Department hosts delegation from Beijing Broadcasting University

On November 25, 2004, the Department of Television and Radio hosted a delegation of distinguished professors and administrators from Beijing Broadcasting University (BBU).   BBU is China's leading academic institution for theoretical and practical training in electronic media.   With over 11,000 students enrolled in degree programs ranging from critical/cultural studies to media management to producing and directing for television, BBU prepares students for creative, business and technical careers.

"As Brooklyn College is one of the United States' finest graduate and undergraduate institutions, we were pleased to welcome our colleagues from Beijing," said TV/R Chair Hal Himmelstein.

After a tour of the campus and the Department's facilities, the BBU delegation participated in a discussion about the evolution of global media.   "While China's role in international economics, politics and culture grows, its media must assume a greater global presence," said Su Zhiwu, Vice President of BBU.

The delegation also met with Sequence 34 M.F.A. candidates who answered questions about the graduate program and commented on their internships at PBS and other Manhattan based production companies.   "While there are vast cultural differences," said Professor Stuart MacLelland, M.F.A. Coordinator, "both institutions are engaged in the same mission of training the next generation of creative storytellers and electronic media producers."   MacLelland was a visiting professor at BBU in 1996.   For additional information on BBU and the 2004 50th Anniversary celebration visit www.cuc.edu.cn.

Professor Stuart MacLelland speaks at Beijing Broadcasting University

Professor Stuart MacLelland attended the Second Annual Film and Television Conference at Beijing Broadcasting University (BBU) from September 4 – 7, 2004. Celebrating 50 years of excellence in broadcast education and training, BBU hosted over 200 international scholars and media professionals. “As the oldest and most prestigious media university in China, we are marking this event with a series of scholarly presentations, a Film and Television Festival, live performances and a nationally televised broadcast,” said Liqun Liu, Director of Foreign Affairs at BBU.

MacLelland was one of nine speakers invited to address the conference. His paper, “Aesthetics and Technology: Trends in Electronic Media Production,” discussed issues facing educators as they adjust to the rapidly changing media landscape. While the technology revolution has a severe impact on media production, the instructor and student’s technological evolution is always balanced and driven by content development, critical thinking and aesthetics. Video clips from Brooklyn College television productions and from MacLelland’s independent production work illustrated a number of the presentation’s key points.

Other speakers included Dean Robert Rosen (UCLA), Wolfgang Langsfeld (Munich Academy of Television and Film), Zhong Chenxiang (BBU), Chi Lungzin (Shih Hsin University/Taiwan), Marsha Kinder (USC), Andrzej Bednarek (The National Film, Television and Theatre School of Poland), Jean-Paul Aubert (Paris University of France), and Zhuo Botang (Hong Kong Baptist University). “Working with colleagues from around the globe provided a unique perspective on media education,” said MacLelland.

BBU also sponsored the International Student Film, Television and New Media Works Exhibition. Programs competed in four categories: fiction, documentary, animation and experimental/new media. MacLelland served on the jury reviewing the documentary and experimental/new media entries. “The student work was so creative and well produced,” said MacLelland, noting, “ that selecting a winner in each category was a difficult task.”

A formal celebration of BBU’s 50th Anniversary was conducted at The Great Hall of the People, and a three-hour concert featuring the leading pop acts in China was held at the campus athletic stadium.

New production equipment installed in the Television Center

Fall, 2004: Over the last few months, staff have been working hard to install several new pieces of equipment that the Department has acquired.

A Mackie Digital 8 Bus is installed in our new, dedicated audio room, adjoining the main control room and MCR areas. This computer-controlled, fully digital mixing console will greatly enhance our audio production capability, particularly for projects produced in conjunction with our colleagues in the Conservatory of Music.

In our video non-linear editing suite, we now have a total of seven G4 editing systems running Final Cut Pro, and a variety of other multimedia software applications. This facility is in almost constant use by undergraduate and graduate classes.

In addition, studio B's control room now houses a new Chyron Max!> for character generation (not pictured), which replaces our aging Chyron 4200 which was approaching its 15th birthday when it finally gave up the ghost last year.