SMPTE Meeting

KCC Students Capture Footage and Real-World Experience at SMPTE Meeting

Jeremy Rodriguez and Isaiah Williams, two students enrolled in Kingsborough Community College’s (KCC) media arts program, had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills when they crewed a recent meeting of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) under the watchful eye of their professor, John Acosta.

SMPTE is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and executives in the media and entertainment industry. An internationally recognized standards organization, SMPTE has published more than 800 technical standards and related documents for broadcast, filmmaking, digital cinema, audio recording, information technology, and medical imaging. Held at ARRI Rental’s Long Island City, it was SMPTE’s first in-person meeting of the New York Section since the pandemic.

Williams, the camera operator that day, found the experience surreal. “Admittedly, I was a little anxious when I first arrived, but the staff and attendees were quick to welcome and embrace me into their space. They were really down to earth, and I immediately felt right at home,” he remarked. Although he had substantial experience as a camera operator prior to coming to KCC in the fall of 2021 to pursue his degree, he feels his studies at Kingsborough have helped enhance his skills. “Learning the different shot types from those classes — medium shot, close-up shot, wide shot, long shot, etc. — definitely paid off that evening. I thank professors John Acosta and Bryan Powers for offering me this indelible opportunity to exercise my knowledge and meet with directors and media personnel at this SMPTE event.”

A Kingsborough student since the fall semester of 2020, in addition to operating a camera at the SMPTE event, Rodriguez recorded presentations titled “Innovations in LED Lighting,” which introduced new lighting technologies being used in movies and television by ARRI Lighting, Cineo Lighting, DeSisti Lighting, and Prolycht Lighting. “I felt pretty prepared,” he said. “Professor Acosta gave us a great deal of advice before shooting, and working at the Kingsborough Live Studio definitely helped me.”

After graduating KCC, Rodriguez plans to continue his education. “In 5-10 years, I hope to be a journalist, but I would love to work in the NBA or in a part of that world,” he shared. Williams plans to enter the media industry after he graduates in June 2023 and work behind the scenes of films and television as a cinematographer and videographer. He’s also an aspiring music producer who desires to work with budding artists. “I see myself managing both of these professions by the end of this decade. Additionally, I’m interested in writing for media in the future, maybe even screenwriting – a side venture I hope to scratch off my bucket list.”

Acosta, who teaches media production and editing at Kingsborough Community College, recently began a two-year term on the SMPTE New York Section’s board of managers. He acknowledges that it’s been a challenge training students on production techniques online during COVID and hopes to be able to provide more field experiences as classes return to in-person instruction. “Field experiences like this one serve as a source of professional development for myself and real-world experience for our students. They provide great opportunities to strengthen industry connections for curriculum and technology advisement and create educational events for the students at CUNY.”

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