Set a few blocks from the antique stores and historic storefronts of downtown Orange, Chapman University seems the antithesis of Hollywood glitz.
The small university southeast of Los Angeles lies just outside the entertainment industry's 30-mile zone -- radiating from Beverly and La Cienega boulevards -- where most production takes place for economic reasons.
And it's miles from the beaches, upscale malls and nouveau-riche mansions celebrated on television's "The OC," "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" and "The Real Housewives of Orange County."
But officials at the liberal-arts university believe it's ready for its close-up.
On Monday, film classes will begin in the Marion Knott Studios, a new $41-million, 76,000-square-foot building. School officials say it is one of the nation's most advanced film school facilities.
The facility features two soundstages, a 500-seat stadium-style movie theater with a digital projector, a three-camera high-definition television stage and a motion-capture stage. Two floors of pre- and post-production facilities include a production design lab, a foley stage for creating sound effects, and a hefty digital cinema server.
But can a county that has gained worldwide recognition for glamour and wealth emerge as competition for traditional Hollywood -- and for the legendary USC and UCLA film schools that produced George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Rob Reiner?
Some say it will take more than money and high technology to move the needle.
Simply having all the right equipment isn't necessarily going to ensure a film student's success, said Ron Kutak, executive director of the Motion Pictures Editors Guild. "Equipment is just tools," he said. "There are large numbers of people going to school and looking to get into the industry. Some do and some don't. It's generally based on a lot of things -- ability in the craft they choose, contacts, the ability to get along with people."
Others, albeit those with a stake in the business, find the new facility intoxicating.
"This is the most coherent, state-of-the-art facility anywhere in the country," said Dean Bob Bassett. "The students will have the tools they need when they go into the business."
Marty Capune, Newport Beach's film liaison, agreed: "It will put Orange County on the map as far as future filmmakers are concerned."
