SCAD Film Studios Expands Backlot With New Soundstages, More Than 50 Backlot Facades

Savannah College of Art and Design has completed its SCAD Film Studios expansion in Savannah, Georgia.

The 16-acre complex of SCAD Savannah Film Studios added new professional soundstages and more than 50 backlot facades and practical interiors to Savannah’s production landscape. The space, built for professional productions as well as students, is the largest university film studio complex in the world.

SCAD Film Studios is designed to welcome professional productions while giving students opportunities to work alongside experienced crews, performers and creative leaders.

Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the SCAD School of Film and Acting, executive director of SCAD Casting, said, “At SCAD, we don’t wait for students to graduate to introduce them to the entertainment industry.” She added, “We bring the industry directly to them. We’ve built a place where a major production can come to Savannah and find everything it needs — professional soundstages, an extraordinary backlot, cutting-edge technology and talented emerging artists ready to contribute.

“Our students aren’t watching the industry from the sidelines. They’re working alongside the professionals who will become their future colleagues. That’s an ‘only at SCAD’ experience.”

At the center of the expansion is a Hollywood-style backlot featuring more than 50 façades
and versatile filming environments that can transport productions from historic Savannah to
New York City streets or small-town America.

The backlot includes brownstones, storefronts, restaurants, urban alleyways, a subway entrance, and a suburban neighborhood, with practical interiors that allow filmmakers to move seamlessly between exterior and interior scenes.

The final phase also includes two purpose-built professional soundstages of nearly 9,000 square feet. These stages, along with the 17,000-square-foot production design and costume design building, help support all components of the creative process.

The studios are already attracting high-profile entertainment projects. Leslie Odom, Jr., who recently joined SCAD as an artist-in-residence alongside actor and singer Nicolette Robinson, will develop and rehearse his upcoming national holiday tour on one of the new soundstages. SCAD students are helping build sets for the production and will gain firsthand exposure to the creative and rehearsal process as Odom prepares for his Nov. 27-Dec. 22 tour.

“American Idol” is also utilizing SCAD Film Studios facilities, creating another connection between professional entertainment production and the university’s emerging talent. The project’s use of SCAD’s production resources reflects the complex’s ability to accommodate major television productions while creating opportunities for students across disciplines, from acting and on-camera performance to production design and behind-the-scenes work.

The Savannah expansion is complemented by SCAD Film Studios in Atlanta, which includes
an additional LED volume stage, broadcast studios and editing facilities.