For the second year in a row, MovieMaker magazine has named Southern Oregon University’s digital cinema program one of the top 30 film schools in North America.
A key part of that recognition is the university's Digital Media Center, an 8,500-square-foot facility that merges academic rigor with professional-grade production.
The center evolved from Rogue Valley Community TV into a hub where students manage operations and equipment checkouts.
Director Brandon Givens, an SOU graduate, said he prioritizes giving students the tools to lead.
“It was really important to me for the students to really drive that and to have it be their home for our student filmmakers,” Givens said.
He said the program aims to prepare students for careers in television and film.
Unlike programs that emphasize theory first, SOU puts cameras in students' hands immediately. Freshman Samantha Reynolds, who came to the program after participating in high school theater in Grants Pass, Oregon, said the transition to film production was transformative.
"You can learn a lot more from just touching the equipment," Reynolds said, "than from sitting in a class and reading a textbook.”
Through partnerships with companies such as Canon and Blackmagic Design, students work with professional cameras and editing software, including DaVinci Resolve.
Justin Crawford, a senior and president of the SOU Film Club, said the center makes filmmaking more accessible.
Students also participate in the program's "crew experience," collaborating on larger productions. Crawford said this along with local networking has helped set him and others up for success.
The Oregon Legislature approved $40 million in construction bonds in 2025 for a new Creative Industries complex at SOU.. Planned upgrades include a sound stage, screening room and new multimedia production labs that will expand the university’s film and media programs.
Guests
- Brandon Givens, Director, SOU Digital Media Center, RVTV
- Justin Crawford, president, SOU Film Club
- Samantha Reynolds, first-year SOU student
JPR is licensed to Southern Oregon University, but our newsroom operates independently. Guided by our journalistic standards and ethics, we cover the university like any other organization in the region. No university official reviewed or edited this story before it was published.
