Ringling film expansion shoots for economic growth

Ringling College of Art and Design President Larry Thompson announced the school’s plans for the construction of a new digital filmmaking complex Friday, which he believes will impact both the school and the regional economy.

The project, which totals roughly 30,000 square feet, is planned to span almost one block from Central Avenue to Cocoanut Avenue along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 25th Street. The building is slated to include a multimedia soundstage and a professional post-production studio, amenities targeted at growing the college’s digital filmmaking program.

The building will be used for commercial purposes in addition to educational ones. By giving production companies the means to work in Sarasota, Thompson said, the project would have an impact beyond the confines of the Ringling campus.

“We hope to be able to expand this whole film area and make it a multimedia region for economic development,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the project is a collaboration between multiple public and private entities. Sarasota County committed a $1.75 million grant to the college for a post-production studio in 2010. Thompson created the plans with David Shapiro of Semkhor Networks, which co-founded Ringling’s Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab.

As part of the digital filmmaking program, which was created in 2008, Ringling and Semkhor have provided students with the opportunity to work with many film professionals. Shapiro, who will manage the commercial aspect of the new project, said the relationship fostered with those professionals convinced him production companies would be willing to come to Sarasota to work.

“Just through these conversations we’ve already had, we feel there’s a solid chance to get things in here,” Shapiro said.

Thompson said he hoped to see the state begin to offer tax credits for film production to make the new facility more enticing, and praised the county for having such credits in place already. Shapiro said the tax credits would help, but that the feedback from professionals who have worked with Ringling students suggested the studio would be an enticing location no matter what.

In terms of the actual content produced, Shapiro said that feature-length films would be great, but that his main focus was on episodic content. Whether it’s TV shows, Web series or commercials, Shapiro said those productions represented a growing industry that comes with its own benefits.

“It’s much steadier work, and it just keeps expanding,” Shapiro said.

Thompson said the new project, on which “Moonrise Kingdom” co-writer Roman Coppola is serving as a consultant, would also provide additional professional opportunities for students.

“What we really want is for our students to make the connections, to learn from these professionals about the craft and about the art of making movies and doing entertainment media,” Thompson said. “That was the goal.”

In addition to drawing more professional companies to film in Sarasota, Thompson said this will give Ringling students the chance to work on those commercial productions. Thompson said networking plays a particularly important role in film.

The plans expand the campus’ footprint westward along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way corridor.

Thompson said the school was excited by the opportunity to enhance its connection to the Newtown neighborhood, and that he believes the project will serve as a catalyst for economic growth in the area.
Sarasota Mayor Willie Shaw said the project would bring needed energy and economic activity to the area.

“What we’re going to do here is not only going to increase what is Ringling,” Shaw said. “It is going to increase this whole corridor as we go forward.”

Ringling, Semkhor and BHS Properties are collaborating on the construction of the property, which is slated to begin in 2015 and targeted for completion in 2016. Thompson said the costs are still to be determined, but said that it was roughly a $5 million to $7 million investment. He said adequate funding for the project should already be secured, though the college is still interested in philanthropic donations.

In addition to the film complex, Ringling College is also working on the construction of a new 46,000-square-foot library and hopes to grow its student body by 15% in the next three to five years.

Those involved with the film studio project believe the plans for expansion will lead to significant economic growth, as well.

“We think this could really be a very great success,” Shapiro said. “Everyone we’ve brought in has had this positive reaction to Sarasota — it’s been fun showing the industry what Sarasota is all about.”

Rolling out the red carpet
Since the 2010 opening of Ringling College’s Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab, students at the college have already had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from a number of noteworthy professionals in the field, including:

• Werner Herzog — director, “Grizzly Man,” “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”

• Anna Paquin — actress, “True Blood,” “The Piano”

• Forest Whitaker — actor, “The Last King of Scotland,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

• Matt Dillon — actor, “Crash,” “There’s Something About Mary”

• Paul Schiff — producer, “Rushmore,” “My Cousin Vinny”

Student Survey
The Observer video team hit the Ringling campus to see what students thought of the new project — and to find out the dream directors they’d like to see visit once it’s completed. Visit YourObserver.com for the full video.

Casey Nelson, sophomore
Dream director: Ben Stiller
“Just having the equipment in one place and being able to go there and film things without having to travel to a far location — it’ll be nice to have it right on campus.”

Sebastian Selinski, junior
Dream director: Spike Jonze
“I’m excited for the underclassmen that will get to use it and what that’ll bring for the department and students and Sarasota. I intend to bring my work back here.”

Liam Jordan, freshman
Dream director: Steven Spielberg
“It’s really going to improve and make everything a lot easier — just the fact that it’s all going to be in one place and all going to be state-of-the-art equipment. I’m expecting the best.”