The New DVA

1 Year Anniversary

2009-03-09T11:33:00.004-04:00

Sunday, March 8th 2009 marked the one year anniversary of Digital Video Arts' new facilities... I guess they're not new anymore. As always, we welcome tours of any size and look forward to showing you around. Just give Clark Fivek a call at 904-281-1001 to schedule a visit.

Open House Celebration

2008-05-07T09:37:00.009-04:00

Digital Video Arts hosted it's first official party on Friday, May 2nd to over 150 guests. Throughout the evening. With great food, lots of adult beverages including the new DiVAtini, games in our screening room on the Wii and lots of great conversation the event was a great success.

Enjoy a few images from the evening festivities.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE GRAF

Facility photographs.

2008-04-09T13:28:00.007-04:00

The entry.

The front facade.

Our 24-seat, High Definition screening room.

One of our art galleries.

The cafe, screening room and bistro kitchen.

One of our edit suites.

One of our audio suites.

One of our graphics suites.

The machine core.

The Cafe

2008-03-31T21:01:00.003-04:00

Here's a 4 image stitch of the new cafe. This really shows off the size, color, and feel of the space.

The hall to the left is the edge of the post-production wing showing one of the galleries. The dark room in the middle is the screening room. The hall to the right is toward the sales and production offices.

A New Title and a New Direction

2008-03-20T06:34:00.004-04:00

With the completion of our new facility Digital Video Arts' construction blog is being transformed into Digital Video Arts projectPOSTS. We will post media from projects we work on including the final pieces, behind the scenes walk throughs, detailed discussions and deeper insights into the creative magic that happens at DVA.

As always we welcome you comments, ideas and suggestions with regard to how we can provide a better quality, more innovative, creatively progressive and simply incredible experience at Digital Video Arts.

We hope you enjoy the transformation and have as much fun reading our future posts as we have producing them.

The Front Facade

2008-03-18T05:59:00.003-04:00

I have started taking shots of the finished facility and this is the first of many to come. It is a composite of three images all stitched together by hand. Over 2 hours of post-production to create this image.

The first shoot in the new studio

2008-02-28T14:25:00.006-05:00

Today was the first shoot in our new studio for Jacksonville-based advertising agency On-Ideas. Under the leadership of Vern Weiss and Mike Woeppel, we were shooting the weekly retail inserts for Winn-Dixie, a regional supermarket chain.

Cinematographer Andre Labous sets up a shot.

Andre and Jason fine tune the lighting.

Gloria Norton dresses the shot with some finishing touches.

Heather adds the secret ingredient... love.

First day of business.

2008-02-25T15:11:00.004-05:00

Monday was Digital Video Arts' first day of operation.

Business partners Britt McTammany, Clark Fivek, and Tony Haines pose for the camera.

The first edit in the new building was for long time client and friend Linda Shannon Miller for Washington Hospital.

Packed and moving.

2008-02-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

Here are shots of the last several days of moving and getting the new facility wired, equipped and ready for business.

Bobbi, Britt & Clark talk moving logistics.

Stuart (Bobbi's son) Britt, Chris, Clark and Bobbi install the temporary DVA sign.

Suddath brings the first of 5 truck loads of furniture and equipment.

Bill and Tony plan the machine core.

The tape library is packed and waits to be moved.

Chris, Matt, Bob and Bill work at a frantic pace to get the machine core up and operational.

Moving In!

2008-02-22T06:49:00.000-05:00

Since Thursday we have been moving into our new facility. It has been chaos... while mostly controlled... it has been quite exciting. We have lots of pictures but the 12-16 hours days have made it difficult to find time to post them.

As of this post we are completely moved out of our old facility and into the new digs. Now we are currently in the process of setting up all our suites for sessions on Monday morning. Currently both graphics rooms, one audio suite and one edit suite are up and running and the rest will be online by Sunday night.

