USC Plans 20,000-Square-Foot Virtual Production Facility in University Park

The University of Southern California is preparing to expand its School of Cinematic Arts with a new 20,000-square-foot production center in the University Park neighborhood. Located at 625 W. 32nd Street, the proposed Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production will occupy an infill site currently used as a surface parking lot between the USC Cinematic Arts Center and the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.

Funded in part by a $25 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the educational facility will house two specialized stages equipped with wraparound LED panels, performance capture infrastructure, camera tracking, and lighting systems, alongside computer labs and classrooms. Architectural firm Bastien and Associates, Inc. designed the two-story building using painted plaster and metal cladding, bordered by open courtyards connecting to neighboring properties.

Executing the development will require multiple discretionary approvals from the City of Los Angeles, including a General Plan amendment and a zone change. The project marks the division's first major physical footprint change along 32nd Street since 2016.