By: Wendy Gardner
Sr. Director of Public Relations for SCAD
Georgia’s film industry continues to grow not only through major studio investments but also through the vision of educational leaders shaping the next generation of creators. Among them, the Savannah College of Art and Design stands out for its commitment to merging education with real-world production. With the expansion of SCAD Savannah Film Studios, now the largest and most comprehensive university film and television complex in the nation, the state strengthens its position as a global hub for storytelling.
Following the successful launches of Phase One in 2023 and Phase Two in 2024, the university is now turning its focus toward Phase Three, set to open in fall 2025, bringing new small-town settings, soundstages and expanded production facilities to the 11-acre campus.
A Landmark in University Filmmaking
When Phase One of the backlot opened in 2023, it transformed filmmaking at SCAD. The first phase recreated Savannah’s historic district, complete with 17 detailed street facades and more than 4,500 square feet of dressed set space. Students gained access to iconic cinematic backdrops, including a café, pub, boutique, antique store, barbershop, hotel lobby and a double-height bank, all meticulously designed to replicate real-world shooting environments.
“More is more: more films being made, more stories being told, more students creating films under the guidance of the very best professors in higher education,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “Together, the backlot, soundstages and LED volume form the sought-after trinity of filmmaking opportunities, placing everything at a filmmaker’s fingertips, from outdoor shooting locations to indoor sets to entirely computer-generated worlds.”
From Savannah to the City: Phase Two’s Urban Expansion
Building on that success, Phase Two, completed in fall 2024, expanded the cinematic possibilities with a series of New York City–inspired sets. Students can now shoot scenes amid Brooklyn brownstones, urban alleys, upscale storefronts, a Manhattan coffeehouse and a classic subway entrance, capturing the pulse of city life without leaving the SCAD campus.
This phase also introduced a 17,000-square-foot production support building that houses three production classrooms, a costume fabrication shop and a full-scale wood and machine shop, resources that empower students to build and film sets from concept to final cut.
“Georgia is the new Hollywood and Savannah’s film industry is booming,” said Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the SCAD School of Film and Acting. “Our backlot was designed to give students access to filming locations they can’t easily secure elsewhere, whether that’s a hospital ER or a busy city street, without the red tape or competition from major studios filming in Savannah.”
Phase Three: A New Chapter for 2025
Now under construction, Phase Three promises to complete the cinematic ecosystem with an additional 5,800 square feet of dressed set space, expanding the backlot’s total footprint to more than 8,000 square feet across 40 facades. The upcoming phase will introduce New England-style storefronts, a coffee house, a town square, city hall, a single-family home and a neighborhood convenience store, settings that evoke small-town Americana and broaden the range of storytelling environments available to students.
At the heart of this phase is a 23,700-square-foot support building featuring two new soundstages, eight classrooms and dedicated office space. Once completed, the entire Savannah Film Studios complex will allow filmmakers to move seamlessly from preproduction and design to filming and postproduction, all within a single location.
Collaboration at the Core of Creativity
Collaboration has always been SCAD’s signature strength. Students across the School of Film and Acting, School of Animation and Motion and School of Creative Technology work side by side, developing the skills and teamwork necessary for today’s entertainment industry. Whether designing costumes, crafting visual effects or editing footage, students learn the same professional workflows used on major studio productions.
“The cornerstone of any creative production or innovative design is collaboration,” said Reeve-Rabb. “At SCAD, our superpower is the recognition that everybody collaborates, directors, actors, animators, production designers and editors. SCAD has it all under one roof, and our students truly learn to create as a team.”
That teamwork extends into cutting-edge technology. In 2021, SCAD opened a next-generation LED volume for virtual production adjacent to the Savannah backlot, giving students access to one of the most advanced tools in filmmaking today. SCAD students were among the first in the world to train with LED volume stages, pioneering a new era of immersive, mixed-reality storytelling.
A Tale of Two Cities: Savannah and Atlanta
While Savannah offers the charm of historic architecture and coastal light, SCAD Atlanta delivers big-city energy. The fully refurbished television studio complex in Midtown Atlanta serves as the university’s second hub for the School of Film and Acting, complete with broadcast studios, three floors of editing suites and another LED volume stage.
SCAD Film Studios in Atlanta have also hosted shoots for major motion pictures and national commercials, most notably serving as a production site for the upcoming winter 2026 release of the seventh installment of the Scream movie franchise. This dual-city presence gives students and industry partners access to both the creative atmosphere of Savannah and the commercial pulse of Atlanta, an unparalleled combination for professional training and real-world production.
Together, SCAD’s Savannah and Atlanta facilities offer more than 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art film and television space, creating a bridge between education and industry that no other university can match.
“Our mission is to prepare talented students for creative professions through engaged teaching and learning in a positively oriented environment,” said Reeve-Rabb. “The expansion of Savannah Film Studios ensures our students have a seamless transition from SCAD to the professional world.”
Real-World Partnerships and Proven Success
SCAD’s industry partnerships further distinguish the university as a launchpad for creative careers. Through SCADpro, a collaborative design studio that pairs students with global brands, SCAD filmmakers have created content for Epic Games, BMW, David Yurman, WWE, CBS Sports, Fox Sports and Google. These hands-on experiences allow students to engage directly with leading companies, preparing them for the professional demands of entertainment and design.
The university’s influence on the global film landscape continues to grow. In 2024, 137 SCAD alumni and students contributed to 18 Academy Award–nominated films, including “Wicked”, “Dune Part Two”, “Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot”. SCAD storytellers also made waves at the Sundance Film Festival, showcasing the university’s role as a creative engine behind some of today’s most acclaimed productions.
SCAD’s forward-thinking approach also extends to new programs such as Gersh U, a prestigious week-long immersive training initiative offered in partnership with The Gersh Agency. In 2025, SCAD debuted its first Hollywood in the Field LA Winter Intensive, giving students direct access to film and television studios in Hollywood and opportunities to network with leading industry professionals.
A Vision for the Future of Film
With each new phase of the Savannah backlot, SCAD reaffirms its commitment to innovation, collaboration and creative excellence. The university’s unparalleled resources, hands-on approach and industry integration make it the definitive training ground for the next generation of filmmakers.
From the cobblestone streets of Savannah to the skyline of Atlanta, SCAD has built a complete ecosystem for cinematic storytelling where students don’t just learn how to make films, they make them.
“If you have a story you want to tell on a screen, big or small, you can tell it at SCAD,” Wallace said. “And now, with the expansion of our backlot and studios, those stories have never had a better stage.”
SCAD’s continued expansion in Savannah and Atlanta mirrors Georgia’s evolution into a powerhouse for film, television and digital production. Together, these ecosystems showcase how education, innovation and industry can thrive side by side, creating jobs, attracting investment and inspiring a new generation of storytellers.
As the lines between classroom and soundstage continue to blur, SCAD’s growth represents more than an academic achievement. It is a model for how creative infrastructure can sustain and expand Georgia’s role in the global entertainment economy.
This article appeared in the 2026 edition of the Creative Economy Journal. See more from the Journal here.