It is a very exciting time and the new Digital Video Arts will be a great place to work, play and be creative in. Please stay tuned for pictures and additional updates as we complete our move-in.

NOTE: Our servers are still being configured so if you have issues with not getting responses to email, please be patient... we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Reception desk and theater seating

2008-02-14T17:05:00.003-05:00

The new travertine tops on the reception desk.

Seats in the theater started today.

Making precise measurements for the reception desk.

More adjustments on the reception desk base units.

Like a bunch of little boys

2008-02-12T15:04:00.001-05:00

Cleaning can be a pain but when it comes to throwing out the trash the guys at DVA know how to have a good time. Matt, Bob, Bill, Chris and Mike have fun destroying all the old computers, fax machines, tapes and old junk around the office.

Bill smashes Chris in the head with an old motherboard!

Chris rips out the guts of an old workstation.

Ooops... someone threw out Bob with the trash but he looks right at home with his favotire old VHS.

Chris is a wild man slinging an old keyboard to it's doom.

Bob too obviously has it in for keyboards.

It seems that no one likes keyboards.

Nice job Matt!

Reminds me of an old skateboard video.

The motley crew of mass destruction.

Mid-air collisions are cool!

Yup... keyboards are bad!

Be careful Bob, you might hurt yourself.

Packing up and tossing the garbage

2008-02-12T15:00:00.001-05:00

Bob Dorough works in one of the edit suites where we have fully dissassembled one of the console units and scavenged for componenets that will be used in the new core area.

Cleaning in the audio suite is also well underway.

The graphics suite is a total wreck!

Last minute preparations

2008-02-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

The punch list is being check off at a rapid pace with minor sheetrock and painting fixes being made this week. Curtains in the screening room will also be installed this week.

The recpetion desk installation will be completed Thursday.

The bistro kitchen installation is complete.

Seating in the theater is staged and ready for install.

The replacement doors in the design suites are ready for install.

Landscaping complete

2008-01-25T06:56:00.000-05:00

The front facade and ladscape.

The rear facade.

Flooring and clean-up.

2008-01-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

The galleries have finished wood floors.

The signage on the front is now finished.

Clean up started today with many rooms ready for move-in.

Graphics is clean and ready to go.

The on-line suites are clean too.

A cleaner work on windows.

The wood flooring is finished with the exception of the trim.

Wood flooring continues.

2008-01-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

A panoramic shot of the cafe and bistro.

Wood flooring and landscaping.

2008-01-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

The warmth of wood flooring in the cafe and bistro overlooking the nature preserve.

The bistro bar with new wood flooring.

The wood floors in the cafe.

The wood floors in the hallway from the production department.

The soundstage's ceiling is now insulated for sound.

Plants for the landscaping have started to arrive.

Data wiring and floor prep

2008-01-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

The data and phone wiring has been installed and dressed down.

The IP phone wiring grid.

The floors in the cafe are being cleaned and preped for wood flooring.

The floors are floated with quick set for perfect levelness.

Workers float quickset in the cafe.

Carpet, millwork and more...

2008-01-15T17:58:00.001-05:00

The ornamental iron fence is now installed.

Carpet in the restroom vestibule is finished.

We have appliances.

The bistro kitchen still awaits finall wiring and installation.

One of the sudio suites awaits final millwork installations.

Graphics is almost finished... just waiting for a door.

The data closet now has a floor and a rack.

2008-01-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Carpet in the screening room is nearing competion.

Ornamental fencing has been installed.

Carpet in the production area is finished.

The data rack has been installed.

Carpet, Exterior Signage & Bistro Bar

2008-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Carpet in one of the sound design suites.

The fine art of cutting carpet.

The new bistro bar and island installation... including Clark and Bill.

The exterior signage in mid-installation.

Another piece of the logo being installed.

Carpet tiles being installed in one of the halls.

Applying glue and fitting a carpet tile.

Glue awaits tiles.

The finished sign with lettering.

More carpeting and detail bits.

2008-01-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

ARchitectural details on the front facade.

