The Creative Media Industries Institute
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WRITTEN BY ROSS MCWATERS | STAFF REPORTER
he Creative Media Industries Institute sits beside the 25 Park Place tower and is recognizable by the massive wrap-around JumboTron that hangs in the lobby. On every floor, the CMII building houses high-end and sometimes surreal technology that is easily accessible to all Georgia State students. “The core [virtual reality] studio is on the first floor behind the JumboTron and is outfitted with $5 million worth of performance capture technology,” David Cheshier, director of the CMII, said. This technology allows students to learn how to create full 360-degree, high-resolution avatars of themselves. “This is volumetric tech, the most realistic form of motion capture technology,” Joel Mack, a student administrator at the CMII, said. Chloe Scott is a student assistant who helps keep the VR demo room open throughout the week for curious students. She said the best time to check out the tech is on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The studio is also available to students in a two-credit-hour course that meets on Fridays. The class is available to all students as an elective, regardless of that student’s major. It’s titled CMIS 4350, Advanced Media Technology Practicum, and requires no prerequisites. The course will teach the practical knowledge of using the technology. Students in the course work with production companies and advertising agencies in creating new content using the tech. “No specialized knowledge is necessary,” Cheshier said. There are also less formal ways of being involved with the CMII. The esports initiative is operated within the CMII and tryouts are held in the building. However, students who may be interested in gaming but don’t want to compete have other options for getting
involved, too. “Workshops are offered on how to broadcast on Twitch, how to manage esports tournaments and how to be an esports coach,” Cheshier said. On the second floor, students can find the 3D printing makerspace. Over the summer, how-to workshops are available to students. The most recent workshops discussed movie prop making and 3D printing animation prototypes. According to Cheshier, his goal for the fall semester is to maintain a group of trained undergraduate students to keep the workspace available for walk-in students. For students wanting to start a mediarelated company, the second floor also holds what the CMII calls the media incubator, with access to workspace and gear to help entrepreneurs jumpstart their new businesses. There is an application process for students who would like to have their company incubated by the CMII. Across from the makerspace is an equipment checkout desk that offers VR headsets, laptops, camera kits and more. Students are given access to this gear if they have a project that requires it. They can email the CMII in order to seek approval for the technology. “Students come to Georgia State and think that we’re no Georgia Tech or M.I.T., but they don’t realize that we have bleeding-edge technology that is really exciting,” Mack said. Just as career services offer workshops on resume writing and portfolio building, the CMII runs versions of these for students entering the film, music, game design or esports industries. “Take a class, they’re really interesting in terms of media careers, but in general, just come in and start exploring,” Scott said. Cheshier described the CMII as “a supplement to the existing arts and media programs that connects students to advanced technology and media entrepreneurial training.”
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