The School of Digital Arts (SODA) is a £35m investment into work space, networks, teaching and research that will support the urgent and growing demand for skilled workers in the region’s creative and digital industries. It offers courses that span film, animation, user experience, photography, sound design, gaming, AI, VR and more.

Alongside spaces to collaborate and teach, the specialist facilities include a UX studio, Film Studio, two Green Screen Studios, Multipurpose TV Studio, two Motion Capture Studios, Stop Motion Studio, VR Studio, Digital Innovation Lab, Edit Suites, two Sound/Music Production Suites one with Dolby Atmos, Screening Cinema with Dolby Atmos and a Digital Gallery.

Drama by Design were involved with the project from feasibility study through to completion and handover. We worked with the architect on the design of the building and designed not only all the specialist technical systems, but also the general AV systems for the teaching spaces and digital signage.

All systems in the building are distributed over IP, which enables complete flexibility for distributing audio, video, lighting and communication signals both now and in the future. Any gallery/control room can be used to control any studio or group of studios and the output from any studio can be viewed in any of the teaching spaces or on the digital signage.

The TV and film studios are all equipped with the latest wireless LED luminaires with control distribution over the network and computerised lighting control systems. To provide the optimum in flexibility and a range of teaching environments lighting suspension systems include fixed internally wired barrel grids, moving rail systems with pantographs and motorised hoists.

A range of cameras has been provided up to 12K resolution all routed via a central video router enabling any source to be sent to any destination in the building. Galleries are equipped with router control panels and a range of video switchers.

Audio is distributed around the building using Dante, including the communications/talkback system. Thus any space can be utilised for audio mixing, so even if a shoot is taking placce in the Film Studio, the audio can be separately mixed in the music suite two floors above.

Motion capture systems from Mo-sys and Vicon are provided, which include not only people tracking but full camera tracking for creation of AR and VR content. This system offers unlimited freedom of movement and gives accruate position, rotation and lens data in real-time. The cameras can rotate 360 degrees and be oved to any position in the studio, even right to the edge.