Carpet in the machine core.

Carpet in one of the edit suites.

Water fountains.

Carpet and more...

2008-01-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

Carpet rolls and tiles are staged and ready for installation.

The last decorative elements of the front facade started installation.

Carpet being installed in the graphics/interactive design suites.

The floor in the machine core is ready for carpet.

The shower fixture in the dressing rooms.

Shelves in the prep kitchen.

Ceiling tiles

2008-01-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

Ceiling tiles in one of the AVID edit suites.

The production area also has new ceiling tiles and final paint on the walls.

Plumbing fixtures and downspouts

2007-12-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

The new plumbing fixtures in the restrooms.

The water downspouts on the exterior have been installed.

Electrical, Paint, Ceiling, etc...

2007-12-20T12:09:00.000-05:00

The cafe as seen from the post-production wing.

The reception area and bathrooms.

One of our showcase gallery walls.

The copy room.

The make-up areas.

The prep kitchen complete with a new sink.

The cafe as viewed from the production wing.

The halls to graphics and audio looking toward the cafe.

The audio suites now have millwork.

The art nook in the graphics/audio wing.

3D Screening Room

2007-12-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

Here's another angle of the screening room animation.

Millwork, parking lot, stucco, and other finishing touches.

2007-12-14T09:57:00.001-05:00

Decorative accents for the facade are preped and ready for installation.

Stucco on the exterior overhangs.

Cabinetry in the copy room has been installed.

Countertop installations in the edit suites are being installed.

The parking lot now has lines!

Cool light fixtures being installed in the reception area.

Millwork in graphics is being installed.

3D Visualization of 24-seat screening room.

2007-12-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

This is a 3D visualization and animation of the new screening room built to determine color selections for wall sound treatments.

Painting and millwork installation.

2007-12-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

The new back deck construction has been completed.

Paint in one of the edit suites.

The screening room has new sconces and black walls.

Painting continues throught the facility.

Cool colors in the audio suites.

The sound stage is now black!

The prep kitchen's base cabinets are in place.

Cabinetry in the prep kitchen and copy room starts installation today.

Painting of door jams in the machine core.

The hall to graphics and audio design.

Ceiling grids, parking pavers, electrical lighting fixtures.

2007-11-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

Ceiling grid and electrical fixtures are installed in the audio suites.

The grid in one of the two gallery halls.

ADA safety pavers have been installed in the parking lot.

The ceiling grid and exit signs in one of the front halls.

The core with it's new ceiling grid and light fixtures.

Ceiling grid, interior painting, parking lot curbs.

2007-11-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

Paint cut in for the ceiling grid in the production area.

The doors onto the rear deck overlooking the wildlife preserve.

Ceiling grid installation has begun.

Curbs are now in surrounding the parking lot.

Parking Lot Installation

2007-11-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

Hand compacting the asphalt.

Crews distribute asphalt on the limerock.

Kickin more asphalt.

Sheetrock & door and window installation.

2007-11-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

The front door thresholds being installed.

The rear interior facade.

The machine core.

The rear facade overlooking the pond.

The front facade.

The cafe and bistro kitchen.

The ramp to the parking lot entry.

Painting, Window Glazing and Sheetrock.

2007-11-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

Window glazing started this week.

Exterior paint is nearly finished.

The west facade is completely painted.

Painters do their thing!

The interior is completely rocked!

Sheetrock continues.

2007-11-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

Sheetrock in the bistro kitchen.

The studio now has sheetrock too.

The texture coat was applied this weekend. These are not the final colors.

The cool windows in the hall in the post-production wing.

Bobbi's office is sheetrocked.

The parking lot is getting closer to completion.

The machine core is almost completely sheetrocked.

2007-10-30T17:10:00.000-04:00

All interior walls, including this one in the conference room, will be well insulated.

The sound stage's ceiling structure now has a fresh coat of black paint.

The roof structures and HVAC duct work is now flat black in the cafe too.

