NYU’s Cutting-Edge Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center Opens

NYU's Tisch School of the Arts welcomes students to the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, the best-in-class facility in Brooklyn that will train undergraduate and graduate students on cutting-edge technology and provide opportunities for collaboration and internships in one of the city's media hubs.

Named for the famous filmmaker and NYU alum, the center is one of the first facilities of its kind on the East Coast. Occupying the top floor of Building 8 at Industry City on the Brooklyn waterfront, it further establishes NYU Tisch as a global leader in cinematic arts training.

The center was made possible by a major donation, announced in 2021, from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundations by Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, and filmmaker George Lucas. In addition to the state-of-the-art center, the gift funds the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, Tisch's Department of Cinema Studies, and scholarships. It is the largest gift in the history of the Tisch School of the Arts.

The facility features two 3,500-square-foot double-height, column-free stages, two 1,800-square-foot television studios, state-of-the-art broadcast and control rooms, dressing rooms and makeup areas, a cafe, scene workshops, and offices. NYU anticipates the project will receive LEED Platinum certification.

The New York City skyline at dusk is projected onto the soundstage at the new training facility. Photo by Jonathan King.

Virtual production reduces post-production costs and the need to film on location, making projects more sustainable.

"The new Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center marks a monumental step into the future of storytelling and positions Tisch as the premier training ground for innovative filmmaking technologies," says Allyson Green, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts. "We are grateful to the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation's for their transformative gift that will help usher in the next wave of visionary filmmakers."

Widely considered one of the greatest American filmmakers, Scorsese earned two degrees from NYU: a bachelor's degree in 1964 and a master's in 1968. He received an Honorary Degree in 1992 and is a member of the Tisch School of the Arts Dean's Council.

Students use the soundstages at the new facility that opened in Brooklyn. Photo by Jonathan King.

NYU's Veterans Future Lab, a business incubator for members of the military, opened at Industry City in 2017. The site is home to dozens of film and media-related businesses, including equipment supplies, production companies and lighting and set designers, providing students with multiple opportunities to network and collaborate.

About Tisch School of the Arts
For over 50 years, the NYU Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast artistic and cultural resources of New York City and New York University to create an extraordinary training ground for the individual artist and scholar of the arts. Today, students learn their craft in a spirited, risk-taking environment that combines the professional training of a conservatory with the liberal arts education of a premier global university with campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and 11 academic centers around the world. Learn more at www.tisch.nyu.edu.