SCAD unveils finished 11-acre backlot with working sets and soundstages
By Brooke Butler, Chris Smyth
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SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — The Savannah College of Art and Design has completed its 11-acre backlot, a working production space designed to give students hands-on experience while attracting professional film, television and commercial projects to Savannah.
“The backlot itself is a classroom, and so we have 11 acres of every imaginable location,” said Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of SCAD’s School of Film and Acting and executive director of SCAD Casting. “Restaurants, bars, hospitals, libraries—you name it. We really created our own city out here so students could be here and shoot.”
Built in phases over five years, the backlot, located off Louisville road, also includes a town hall, alleyway, motel, subway station, movie theater, and a fully furnished suburban house.
Unlike traditional backlot facades, many of the buildings feature usable interiors and practical elements. During a tour, D.W. Moffett, chair of SCAD’s film and television department, demonstrated running water inside the house.
“Any other backlot in the world, if you came to this house, you would not have that,” Moffett said.
The practical sets can also help students reduce the cost of their productions by eliminating the need to rent outside locations.
“If you can take the location cost away for a lot of student projects, that makes them able to shoot so much cooler stuff and not have to bear the burden of the debt,” Moffett said.
The complex also features an LED volume and two purpose-built soundstages, including a 9,000-square-foot space designed for professional productions.
“I fully expect a television show to be in residence here at the big soundstage,” Moffett said. “And that then just becomes an engine for internships.”
SCAD leaders said connecting students with working professionals is central to the facility’s mission. Productions can give students opportunities to earn classroom credit, gain experience on professional sets and build résumés before graduation.
“We don’t wait for our students to graduate to go out into the industry,” Reeve-Rabb said. “We bring the industry in.”
The facility is designed to support more than film and television. SCAD said the backlot and soundstages can also accommodate commercials, music videos, fashion campaigns and more.
Reeve-Rabb said professional productions in Savannah can benefit the wider community by generating business for hotels, restaurants and local shops.
SCAD says it is the only college in the world with a backlot of this size and a professionally operated, designated casting office.
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