Two layers of 5/8-inch sheetrock now cover the interior walls of the screening room.

Insulation installation is almost complete throughout the entire facility.

The machine core is getting closer to being completely enclosed.

The audio suite too is almost finished with sheetrock.

The second layer of limestone awaits compaction.

The hallway past operations in the post-production wing.

The framework for the front and rear facades is now installed.

Reception area

2007-10-25T15:07:00.000-04:00

Conceptual visualizations were completed today to begin the final preparations for millwork construction in the reception area.

Sheetrock, ceiling painting and more...

2007-10-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

The freshly primed front facade and a new layer of limerock.

Painting of the exposed ceiling.

Specialty framing is nearing completion.

The screening room now has walls.

Sheetrock, Parking Lot, Electrical, Exterior Priming and the minor details

2007-10-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

Work continues at a blistering pace as walls are now going up and the interior of the facility really begins to take shape.

Sheetrock is being installed quick time!

The exterior has been primed and is undergoing detailed patching.

Electrical connections are being made.

Backing and bracing along with other "behind the wall" details are being installed.

This is the hall between the graphics and sound design suites.

The view from inside the core... walls are closing in.

Surveyors determine grade levels for the parking lot.

The parking lot is nearing completion.

Sheetrock and mud awaits installation.

Parking lot, exterior priming and HVAC

2007-10-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

Work continues at a steady pace with the limerock for the parking lot going in as well as primer on the exterior walls. Interior sheetrock is due to start as soon as the windows and doors get installed sometime the middle of next week.

The machine core in the post-production wing.

Painting the primer.

Ceiling mounted air handlers in the reception area.

One of the audio suites.

One of the large edit suites.

The cafe.

The studio.

The parking lot gets limerock.

Curbs and limerock in the parking lot.

More parking lot.

We have a transformer now!

Every pipe must get insulation.

Curbing and framing

2007-10-12T15:11:00.000-04:00

Installation of the curbs from the road.

Portals for the critical reference monitors have been framed.

Blue skies and cool temperatures are a welcomed.

Sidewalk install begins and electrical and framing fixes

2007-10-11T16:57:00.000-04:00

Pours for the sidewalks began this morning.

In-floor electrical needed to be re-routed a few feet... oops!

Changes in framing have been noted.

Framing & HVAC continues

2007-10-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

The screening room now has walls.

Framing out around the windows in the front facade.

The shower is now installed.

Connecting the power at the street.

Wiring in the transformer.

The electrical panels... man those are big.

The hall from the production department into the cafe.

Framing, Electrical, HVAC continues

2007-10-03T16:27:00.001-04:00

Insulation on the interior of the exterior walls is installed.

The new shower's here!

Fuse boxes are now going into the panels.

Water from rains for the past 3 days have filled the parking lot.

Duct installation continues in the cafe.

The front parking lot full of water.

The vestibule to the restrooms and the copy room.

Concrete clean-up still continues.

Framing, Electrical, HVAC, Screening Room, Parking Lot

2007-09-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

There has been much actvity over the last 3 days since the last post. Framing continues as well as rough electrical, HVAC ventilation, and finalizing the floor in the screening room. Work also started today on preping the parking lot and cleaning up the site.

The entry into Operations... Bobbi's domain.

Loading up concrete for the last step in the screening room.

Steel studs all in a row.

The parking lot gets graded.

Curved steps in the screening room.

1000 amps of electrical service will be in these 4 panels. It goes to 11.

The graphic design suites.

The window from the green room into the studio.

Pouring the concrete for the top step in the screening room.

Interior framing, rough-in plumbing, HVAC, rough electrical

2007-09-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

Work continues on the interior framing, HVAC ventilation, plumbling and electrical rough-ins. The floor in the screening room was also poured today with the steops to go in tomorrow. The roof is still not fully dried in but will hopefully be completed by the end of this week.

Plumbers glue PVC fittings.

