Campus & Community

Join us in the new building for filming and fighting

Three seniors welcome you to Theatre, Film and Media Arts’ new home, which features plenty of space to build sets, transform into fictional characters and make movies.

Story by Olivia Riley | Photos and videos by Jodi Miller

February 27, 2024
David Cassady, a young man with a neat haircut and wearing glasses, leans forward to focus on the screen of the camera he’s working. He’s shown from the side. Behind him, the room is dark as his class is exploring lighting effects in films.

Meet David Cassady

Ohio State brought him from Maryland to Columbus; from engineering to film studies; through graphic novel and boxing clubs; to his goal of becoming a screenwriter. It’s one love he found here.

In the costume studio, a student a young woman with strawberry blond hair, smiles as she looks over her shoulder to chat with Catherine Huffman, the lead costume designer for She Kills Monsters, the play Emily is starring in.

Meet Emily Broski

The star of this fall’s “She Kills Monsters” is an Ohio native majoring in theatre and psychology. “I can confidently say my theatre professors have changed my life. They helped me find my path.”

A young woman explains an element of the personal documentary she created to her class in the new building’s screening room. The audience is just hinted at in this photo as the photo is take from behind some students. Cleo, the main focus, gestures and smiles as she talks.

Meet Cleo Somohano

This senior hailing from Virginia majors in moving-image production, minors in film studies and Spanish, and has spent her days at Ohio State concentrating on honing her animation and texture-making skills. 

To view the next photos, scroll sideways. Click on the i icons to learn more about the photos.

The student on the right, a young woman with her hair in a ponytail, laughs as she steps sideways and extends both arms, as if she has just swung at her class partner. That young woman, on the left, twists her head, making her hair swing, as if she has just been hit. They’re in a big, open classroom space.
A young woman clasps her hands in front of her as she stands at the front of a mini-movie theatre—the screening room in the new theatre building. She’s looking up at the movie screen, which is showing her documentary. The photo now on screen is her as a child of about 3 or 4.
Two young men study how a scene is showing up on the screen on the back of their camera, which sits on a tripod that is almost chest-high.

Fourth-year Emily Broski starts her day at 8 a.m. sharp in the new Theatre, Film and Media Arts building. She goes from class to class — Theatre 5305: Painting and Drawing, Theatre 5835: Special Topics in Movement (Stage Combat), you name it — working until her third-floor play rehearsal ends at 10:30 p.m. To her, spending all day in this new building is a blessing. 

“I love that you can do everything here,” says Broski, who starred in the building’s first production, “She Kills Monsters.” “It’s like a universe of its own.” 

360 video: Stage combat class

Two female students in an open Ohio State classroom studio pretend to fight. They're weraring workout clothes and have their hair pulled back; they also seem to be having fun.

This video shows what it’s like to be in this special “fighting” class, taught by Adam Baglereau. Once the video starts, you can change the perspective to look around the space. [Editor’s note: If the video won’t play, please try reloading the webpage.]

The new building, an upgrade from the riverfront Drake Performance and Event Center that housed the department for more than 50 years, opened fall semester. To find out how the space is being used, we joined a senior from each of the department’s tracks: Broski, in theatre; Chloe “Cleo” Somohano, in moving-image production; and David Cassady, in film studies. 

“While film studies is a program more focused on film theory, the new space gives us the opportunity to be hands-on,” says Cassady, whose Video Production 2 class on Tuesdays and Thursdays digs into movie making by analyzing camera work and other skills. “The space allows so much more room for creativity.”

360 video: The costume studio

A student adjusts tucks in extra material at the end of the sleeve of her business jacket, while another student reaches to help. The manager of the costume studio holds a tablet computer as sghe monitors their progress. In front of her is a work table; behind them, the white walls are lined with storage and big windows.

This interactive video shows students at work in the costume studio inside the new Theatre, Film and Media Arts building. You can change the perspective to look around the space by clicking and dragging.

Some of the students’ favorite places include the sound stage, student lounge, costume studio — even the freight elevators and reservable lockers got shoutouts. 

The new building, located on College Road just one block from the Oval, not only offers state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, but also is a place where students, faculty and staff work and play in the heart of campus. With the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows, onlookers can see this community where collaboration is celebrated. 

“Before, I always knew that there was a sense of community within our department,” Somohano says. “Now, I can see it.” 

360 video: Video production class

A young man stands in a thinking-liek pose as he considers the screen on the back of the camera he's using to film a practice scene. He's in a dark studio-walls and surrounding curtains are black and people work in the distant background.

This interactive video shows what it’s like to be in The Ohio State University’s Video Production 2 class, AKA Theatre 5323, during instruction held in a studio in the new building.

In the bright and cheerful costume studio, an older woman moves her arms (almost as if she’s starting the chicken dance) as she demonstrates that the student, a young woman, should test her costume to make sure she can easily move in it. The costume is a business jacket over a shirt and pants; the student is the star of “She Kills Monsters.” In it, she played a teacher going into imaginary Dungeons & Dragons worlds to fight.
A young man laughs as he looks at the screen on the back of his camera, which is mounted on a tall tripod.
Two students, both young women, leave their classroom and begin walking up a hallway. The light paint on the walls and shiny floors make it apparent this is a new building. On the wall is painted the words “Screening Room.” The students both have wavy hair past their shoulders, wear button down shirts hanging open over more fitted shirts and black pants, and carry backpacks.
In a dark room, two students work under a light. The young man uses a long tool to hold a light diffuser under the light. The young woman stands looking up; the light on her face and body make her the most visible thing in the room.
Photo portrait of author Olivia Riley
Author
Olivia Riley

Olivia Riley is a fourth-year journalism major and student intern at Ohio State Alumni Magazine. She also works for Ohio State Athletics and enjoys fitness, writing and all things Ohio State.

Photo portrait of photographer Jodi Miller
Photographer
Jodi Miller

Jodi Miller is a photographer in Ohio State’s Office of Marketing and Communications. A lifelong resident of Ohio, she loves capturing the people, places and food that make the Midwest best. When she’s not taking pictures, she’s growing tomatoes and trying to keep up with her young son.

Read full bio
Rate this story
Average: 5 (2 votes)
You also might like
Where Buckeyes grow: Ohio State’s modern classrooms
10 locales we love: Tour great spots at Ohio State
TBDBITL: A ‘history much bigger than me’