The Film and Media Studies Department has partnered with Sony to acquire new and updated audiovisual equipment, providing students in the Journalism Program with access to industry-standard technology.
Beginning this fall, students enrolled in journalism production classes will have the opportunity to use professional-grade Sony equipment in their classes.
“It’s so important that journalism program students are being trained on the equipment that is being used in the industry,” said Professor and Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy.
In Professor Seyma Bayram’s Photojournalism class, students now use full-frame, mirrorless Sony Alpha 7 IV cameras. The new equipment replaces DSLR cameras the department had purchased in 2015.
The connection with Sony began through the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium, a network that connects colleges and universities with the Pulitzer Center through student fellowships, campus visits and talks by award-winning journalists.
After the Pulitzer Talk last spring, McCarthy met with the Pulitzer Center’s CEO Lisa Gibbs. They discussed the challenges in higher education and teaching journalism, including Hunter’s outdated equipment. Following that conversation, Gibbs introduced McCarthy to a Sony representative.
From there, Professor Kelly Anderson, the chair of the Film and Media Studies Department, and Luke Mess, senior college laboratory technician and equipment room manager, negotiated a deal with Sony.
“Sony was very accommodating and friendly,” Mess said. “They were eager to develop a partnership and recognize that students are talented and hungry to tell stories.”
Hunter College President Nancy Cantor had already worked with the Hunter College Foundation to provide $100,000 toward upgrading the department’s equipment.
“We approached Sony and already had some funding,” Anderson said. “They were very interested in everything about Hunter — the diversity, the fact that we’re in New York City, and our career pipeline work.”
Anderson also shared with Sony the findings from an external review, led by Celine Parreñas Shimizu, dean of the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. The report described Hunter’s program as “one of the most socially significant programs” in the country, citing its hands-on education and students’ eagerness to learn.
Over the summer, Anderson and Mess collaborated with Sony and B&H Photo and Video to make the most of the department’s budget through rebates, special offers and discounts. Sony donated some gently used equipment and sold other equipment to the department at a 50 percent discount.
“It’s an ongoing partnership,” Anderson said. “They want to work with our students and promote our students’ work.”
Mess said the department is working with Sony to acquire a full set of Sony HXR-NX800 4K 1” CMOS Sensor NXCAM Camcorders and Sony FX30 cameras for other upper-level production classes.
The upgrade will allow students to work with higher-quality cinema-style cameras and greater flexibility in color grading, he said.
“They’ll have a camera they’re more likely to see on a set when they graduate or start working in the field,” Mess said. “They’ll be more prepared.”