The escape hatch!

Walls in post-production begin to take shape.

Framers us specialized lifts to reach high places.

The studio is now framed in.

This is a few of the post-production wing with screening room visible to the left.

HVAC ventilation installs continue.

A framer cuts steel studs.

Interior walls and HVAC ventilation

2007-09-20T14:46:00.001-04:00

Interior walls have started framing and HVAC ventilation continues. With luck and clear weather the roof should be completely dried in tomorrow.

Walls go up in the studio and surrounding areas in the production wing.

Framer screws steel studs together.

The production wind viewed from the post-production wing.

The hall leading to graphics and sound design.

Center slab, HVAC, and roofing

2007-09-14T13:30:00.001-04:00

Ventilation components awaiting installation.

The center slab poured and being smoothed out.

Steel and forms prior to pour of the center slab.

Joint in the wall panels being insulated and caulked.

Clark Fivek standing in the soon-to-be-poured screening room.

The poured screening room.

Duct work installation continues.

Screening room recess, HVAC duct work, rough plumbing and electrical, and roofing.

2007-09-12T15:44:00.000-04:00

Progress continues with a finished roof in terms of structure. The post-production wing's roof is dried in with the remainder of the roof to be dried in by the end of the week.

The biggest news is the screening room has been excavated and formed with phase one pour on the center slab scheduled for Friday. Other work in progress includes ventilation installation and rough outs on the plumbing and electrical.

Gary and Sonny oversee the Bentonite water proof barrier installation in the screening room.

Ventilation installation is under way in the post-production wing.

Air handlers are on site and being preped by the electrcial sub.

Roofers are hard at work drying the roof in.

Rough plumbing is finished.

Workers lay the Bentonite waterproofing underlayment in the screening room.

The finished screening room viewed from the front door.

HVAC subs install the ventilation duct work.

The roof of the common and production areas is now finished.

Sonny and Gary discuss logistics.

Aerial Photos

2007-09-10T11:47:00.000-04:00

Here are a few aerial photographs of the new facility.

Roof deck and slab forms and prep.

2007-09-07T17:30:00.000-04:00

Pourbacks on the production and post-production wings are finished. Work continues on the roof deck and is a bit behind schedule. The center slab is slatted for pour the middle of next week and form outs for the theater start this weekend.

Forms for the center slab.

conduit for the 1000 amps of power from the street.

Ironworker cuts roof decking.

Gary and Sonny contemplate the schedule.

The view from the main entrance.

Sparks fly as roof decks are fit into place.

Roof deck and additional concrete prep

2007-09-04T14:25:00.000-04:00

Work continued today on finishing the roof deck and making final preparations for the slab pour back. Later this week work will begin on digging and forming the screening room's recessed floor and preparing for the third and final slab pour in the central area of the building.

Also met Gary Bush who will be project superintendent for the remainder of the construction.

Safety cans working together.

The roof deck is complete over most of the post-production wing.

Another view from the post-production wing.

Steel columns are bolted and secured to the foundation.

Welds are placed at every juncture of steel.

Steel supports are welded to steel plates in the concrete wall panels.

Rebar is in place waiting for the slab pour-back starting tomorrow.

Belated Ground Breaking

2007-08-31T13:57:00.000-04:00

The whole DVA team went over to the new facility to officially inaugurate the space... a very nice gathering. Special thanks to the folks at Haskell Construction for being so generous and accomodating in making this event possible.

The DVA staff.

Tony Haines, president of DVA, talks about the size of his new office.

Clark explains the flow of the new facility.

Bill Scheerer pretends to explain something technical to Chris McFall, who graciously nods his head and moves on.

Tony pops the cork on the celebratory champagne.

Britt McTammany toasts with Maria Maglio and Bill Scheerer.

Toasts to future success.

Clark, Britt and Tony toast their staff.

Here's to many more years of great success.

And cheers to our clients and vendors for making this all possible.

