By Eric Curl
April 20, 2023 – Beyond the gateway currently under construction, the Savannah College of Art and Design is continuing to develop a world of make-believe off Louisville Road.
SCAD recently submitted plans to construct multiple backlot buildings as part of the film studio complex the university is developing along the corridor west of Savannah’s downtown historic district. The plans include the construction of buildings resembling a subway station, New York-style brownstones, a convenience store and gas station, rowhouses and a fire station for students to use for filming projects.
In addition to the backlot structures, the multimillion-dollar project includes renovation of four existing buildings within the property to support proposed studio facilities. In 2021, SCAD opened a mixed reality LED volume stage, which uses camera tracking and real-time rendering to create an immersive virtual environment, visible live on set and shot directly on camera, according to SCAD’s website.
The complex’s origin story begins with SCAD’s $1.6 million purchase of the Savannah Film Studios property in 2014, a former meatpacking plant that was renovated to house the now defunct Meddin Studios. That purchase was followed by SCAD’s acquisitions of surrounding properties, including a 6.7-acre industrial site in May 2020 and 2.84-acre warehouse site in October 2019, as previously reported.
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