The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) and Assembly Studios are planning to open a new training facility for students.
According to a press release, the 32,000 square foot training facility will be located adjacent to Assembly Studios’ complex in Doraville. GFA Executive Director Scott Votaw said that he and Assembly VP of Studio Operations Justin Campbell have been talking about partnering together for some time.
“It’s the only way that you can learn in an artistic craft like film and entertainment,” Votaw said about hands-on training. “It’s a hands-on business. You can theorize all you want, you can read books, and you can watch YouTube videos, but until you really have done it, it’s very difficult to connect the dots.”
GFA is an education initiative operated in partnership with institutions in the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and independent universities in the state.
The Assembly training facility is expected to open on Aug. 18. While GFA has other training facilities around the state, their main hub is Trilith Studios in Fayetteville. Votaw said part of the reason he is excited about the new Assembly location is its accessibility. The studio is directly accessible from the MARTA Gold line.
“If we want to be diverse and provide opportunities for all Georgians, this is the way to do it,” Votaw said. “Being on the MARTA line creates the opportunity and capability for students from every walk of life, regardless of their socio-economic position.
According to Votaw, the Trilith training facility is geared towards traditional film and television production. With Assembly, he hopes that GFA can also look toward the future.
“At the Assembly Studios model, we’re really moving into a very progressive mode, with new media, streaming, as well as film and television,” he said.
In addition to everything a crew might need to shoot a major motion picture – a shop, an art department, a grip and electric demonstration room, a sound stage, and more – the Assembly training facility will also include something unique: an exterior backlot built inside the building.
“The biggest struggle with teaching students how to work outside is if it rains for two or three days, I lose days of instruction that I can’t get back in a semester model where I have students coming for 16 weeks,” Votaw said. “So, we decided to teach a lot of that in an interior environment.”
Designed by Michael Gowen, who served as art director on movies like “Jumanji: The Next Level” and “El Camino,” the indoor “GFA Main Street” will connect to all of the other aspects of the facility. Though the training center is set to open in August, the backlot will be a work in progress for the next year or two.
“[The backlot] will be not only something the students can work on, but the students will be building and augmenting and changing as part of their class,” Votaw said.
According to Votaw, Georgia Film Academy now has a footprint in cities like Savannah, Columbus, and Athens. If he sees a need for more training facilities in the future, they’ll tackle that goal.
“Wherever business is going, we’re gonna be there,” he said.