Steel and Electrical

2007-08-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

Work continues on the steel roof structures. Today preliminary installation for the joists in the production wing were completed. Ironworkers also started doing the welding to secure all the joists to the wall panels. Concrete crews are finishing the backfill in preparation for the slab pour back and work on the center slab will start soon.

The front facade.

One of four structural support columns.

Steel and concrete meet to form a solid structure.

Safety can is making friends.

Structural Steel: The Roof Structure

2007-08-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

Work continues on building the structural roof elements. In addition, workers are also finishing concrete elements like grinding rough edges, backfilling the walls on the inside and outside of the structure and preparing for the slab pour-back.

Ironworker reaches for a steel support.

Steel elements slide into recesses in the concrete panels.

The finished roof structure in the post-production wing.

Welding steel support plates.

Walls are backfilled with dirt.

Grinding edges on the concrete panels

More edges need grinding.

Wall panels are now securely bolted to the footer.

Tools of the trade.

Electricians dig trenches for electrical conduit.

Structural Steel

2007-08-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Work on the structural steel for the roof started today and will continue through next week.

Steel roof joists lined up nice and pretty.

All concrete panels will be welded and bolted to the footer.

A new crane is onsite to get steel into place.

Tools of the ironworker's trade.

Preparing to lift some steel.

The first column is being lowered into place.

Steel column is secured into position.

Raising The Walls: Time Lapse Videos

2007-08-27T10:49:00.000-04:00

Chris McFall and Britt McTammany did some experiementation with digital SLR time lapse with some nice results.

This video shows the rear of the building being assembled:

This video shows part of the front facade's assembly:

Raising the Walls: Day Two

2007-08-24T18:30:00.000-04:00

Today the remaining panels were set and the exterior shell has been completed. Work on the steel roof structures starts on Monday. Special thanks to all the members of Haskell's Concrete Division for doing an amazing job. The heat and dust alone are almost unbearable but these guys are amazing and they have been putting in lots of hours to keep us on schedule and looking good. It is truly impressive watching them work.

Tony Haines, Clark Fivek, and Britt McTammany pose in their new space.

The front entry panels almost finished.

The final panel is being set.

Sonny Carter gets the job done.

Clark poses with the Nox-Crete barrel.

The front facade is nearing completion.

A view of the inside.

The front entry begins installation.

The view from the back of the building.

Workers grout under every panel by hand.

Rough edges are ground off.

The first of the panels for the front facade are lifted.

The first panel on the front facade gets placed on the footer.

Raising The Walls: Day One

2007-08-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

What an amazing day. The first 16 wall panels (of a total of 36) were raised in about 5 hours this afternoon. The crane is HUGE and is over 200 tons (415,000 pounds) and has got to be almost 120 feet in the air... you can actually see it from our current offices.

After the 4 hours needed to assemble and rig the crane, crews got started about 1:15 and by 5:30 we had what you see at the bottom of this post... amazing.

The second corner in the post-production wing gets installed.

Moving a panel into position.

Look at the size of that thing. Each track is 21 tons!

Slowly the panel is lowered into position.

A wide angle view of the progess on both wings.

Popping a panel off the slab. Safety can is on the job!

Bolting down the support braces.

Sonny Carter directs the crane operator to lower the panel into position on the footer.

Crews remove the lifting hooks after the panel is securely in position.

Sonny, project superintendant, and John, the crane operator, discuss logistics.

The is the back of the post-production wing. These two windows bring light into the two new audio suites.

The day's progress on the post-production wing.

Final Footer Prep

2007-08-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

Crews worked today on getting the footer preped for wall erection tomorrow. The crane is scheduled to be on-site late this afternoon and be assembled early in the morning.

Footer marked for rebar kick dowel drilling.

A jobsite should never be without its safety can.

A masonry saw takes a break.

All measurements are double checked against an on-site set of plans.

Every panel is measured and marked.

Shims await their final positions in the next few days.

Rebar kick dowels are ready-to-go.

