Film studies gets new screening room

By Michelle Li, October 2 2014 —

The University of Calgary’s film studies department started the school year with a new state-of-the-art screening room in Social Sciences 203.

Lee Carruthers, assistant professor of film and communications,  says the lab is the result years of planning to find a more suitable location to teach film classes.

“We’ve had to work really hard for classrooms that are suitable,” Caruthers says, noting that lecture halls turned into screening rooms are difficult to teach in as there are often problems with sound and projection. “[Those screens] might be good for power point presentations, but are not meant for film showing.”

The screening lab is built to mimic the style of a commercial movie theatre with black walls, surround sound and lights that can fade to complete darkness.

In addition to modern theatre amenities, the lab is outfitted with a set of 16mm projectors which can screen the U of C’s large collection of vintage films.

Carruthers says the big screen allows for a clear view from all vantage points so students can see the film and also participate in group discussions more easily.

The film studies department has rented out the room to the U of C Film Society, because they want to room to be used not only as a classroom, but as a social space as well.

“Maybe sometime in the future we can open it up and make it a community space,” says Carruthers, noting that she’d love to see the room used for film festivals in the future.