, true HD widescreen monitors, and one of the most impressive control rooms in the city.

Tucker muses that the CBC archive would have lusted after some of the ancient hardware Ryerson had kicking around before the transformation. Now companies such as 4K camera manufacturer Dalsa, located in Waterloo, ON, are talking about collaborating on a research lab, and Ross will likely use the studios as a training facility.

‘Because of our value to the industry, [companies] wanted to help us out,’ observes Richard Grunberg, professor and technical producer for RTA, who was instrumental in designing the new studios. ‘And when Ross has a new board to test out, they’ll jam it in here and see how it works. We’ve tried to make it work for everybody.’

In two more years, RTA will have completely revamped its four-year curriculum as well. The new design gives students more options as far as table courses, a more concentrated internship, and access to a new media component. They can also look forward to third year, when they’ll produce a live 40-minute show in the HD-ready studios and stream it to the Net via their in-house Internet broadcaster, Spirit Live.

Ryerson’s bold leap into HD is all the more amazing considering the dizzying pace at which technology is sending this morning’s revelations into this afternoon’s recycle bin.

‘Nobody’s figured out the [technology production] model,’ says John Greyson, assistant professor, production at Toronto’s York University (and director of the features Proteus and Lilies). ‘If they have, it hasn’t been acknowledged yet.’

He notes that various schools try to swap notes on what to buy, and brainstorm strategies for production and post-production, but it’s a difficult proposition when you have to make long-term plans that potentially render equipment outmoded and irrelevant. ‘It’s a tough time to make the right call. But it’s all about HD. There’s no stopping the move away from celluloid.’

Greyson adds half-seriously that since York is in the research stage right now, ‘maybe my next step is to go on the Ryerson and Sheridan College [in Oakville, ON] tour and try and get as much intelligence as possible.’

With a student body of around 200, York has about 30 Final Cut Pro and Avid Xpress workstations, as well as a high-end online Avid suite. But because of tight budgets and time constraints, miniDV and a Final Cut workflow is the pipeline of choice for most students.

Greyson still has half of his narrative film students shooting their short projects on 16mm, but he laments that it may be the only time they’ll shoot on film in their entire filmmaking careers.

‘As much as I can hope we can hold on to teaching on celluloid, I know that if learning is defined as hands-on, digital is our best friend,’ he says.

Dawne Tomlinson, associate dean of film and recording arts at the Art Institute of Vancouver, couldn’t agree more. ‘If we’re just teaching the technology, but we’re not allowing them to practice with it, then there’s no point. It’s not relevant,’ she says.

The school is one of 40 related institutes in North America with a mandate, as part of a publicly traded parent company, to hit an 85% job placement rate within six months of graduation.

‘It’s definitely a challenge [to make the right decision about technology],’ says Tomlinson. ‘You don’t want to be blowing the bank on something that you’re not going to be able to use.’

As a result, every minute counts for students who go through an intensive 15-month program that will give them at least seven projects in a portfolio that will include everything from corporate videos, commercials and PSAs to music videos and docs.

So what technology is Tomlinson banking on?

‘The only thing we’re working on now is moving more towards HD,’ she says, noting that the school will be adding two high-end Panasonic HD cameras to its array.

‘There’s a need in the Vancouver market,’ she adds. ‘We’ve definitely identified that people are even looking for assistant camera ops who have some HD experience. And our students are coming out with experience on how to deal with HD on the post side as well, and that’s really important.’

The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax may not be a hands-on program in the tech sense, but when it comes to future-proofing, its goals reflect the arrival of HD as well.

‘Being a program primarily focused on art, we don’t claim to teach the latest hardware or software,’ says Sam Fisher, assistant professor, acting head and department coordinator.

Fisher remarks that few schools can promise that kind of commitment to state of the art, given the incredible pace of film and TV technology’s evolution. ‘But HD represents a distinct esthetic shift in the art of film and television, and understanding the technologies that surround HD in image acquisition, manipulation and delivery will be essential for future filmmakers as artists,’ he notes.

Ryerson’s Tucker is quick to point out that despite the new arsenal of digital tools, the approach to the technology will remain the same.

‘I think it’s critical,’ says Tucker of technology as a component of education. ‘What has to be always stressed, though, is that technology will get you in the door, but it won’t necessarily keep you there. You have to have all those other skills that a university provides – the thinking skills, the broader base of knowledge, and intellectual development – in order to sustain yourself and move forward. Technology changes constantly. We feel there always has to be that balance.’

www.ryerson.ca/rta

www.yorku.ca/finearts/film

www.aiv.aii.edu

www.nscad.ns.ca