Savannah College of Art and Design boosts Georgia film industry with local talent – Atlanta Business Chronicle

Georgia wasn’t thought of as a mecca for filmmaking a decade ago, but Vincent Bates saw the potential.

Bates, a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate, made the decision to move to Atlanta when he finished his architecture studies in 2013 and pursued a career that some might have thought was possible only in Hollywood.

“At the time, the film industry was relatively young in Georgia,” Bates said, “so I chose to remain here where I felt I could enter on the ground level.”

The decision has paid off. Bates has worked as a set designer for Marvel, Warner Bros. and even an Academy Award-nominated film. He was a set designer for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which is nominated for a 2024 Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

It’s now common knowledge that some of the biggest films are made in Georgia.

SCAD’s impact on the film industry

SCAD, which has a campus in Midtown, is Georgia’s driving force in creative studies. It plays a supporting role in Georgia’s film industry by sending scores of graduates into the local talent pool.

Its LED volume stages for virtual production, one of which opened in Atlanta in September 2022, are unparalleled film technology available to all students. The stages make for “an investment into the future of SCAD students [which] reinforces the university’s contributions to Georgia’s multibillion-dollar film and television industry,” according to the university.

In fall 2023, the Atlanta campus added a bachelor of fine arts program in acting and a casting minor, as well as a casting office. Students have received their Screen Actors Guild cards while still studying by working on films such as the Academy Award-nominated “May December” under the tutelage of industry professionals including Professor Craig Anton. Anton, associate chair for the School of Film and Acting in Atlanta, is a working actor best known for his role on the mid-2000s Disney series “Phil of the Future.”

“May December” was shot in Savannah with more than 50 SCAD students and alumni cast in some capacity, whether in acting roles or behind the camera.

In total, 150 of the university’s alumni and current students played some part — whether it was actually playing a part, designing costumes or building sets — in the films nominated for 2024 Academy Awards.

Aaron McGriff graduated from SCAD with a degree in animation in the early 2000s and has worked on several Oscar-nominated Pixar films, including “Elemental,” which is nominated for Best Animated Feature this year.

Terner Thompson, a 2018 SCAD graduate, contributed to one of the most buzzed about movies of the year, if not the decade.

“Barbie” is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Thompson worked on the film as a compositor, a person who assures that all the visual effects of each frame work together.

SCAD’s impact on Georgia

SCAD is supporting the state of Georgia’s film industry and its economy, too.

The university reported that in fiscal year 2023 it generated $1.3 billion in annual economic impact for the state. This was a 70% increase from the last report, which was conducted in 2019.

SCAD’s economic impact in metro Atlanta grew to over $328 million, double what it was in 2019, according to the report. This is due to “direct spending and indirect spending because of SCAD’s presence” according to its executive summary for fiscal year 2023.

SCAD directly employs 852 people in metro Atlanta, and another 2,613 are employed through jobs supported by SCAD’s spending on “capital projects, development and planning projects and suppliers.”

SCAD will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Atlanta campus next year.

“I think over the years, we have contributed to the growth of arts and culture in Atlanta,” said John Buckovich, vice president of SCAD Atlanta and university operations. “And over the last two to three years, we’ve really had transformational growth.

Buckovich said 25% of SCAD students stay in Georgia after leaving the university.

“Our students, whether it’s Savannah or Atlanta, come here from 120 different countries and all 50 states and fall in love with the community,” he said. “They’re opening businesses, they’re buying homes and they’re raising their families, really becoming part of the Atlanta or Savannah communities.”

SCAD enrolled over 17,500 students between its three physical locations (Atlanta; Savannah; and Lacoste, France) and online during the 2023-24 academic year.

The university offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For the current academic year, the five highest-enrolled majors are animation, illustration, film & television, fashion design, and sequential art.

Bates credits his SCAD education for furthering his career in movies and his life in Atlanta.

The number of productions that have come to Georgia over the years, coupled with the cost of living compared to Hollywood, makes the decision to stay in Atlanta “an easy one,” he said.

“SCAD provided me with a foundation of knowledge that I continue to build upon today,” Bates said, “and it’s amazing to see the resources provided to current and future students to remain competitive in this ever-changing industry.”