The Communication Arts Major, with four concentrations in Digital Filmmaking, Visual Communication Design, Digital Journalism and Writing, and Global Communication and Media, is housed in the H- and C- wings at Ramapo College.

The Communication Arts facilities include:

Digital Filmmaking

• Film Sound Stage with professional lighting and grip equipment and Matthews straight and curved track system. Kino-flo, LED, 1K & 2K Arri Fresnel lights, and lighting grid system with Ellipsoildal, Dino-Flo and Lee Colortran Cyc lights. Green Screen, C-Stands, flags, diffusion, gels, sand bags, and expendables. Set flats, practical lighting, and props
• 4K editing lab with Premiere Pro editing stations providing students with industry-standard, professional-grade film editing stations and software
• The Les Paul Recording and Sound Studio, shared with the music production program, provides state-of-the-art professional sound recording, editing, and mixing facilities for film. The studio is equipped with a separate control room and live room with an isolated vocal and foley booth. Funded with a substantial grant from the Les Paul Foundation, the studio features an Audient ASP4816 recording console, Pro Tolls HD system, and Apogee Symphony audio interface.
• Ursa Black Magic Cinema 4K Cameras with Prime Lens Kit(22mm,35mm,50mm,85mm)
• GH5 Camera kits with 24mm, 85mm, 18-35mm lenses
• Shoulder mounts, Tripods and Monopods, Ronin Steady cam, IKAN Camera Slider, Matte Boxes, camera monitors, ND filters
• Sennheiser MKH 416 Mics
• Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Mics
• Sennheiser EW100 Wireless Mics
• H4n & H6 Zoom Audio Recorders
• Tascam DR-680 Audio Recorders
• Azden FMX 42u Audio Mixers

Visual Communication Design

• Multimedia lab
• VR Headsets
• Software: Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, Acrobat Pro, Bridge), Adobe After Effects with plug-ins: Boris Contimuum Complete, Trapcode, Image Lounge, Primatte, Silhouette Roto), Final Cut Studio, MS Office Suite, Extensis Suitcase
• Adobe Font Collection
• HP tabloid B&W laser printer
• Digital drawing tablets
• Paper cutters, graphic design equipment, and work tables
• Epson Stylus Pro 4800
• Xerox Phaser color laser printer
• Canon Pro 9000 Inkjet printer (tabloid)

Digital Journalism and Writing

• Journalism New Media Center equipped with a state of the art computer lab.
• H4N Zoom Recorders
• RodeVideo Mics

Music courses and ensembles use a wide range of facilities, starting with multi-purpose music classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and auditoriums with new Kawai pianos, stereos, video systems, and white boards. Students also use these rooms for meetings and to rehearse their own bands and a cappella groups. Practice rooms with pianos are also popular. The Music Program has instruments from new electric and acoustic guitars, electric basses, keyboards, and drum sets to wide-ranging percussion for orchestral, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian music. To teach live audio engineering and to support ensemble concerts, the music program owns professional analog and digital sound systems. The Music Program also uses these superb specialized facilities:

Les Paul Studio

Les Paul Studio for Music Recording and Sound Design features a separate control room and live room with an isolated vocal booth. Funded with a substantial grant from the Les Paul Foundation, this state-of-the art studio combines analog and digital technologies in order to teach students a wide-range of tools and to expand their creative palettes. The control room features an Audient ASP4816 recording console, Pro Tools HD system, and Apogee Symphony audio interface. All levels of music courses are taught in the studio as well as audio courses in Communication Arts.

Electronic Music Studio

This highly flexible music classroom is designed to teach Electronic and Computer Music, Digital Music Performance, Signal Processing and Interactive Composition, and other courses in production and composition. Sixteen student workstations, a dedicated production computer and a teaching station feature MIDI keyboards, Focusrite audio interfaces, and the latest versions of the most popular music software: Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Arturia, Sibelius, Native Instruments, VCV Rack, Supercollider, and more. The room includes analog and digital synthesizers, a eurorack modular system, mixers, microphones, and everything necessary for electronic music production. Students enrolled in courses have special access to the room to work on class projects in off-hours.

Music Production Suite

This state-of-the art, single-use audio suite for upper-level music and communication majors provides a flexible space for creative sound production, voice-overs, overdubs, sound/music for moving image, and electronic music. It features similar hardware and software as the Electronic Music Studio to maximize compatibility and utility.

Musicianship/Keyboard Classroom

This classroom is customized to teach all levels of Musicianship courses and Technique for Keyboard, with twelve electric pianos, an upright piano and an instructor station. The keyboards enhance students’ abilities to learn music theory, oral and aural skills, and composition as well as the ability to play the piano. This classroom is also available for students for individual practice.

Sharp Theater

The Sharp Theater is a 338-seat proscenium theater.  It features a full complement of up to date lighting and audio equipment including intelligent lighting fixtures, high-end speaker and microphone systems and state of the art lighting control and audio mixing consoles. Movement of scenery is maximized with a full-stage 30 line-set counterweight system.  The Sharp Theater serves the Theater Program as the premier space for larger productions, from Shakespeare to musicals, with complex scenery, lighting, sound and costume requirements.  Student actors experience playing to a large audience on a traditional stage.  The theater also serves as a campus venue for professional music, theater and dance performances.

