Inside Deakin's School of Communication and Creative Arts

Make your creative dreams come true

Deakin University’s industry-level Virtual Production Studio, Black Box Theatre (with virtual scenography capabilities), lighting, sound and television studios contain high-end equipment that will give you hands-on experience and prepare you for the industry.

As Tom Salisbury, Senior Operations Coordinator, School of Communication and Creative Arts, points out, not many universities offer such top-tier facilities and equipment.

‘It is one of the ‘wow’ factors for people coming to the University for the first time and into the school,’ he says. ‘They walk into our specialist spaces, experience our equipment and technology and are amazed to see what the students have access to.’

Deakin is one of a select few institutions worldwide to form an education partnership with Unreal Engine - the industry-standard tool used in visual effects, game development, architecture. and more. Real-time 3D technology is transforming industries from engineering to virtual production, and employers are actively seeking graduates with expertise in Unreal Engine.

Professor Meghan Kelly

Head of School, School of Communication and Creative Arts

Industry-grade film and television equipment and studios

‘The equipment, facilities and teaching staff are first class,’ Salisbury says, 'the virtual production studio in particular never fails to impress.’

In the Bachelor of Film, Television and Animation degree, we use a fleet of high-end industry-standard cameras, including RED Komodos and Arri Alexas, as well as Black Magic URSAs and Pocket 4Ks.

'There’s a professional virtual production studio and an HDTV studio, which has hosted several external professional productions. We also have an outside broadcast van that travels with a team of Deakin student interns to livestream sports and other exciting events.’

You’ll get hands-on experience in our editing and grading suites, which feature Avid, Premiere Pro and Resolve platforms.

If you’re interested in animation, you can access everything from stop motion workstations to light boxes for hand-drawn animation and a motion control rig.

Exceptional theatre and dance facilities

The Melbourne Burwood Campus Black Box Theatre features seating for up to 100 and hosts the course’s major shows. We have recently installed a 13 x 5 metre Roe LED screen that allows for virtual backgrounds created in Unreal Engine to be incorporated into a live environment. You’ll also have access to its state-of-the-art lighting rig, full production sound capabilities and a green room with an attached box office.

‘We’ve got two large dance studios that have sprung floors and full-length mirrors,’ Salisbury continues. ‘They’re quite flexible too, one of our larger spaces can either be divided or left in an open configuration, allowing us to install seating blocks and facilitate live productions.’

‘While the natural light is something to behold, there are also remote-controlled blackout blinds and an array of production lighting and sound equipment.’

We also teach technical theatre in a bespoke performance space with a fly tower.

High-end, industry-focused photography studios and equipment

While studying photography, students will have access to:

two industry-standard lighting studios
Nikon full frame and Hasselblad medium format digital cameras
Profoto studio lighting equipment
portable kits that are a great off-site option.

You can also learn traditional and alternative photographic methods in the analogue dark room, or choose to utilise the professional digital print lab, which is linked to the lighting studios. Here you can find yourself shooting one minute and producing a professional-quality photo moments later.

Visual arts – bring your creative vision to life

From paintings to sculpture, projections and performance-based art, you’ll have access to expansive open plan studios that can accommodate a range of practices and installations.

You’ll be provided with multiple avenues to showcase your work in a professional context, including printing presses to more intimate, short-term presentation spaces.

‘We’ve got professional hanging systems and access to a range of technology, including projection systems, audio equipment and professional lighting set-ups. There are also movable walls in a couple of our galleries, so we can reconfigure them to our needs,’ Salisbury says.

Technical support is on hand if you need something a little left field.

Setting new standards in design

From virtual reality hardware to extra-large flatbed scanning facilities, you’ll have world-class technology at your fingertips. A design space highlight is a series of Mac computer labs with the full suite of Adobe software tools, along with industry-grade modelling, animation and video editing software. You’ll also have access to print labs, trimming and finishing facilities, large and flexible workspaces, display boards and cabinets, and the Media Resource Centre.

Hands-on journalism

Deakin’s Melbourne Burwood Campus is home to a newsroom and creative media lab, so you can learn and refine your skills in an industry‑standard media environment.

The lab and newsroom include:

a green-screen studio linked to the newsroom and other creative production suites, to produce video content
a collaborative news production area with an editorial hub, workstations and monitors to stream live television news channels
editing booths for audio and audiovisual editing, and to conduct recorded interviews in acoustically quiet spaces
shared computer spaces for students to work together on a single digital production
creative spaces for collaborative learning and team projects.

You’ll have opportunities to unearth stories, source interviews, and write and produce news packages that engage, entertain and inspire audiences on print, online, video and audio platforms.

Keen? Find out more about our School of Communication and Creative Arts.