Wall panels are clean and ready.

These kick dowels are waiting to be inserted into the footer.

A worker drills the footer for kick dowel installation.

Workers drill and cut the bottom of a wall panel.

Footer with kick dowel in place.

Final Wall and Footer Clean-up

2007-08-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Crews spent today making preparations for the crane which should be on-site for assembly tomorrow morning.

Workers cleaning the site.

These chains and hooks will be used by the crane to lift the panels into place.

Here are several of the panels with supports bolted-on.

Detailed view of support bolted into wall panel.

Masons patch minor imperfections in the panels.

View down the edge of the slab along one of the footers... cleaned, marked and ready for walls.

More clean-up still yet to be completed.

Wall Construction: Form Removal and Clean-up

2007-08-20T13:54:00.000-04:00

The last of the wall panels were poured today and crews began the clean-up of the site in preparation for the arrival of the crane on Wednesday. Preparations include stripping all the wall forms, cleaning the footers, exposing support connections for the hooks and tie downs, and removing all debris from the slab and surrounding areas.

Wide angle of the job site from the front.

Clark Fivek checks out the view from his future office.

Now that's a crowbar. Worker removes nail holding wall forms down to the slab.

Workers remove a wall form.

This is a future window in the front facade.

Here you can see the recess detail on the side of a panel.

Another form is removed.

The top arch of the rear entry panel.
See the previous post for the same angle prior to the pour.

Britt McTammany pretends to be doing something constructive.

Wall Construction: Forms, Steel and Clean-Up

2007-08-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

Today crews are working on finishing up the last bit of frames and steel for the few remaining wall panels. They will be pouring these panels on Monday to complete the wall construction phase. Also today thru next Wendesday panels will be getting stripped of their forms, supports will be exposed, and final clean-up preparations will be completed for installation of the walls panels next week.

Steel being cut to fit the form.

Stripping old forms for use in new panel forms.

Look at this beefy 7½ concrete wall panel... impressive.

This is the arched form for the rear facade.

Exposing recessed lift hooks for use by the crane.

Recessed lift hook now exposed.

A combination of single and double stacked walls with forms removed. Note the beveled edge details.

Wall Construction: Concrete Pour Phase Two

2007-08-16T12:32:00.000-04:00

Because there are so many walls there will be a multi-phase approach to wall construction. Walls are formed, steel laid, and poured... then repeat until all the walls are done.

Superintendent Sonny Carter oversees the concrete finishing crews.

Smoothing out the concrete.

Another whirlybird in action.

Here you can see another wall's rebar in place on top of a wall poured a few days earlier.

Cutting forms.

These are the walls for the front facade. Note the windows formed into the concrete.

Wall Construction: Concrete Pour Phase One

2007-08-16T12:10:00.001-04:00

A concrete truck feeds a boom truck to pump the 4000psi concrete into each panel frame.

Workers guide the hose from the boom into the forms.

Whirlybirds smooth out the finish.

The finished slab inside the forms.

Wall Construction: Rebar Rods

2007-08-13T11:53:00.000-04:00

A "Rod Buster" installs rebar inside the wall forms.

A wide angle of the forms with rebar rods.

Some forms are double height to accomodate two walls being poured on top of each other.

Lots of steel makes for strong walls.

More forms and steel.

Wall Construction: Forms and Reveals

2007-08-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

The new facility will utilize 7½-inch solid concrete walls in its exterior. They are poured on-site and on the slab. Forms are built to contain the concrete when poured. Steel rods will be added for additional strength.

Here we see Sonny Carter, one of Haskell's Project Superintendents, working on forms for the decorative reveals that will be in the wall's exterior.

A framer nails together another form.

Wall frames are built right on the slab.

Framers nailing down the reveals.

2x8 forms with supports are nailed directly to the slab.

Forms with window farmes and reveals.

Laying out the reveals for the intricate design on the front facade.

