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Biola University has been instructing students in film and television for a half century, but this week, the school just south of Los Angeles enters a whole new era. The new facility for the Snyder School of Cinema
& Media Arts opens officially on Thursday, ushering in a 45,000-square-foot building stocked with the latest technology for creating film, television, games and beyond: a spacious soundstage, editing suites, a theater, game design facility and much more.
Currently, more than 450 students are in the Cinema & Media Arts program, which at full capacity will serve up to 700 young people learning the ins and outs of the modern entertainment ecosystem, with help from plenty of pros currently working in the business. More than 500 student productions each year come out of the school.
“What we’re trying to do is build a program that leans into the needs of the industry,” says Snyder School founding dean Tom Halleen.
Known as the top Christian film school in the country, the Snyder School’s cutting-edge new building was made possible by a lead donation from Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, owner and president of In-N-Out Burger. The school is named for her grandmother, In-N-Out co-founder Esther L. Snyder.
“I love production and film myself, so I am excited for the opportunities Biola University’s Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts will give talented students to hone their craft,” says Snyder-Ellingson. “At the same time, they will be building a foundation of Christ-centered values that will guide them as they shape our culture for generations to come. My grandmother Esther was committed to helping students pursue their education and build brighter futures. And everyone in my family has shared a deep love for film and its power to tell stories that can change lives.”
The new building’s 3,000 sq. ft. soundstage adds to two existing soundstages, and all students can access the facilities 24 hours a day. Facilities also include color grading suites, audio mixing suites, a scoring and Foley stage, a motion capture stage, collaborative editing spaces, scenic storage, and a green room — plus props and memorabilia on display.
Biola has a strong commitment to ensuring students are ready to enter the entertainment workforce, with 100% of the students participating in industry internships.
“Southern California is the ideal place to be able to do what we do,” explains Halleen.
“We always wanted to be the school that teaches not just how to do it, but what happens next,” Halleen says. The new building was designed for students to work in the type of environment they will be working in professionally, he explains.
Guest speakers and instructors help bring students the latest ideas in media. “Industry professionals get to tell students, ‘This is what I did yesterday’ and ‘this is what I’m doing tomorrow. This is what I did today before I drove in to teach this class tonight,’” Halleen explains.
“To be able to prepare students for the industry of today and tomorrow requires more than just the technical and creative proficiencies. It’s about adaptability and reliability and collaboration, having a great attitude, volunteerism. We can prioritize excellence in those areas too, while they learn from industry experts saying, ‘This is how you do dialogue editing, and they’re learning from someone from Skywalker Sound,’” says Halleen.
The university emphasizes teaching character alongside hard skills. “I could teach a smart person to do the job,” says Halleen, a former AMC television executive. “But it was the character that I was looking for, people that I can really trust and rely on. This program has been focused not only on creating excellence in the craft, being excellent at the skills, but also excellence in the character of our graduates.”
With three key majors — writing, game design and interactive media and cinema arts, students can specialize within those majors in areas such as directing, creative producing or cinematography, preparing to create entertainment on all four screens — whether a movie screen, television, computer or mobile device.
Alumni of Biola include “Dr. Strange” director Scott Derrickson, YouTuber Zach King and “Jurassic World” digital production manager Laura Aldridge. Last year, six alums were involved in the winning entry in the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest.
“We want to be the school that teaches what happens next,” says Halleen. “I don’t want students to go out there going, I had a great time, but I’m not prepared. I want them to say I had a great time, I learned a lot and I’m ready and I feel like I’m the most capable interviewee for that job.”
