What is the Media Arts Conservatory, and What Does it Mean for NSA?

Earlier this semester, we sat down with future conservatory teacher Phillip Stinson to talk about the up-and-coming Media Arts Conservatory at NSA. Media is an art that has its roots in NSA. The conservatory actually used to be a part of the school several years ago, but it was dropped in exchange for the Theater and Literary Arts conservatories. Recently, there has been an effort to bring it back. With student and faculty support, proper funding was acquired to get the idea on the table, and now it has become a reality. But what exactly is media arts, what types of media will they be covering, and most importantly, how will the new conservatory be integrated into the school?

Starting off, what exactly is media arts? Stinson explained, “Media arts is going to be a chance for students to explore the world of filmmaking and graphic design, podcasting, anything they can make using technology to create something. Whether it be Adobe Photoshop, whether it be Sony Vegas Pro, using technology to make videos, music videos, broadcasting, journalism type things, short films, and of course graphic design.” As you can see, the phrase encompasses a lot of different forms of expression.

One way this is beneficial to the school is by narrowing down the crowd of students in other conservatories: students who are a part of Visual Arts who want to do animation and those in Literary who want to do screenwriting, for example. It can also help by bringing in people who previously wouldn’t have considered the school. Photographers, for example. While we have talented students who complete photography portfolios through Visual Arts, there isn't a dedicated photography class at the moment. This will also be the ideal conservatory for anybody who wants to focus on cinema and what goes on behind the scenes. While we do have cinema studies and filmmaking classes, they are not currently a core part of our conservatories.

A big reason many aspiring filmmakers never get started is because of a lack of equipment access, and it is difficult to start a project without the proper tools. Now that the school will have those tools, all of those aspiring filmmakers will be able to get their jumpstart into the industry. Having quality pieces to present as examples of your experience can help significantly in the process of getting into the industry. Stinson expanded on this, saying, “We want to get involved with local film community in Nashville. I would like to see our students work at the Nashville Film Festival.”  This is part of the plan for the first year of the conservatory: getting connections established outside of school and outside of MNPS that students can use, such as The Belcourt.

While the initial prospects revolve almost entirely around film, the plans for the future of the conservatory do expand into other territories, such as podcasting, broadcasting, and digital design (Ms. Graening will offer invaluable support to digital design). Plans are being carried out to convert the flex lab into a studio. In fact, if you look in right now, you can see a collection of mac computers in a corner. There are also plans to have a greenscreen installed there. Stinson commented, “I'm always looking for spaces that can be converted to a better studio for film production.” If you haven't yet, check out our film series, CenterStage!

In short, the conservatory will bring many new faces to the NSA, and the staff are excited to get to work making the school a more accommodating place for varieties of art. This will be a fantastic opportunity for NSA to expand and cross multiple other forms of art that students haven’t been able to in the past.