Pouring the Slab

2007-08-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

The new facility's slabs are being built in 3 stages to accomodate the crane for wall installation at a later date. Shown here are the slabs that will be located under the production and post-production wings.

A wide angle shot from the front of the property.

Smoothing off the slab's surface.

Workers clean-up the slab's edges and joints by hand.

Digging the Footers.

2007-07-30T10:23:00.000-04:00

Footers are marked with construction paint.

Placing steel rods in footer for additional strength.

Panaoramic of the site from the rear of the property.

Site Prep for Footers and Slab

2007-07-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

Workers prepare for footers and slab.

Land Clearing and Grading

2007-07-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

The New Digital Video Arts

2007-03-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Originally printed in the Jacksonville Business Journal August 10, 2007.

As the area's film industry continues to grow, one production company is spending $3.8 million to nearly double its facility to reel in more clients and larger projects. By early next year Digital Video Arts, a full-service Jacksonville production and postproduction business, will operate in a new 15,000-square-foot facility off Belfort Road, down the road from its current 8,500-square-foot building. The amenities planned for the new building will allow DVA to compete for projects at a level most area production companies cannot.

In addition to more audio booths, two sound booths and six editing suites, DVA will have its first 1,200-square-foot studio for in-house shooting. In the past, DVA would film its projects at a studio in either a television station or another production company and then transfer it back to DVA's office for postproduction.

Though it is common for television stations to have in-house studios for live production, it is not so common for local audiovisual production businesses. The new studio, along with a full prep kitchen, a green room and a theater-designed screening room, will allow DVA to upgrade project quality with existing clients and gain new clients. The studio can also be leased to other parties for shooting projects on-site.

The screening room will seat 25 people so DVA's clients can view a project in a theater-styled room instead of in an editing suite, said Clark Fivek, vice president, director of production for DVA. Fivek plans to use the hallway that splits production rooms from postproduction rooms as an art gallery. DVA will host events such as wine tastings to support the community and networking. "We do a lot of creative stuff and there is a large creative community here," he said. "We want to be more a part of it."

The production area will be designed primarily around food preparation because DVA has a full-time artist to design the food for shooting and clients, such as Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: WINN), that require a facility to shoot food commercials. "We'll be able to craft things better," Fivek said.

Only a few full-service production facilities in Jacksonville have stages on-site for live or taped productions, said Todd Roobin, head of the city's Office of Film & Television, a division of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. "DVA's new facility shows a sign of growth for the company, which is a very positive outlook for Jacksonville."

Digital Video Arts' revenue increased 15 percent from $3.02 million in 2005 to $3.46 million last year, Fivek said. The company has 18 employees and plans to hire more production professionals to support the larger facility.

Of the stations and production companies that do have studios, many, such as WJCT, The CW17 and Jacksonville Production Studio, gain additional business by leasing them to private parties for other productions.

The CW17 recently began leasing out its 2,400-square-foot studio on the Southside after a change in management. "Our new general manager's philosophy is that we have this asset, the studio, and we need to use it to the ability that we can," said David Hall, production supervisor.
Danny Quitter, producer/director at The CW17, said production groups like to film in a studio because any scene can be created through green screens and the environment can be controlled. "There's no distraction from windows and you don't need to shut an operation down."

One of the largest full-service production facilities in the area and the state is at PGA Tour Productions, which has a 32,000-square-foot building and a 1,024-square-foot studio with live television and audio control rooms. PGA Tour Productions airs up to 460 hours of live golf on television a year and broadcasts it to more than 144 countries, said Chuck Scoggins, vice president, operations.

"We primarily support domestic and international television and cable partners," he said. "However, we certainly have the staff and the resources to compete with anyone on a production or postproduction level."

Roobin said DVA's new facility could attract more clients locally, nationally and globally.

"It's difficult for us to get pass the 'You are in Jacksonville, so you are a small studio,' " Fivek said. "The thing is, when we finish, we will be the largest private facility built in Jacksonville."