Ringling College of Art, Design creating filmmaking complex

Ringling College of Art and Design announced plans to create a new digital filmmaking complex in downtown Sarasota.

The project, which will total roughly 30,000 square feet, will span almost a city block from Central Avenue to Cocoanut Avenue along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 25th Street. The building will include a multimedia soundstage and a professional post-production studio; amenities targeted at growing the college's digital filmmaking program.

As part of that program, which was created in 2008, Ringling has provided students with the opportunity to work with film professionals such as Anna Paquin and Werner Herzog. Ringling College of Art and Deisgn President Larry Thompson said the new project, on which “Moonrise Kingdom” co-writer Roman Coppola is serving as a consultant, would allow for even more professional opportunities for students.