Unitec Institute of Technology

Film and television facilities

If you want to work with video and film, you have access to outstanding cameras, lighting and postproduction equipment.

You can shoot footage using our industry-standard cameras, including five Panasonic AG-HPX502EN High Definition P2 cameras and eleven AGHVX202AEN Cameras (which shoot High Def onto P2 cards or Standard Def onto miniDV). We also have one ARRIFLEX 16 BL film camera.

Film-specific lighting equipment is also available. This includes units tailored to our dedicated studio, as well as lighting designed for shooting on location.

The sizeable studio has a lighting grid with each channel separately dimmable, and is the home for many student exercises and projects throughout the year. The studio can accommodate two one-room sets, which are built and dressed by Art Direction students. There is also an array of grip equipment, including three camera dollies and a jib arm.

Screen arts students can edit the material in one of the thirty-one non-linear editing stations including five of the latest Mac Pro online suites using fibre optic technology and two Avid Unity servers. We have recently developed a purpose-built Lab with twenty-six iMac computers and audio visual teaching aids. The software is always the latest available from Avid and we are pleased to be an Avid Authorized Training Partner. Avid and Final Cut Pro professional short courses will also be available.

Our numerous location sound kits are based around Sennheiser or AKG shotgun mics and radio systems, combined with Wendt or Sound Devices mixers or a file-based portable recorder.  Two ProTools sound post-production suites allow you to record, edit and mix sounds and add in sound effects and music.

You can plan shoots in our production offices, and your finished short film will then be shown to performing and screen arts staff and students in the screening room. Each year, the short films made by third-year Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts students are also shown in a public screening at the Event Cinemas at St Lukes.