Adler Theater

The Myron and Elaine Adler Theater is a black box style flexible theater space seating up to 100.  The intimate playing space and audience configuration are changeable making this a perfect space for experimental and non-traditional productions.  The Theater Program produces two smaller productions in the Adler Theater each year and it is the primary venue for student-generated work.

Rehearsal Hall/Dance Studio

The Berrie Center Rehearsal Hall is the primary classroom space for the Theater Program’s Acting Concentration.  Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Acting, Voice and Movement, Scene Studies and Clowning and Comedy as well as all dance classes are held in this space.  It is a large open room featuring a “sprung” dance floor and one full wall of mirrors ideal for the physical training of actors.  Large floor to ceiling windows add to the open light atmosphere of the space.  In addition to hosting theater classes the Rehearsal Hall is used regularly as a rehearsal space for Theater Program productions and by student theater, dance and music groups.

Scene Shop

The Scene Shop, along with the Costume Shop, serves as one of the centers of activity for the Design/Tech Concentration.  Our students engage in all construction and painting of scenery and props for the Theater Program productions in this space supervised by an expert technical staff consisting of a Technical Director, and Assistant Technical Director and a Program Assistant.  The Scene Shop, which is equipped with dust collection, has full woodworking and welding capabilities giving our students experience with production equipment and processes used in professional theater shops while undertaking safe working practices.  Stagecraft, Advanced Stagecraft, Scene Painting, Theater Practicum and Producing the Play classes take place in the Scene Shop making it one of the busiest student spaces on campus.

Costume Shop

The Costume shop is where students learn hands on costume skills in classes and where costumes for our Theater Program Productions are constructed. It is a fully equipped shop with dress forms in many sizes, sewing machines including an industrial machine, sergers, steamers, gravity feed iron and a laundry room and dressing area. Students in Craft of Costume, Theater Practicum and students assisting on Theater Program productions as well as student designed shows for directing courses keep the shop busy during the academic year.

Other Facilities

• Dressing rooms
• Green Room

Art & Engineering Lab

The Art& Engineering Lab, used primarily by Electronic Art & Animation students, is a place where students solder circuits, build drawing robots, circuit bend, and also 3D print many of their designs.

Computer Imaging Lab

The 18-seat Computer Imaging Lab uses current Mac hardware and current versions of Adobe CS Suite, Cinema 4D, Zbrush, Rhino, and other specialty software for use in Animation, Physical Computing, Digital Photography and Video Art.

Painting Studio

The painting studio comfortably fits up to 18 students in a bright, well-ventilated area. The studio provides lockers in the room, easels, carts, clamp lights, and a storage closet. Model platforms and still life objects are readily available. Students also have ample storage for both large and small works. The painting studio only uses the safest solvents such as Gamsol. No turpentine or OMS used. Students have access to open studio hours to work outside of class.

Drawing Studio

The drawing studio provides students with large drawing tables, drawing horses, lockers, flatfile storage, a large model/still life platform, ample lighting options, a storage closet, and a 10 x 40 critique wall. All studios have computer and internet projection capabilities. The studio class size ranges from 15-18 students.

Photography Lab

Please click here to visit the photography lab website which provides a comprehensive look at the photo lab and its various spaces, the equipment, profiles of the photo lab staff, lab hours, student work, and alumni stories.

Sculpture Studio

Housed slightly off campus, the Sculpture studios at Ramapo College encompass three separate buildings, an outdoor sculpture garden, and over 3,000 square feed of shop space combined. The Sculpture Studio houses equipment to teach workshops in full casting and finishing in bronze, aluminum and iron, metal fabrication, blacksmithing and welding, as well as a ceramic studio with both electric and atmospheric kilns, wood working equipment and a cutting edge digital fabrication shop with 3D printers, computers, and CNC equipment.

Cameras and Tripods

• Canon Ti1 , XSi, and XTi Digital SLRS
• Mamiya 645 and 645 ProTL Medium Format Film Cameras with Wide Angle Lenses
• Yashica 6×6 Medium Format Film Cameras
• Bogen Manfrotto Tripods with Ball and Grip heads

Digital Print Lab

• Macintosh G5 Dual Core Towers with Apple Cinema Displays
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Epson Stylus 1280 (3) Inkjet Printers
• Epson Stylus R800 Inkjet Printer
• Epson Stylus 2400 Large Format Inkjet Printer
• Epson V700 Flatbed & Film Scanner
• Epson Stylus Pro 7600 24 inch Wide Format Roll Paper Inkjet Printer
• Eye-One Photo Profiling System from Greytag Macbeth
• Eye-One Display Monitor Profiling System from Greytag Macbeth
• 5000K Viewing Station Wall for Color Photographs

Black and White Darkroom

• 15 Omega Enlargers with Variable Condensers (35mm, Medium , and Large Format)
• Arkay RC Automatic Print Dryer (20″)
• 60 x 40 Self Healing Cutting Mat
• CH Advantage Pro Matte Cutter (44″)
• Leedal Steel Negative Drying Cabinet
• Re-Air Canned Air System
• Seal Commercial Heat Press (16″ x 20″)

Photography Lighting Studio

• Cyclorama Studio Wall
• Bogen Copy Stand (20″x24″ Max)
• Ceiling Mounted Photogenic Powerlight Strobe System
• Lowel DP, Lowel Tota, and Lowel Softlight 2 Hot Lights
• Bogen Super Salon Studio Tripod
• Monorail Omega and Sinar 4×5 Cameras
• Tripods, Light Stands, Umbrellas and Soft Boxes