“We only have 12 computers in our first-year lab, so in the past, students constantly had to give up the machines before they were through with their projects,” Detweiler says. “But now that they have their own laptops with Final Cut Pro, they can work anytime, anywhere they want to. This helps them constantly improve their editing skills. Plus, they always have the best technology available, and it saves us from having to update our systems every year.”

Breaking New Ground
Thanks to the widespread availability of their technology tools, students have been able to take an innovative approach to editing, Detweiler reveals. “I believe we’re one of the first film schools in the country to use Final Cut Pro on our Power Mac and PowerBook computers with a third-party card to edit 16mm film with real film-to-video speed pull-down,” he says.

In their first three years at NCSA, continues Detweiler, students shoot their projects using Sony Mini DV and Panasonic digital camcorders, as well as Arriflex 16mm film cameras. The finished pieces are then output in DVD format for public screenings.

Senior projects are shot on film, telecined to Betacam SP, then digitized via the Aurora Igniter Cards into Final Cut Pro. The footage is then matched back to film with Cinema Tools, the audio is laid in with ProTools, and the finished film is screened as a 16mm print. Detweiler adds that Steve Gonzales, now working on David Gordon Green’s film “Undertow,” is using this same postproduction process.

Online Store Open for Business
Pollock and Detweiler struck a unique deal with Apple to make the laptop-purchasing program feasible. Students now can buy the PowerBooks, all required software, and a three-year AppleCare Protection Program, Apple’s award-winning service and support program, through NCSA’s new online store. The School of Filmmaking offers the laptops at a special educational discount rate, making it possible for virtually all students to purchase their own computers.

“We wanted to give our students the confidence that we really know what we’re doing,” explains Pollock. “By selling and servicing the equipment, with Apple’s help, we can do that. It gives our students a great feeling, knowing they’re being supported here on campus.”