Mass Com unveils state-of-the-art video studio

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, AUS opened its stateof- the-art mass communication studio on March 5. His Excellency Sheikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, presided over the ribbon-cutting inauguration ceremony along with His Excellency Sheikh Saud Bin Khaled Al Qassimi, Advisor to the Sharjah Ruler, and Dr. Winfred Thompson, Chancellor of AUS.

The ceremony was also attended by His Excellency Abdullah Al Owais, Director General of the Sharjah Department Culture and Information; His Excellency Khaled Safar, Director of Sharjah Television; senior officials from Sharjah Television; Dr. Mohammed Ayish, Dean of the College of Mass Communication; University of Sharjah; Mr. Omar Al Futtaim, President of Al Futtaim Group; and Dr. Sallie Sheppard, AUS Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Mr. Salem Al Qaseer, AUS Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs; Dr. Robert Cook, AUS Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and senior officials from the university, government and private sectors.

Sheikh Essam Bin Aqr Al Qassimi praised the interest and efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi in the progress of AUS as well as in the overall development of education in the emirate of Sharjah. He expressed satisfaction at the achievements of the university and called for the strengthening of cooperation between AUS and Sharjah Television in the fields of student training and qualifications. He also instructed that distinguished student work shall be featured on Sharjah TV.

“This state-of-the-art facility offers our students the opportunity to learn and grow in a way that we believe represents the best blend of education and technology,” said Dr. Mahboub Hashem, Chairman of the Department of Mass Communication. Built at a cost of approximately AED two million, the new MCM studio is the only fully digital wide screen multicamera studio in the UAE. It is designed to serve all of the concentrations offered by the mass communication program at AUS. It has a broadcast news set, ENG news packages for gathering of field stories and facilities to help advertising and PR students develop commercial concepts and video campaigns.

The studio is regarded byoutside professionals as the most sophisticated state-of-theart video studio in the UAE. It is designed to provide students experience in “infinity sets,” “limbo sets,” and a number of representational sets. Students will also gain experience in multi-camera studio productions such as news, dramas and talk shows. Mr. Kim Bigelow, Assistant Professor of Mass Communication and the designer and driving force behind the new studio, worked closely with Panasonic/Al Futtaim to create this unique studio.

The studio consists of four broadcast-quality widescreen cameras, a Ross widescreen digital video switcher and digital audio mixer. The lighting grid system has individual dimming control as well as additional floor lighting instruments. To enhance flexibility, a variety of sets and environments can quickly be arranged, including blue screen, an infinity sweep set, a limbo set, a reality set and a news set. This gives students the kinds of professional experiences that can lead to careers in the film and video industry