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University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music(CCM) recently added an Extended Reality (XR) Studio to its world-class Media Production facilities. Dubbed the Performing and Media Arts Virtual Production (XR) Studio, this lab space allows the students, faculty and staff at the college to blend traditional physical performances with an immersive virtual environment created by the studio's 16x10 foot LED wall.
The studio is equipped with a positional camera tracking system that works with 3D creation tools like Unreal Engine to render digital scenery in real time, ultimately allowing students to create the kinds of cinematic worlds that once seemed impossible. This is the same state-of-the-art virtual production technology used by films like Disney's remake of "The Lion King" and the Star Wars series "The Mandalorian."
In Spring 2025, CCM offered its inaugural class in the XR Studio. Entitled "Virtual Production Studio Class," the course is taught by CCM alumnus Joseph Maiocco (BFA Media Production, '06). He explains, "The class is a very hands-on, studio focused class where we learn everything from the basics of Unreal Engine, how virtual production works with compositing and rotoscoping, and all of these intricacies."
Below, take an inside look at Maiocco's class and see how CCM's new XR Studio is preparing students for 21st century careers in the performing and media arts.
The XR Studio collaborative lab space showcases the artistry of CCM through creative projects that transcend disciplines to create new knowledge and solutions that align with the strategic interests of the University of Cincinnati's Digital Futures initiative.
CCM Media Production Division Head Kevin Burke envisions the XR Studio as a truly collaborative creative space within the college. "This is another way that we can connect with different programs, specifically in the performing arts," he says. The studio will allow the many disciplines housed within CCM—not just Media Production, but also Theatre Design and Production, Performance Studies, Acting, Dance, Composition and more—to work together in the largest and fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry: virtual production.
"I think the sky is the limit on some of this work," says Maiocco. "And this to me is truly the future of filmmaking."
Below, watch a student-created short film produced in CCM's XR Studio as part of Maiocco's Virtual Production Studio Class.
CCM’s Media Production Division emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning that is student-centered, professionally relevant and focused on creative content development.
CCM Media Production is student centered with small class sizes and an innovative, flexible curriculum that reflects the dynamics of industry demands and student needs. CCM's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Media Production features five curricular tracks, allowing students to specialize in:
Students in CCM's Media Production Division acquire the hands-on skills and digital portfolio necessary to transition successfully into the professional world. In addition to classwork, students are connected with professional internships that are integrated into the curriculum. The division’s award-winning, full-time faculty has extensive professional media backgrounds that allow them to emphasize current professional media production tools and techniques while providing students with connections to the industry.
CCM also offers an Academic Minor in Media Production, which prepares students in the integrated media arts of film and digital cinema, television and broadcast media news, audio production, and new media design.
