UCLA students, have I got a deal for you!
What if I told you that you had a personal movie theater in your backyard?
What if I told you that there was a place you could go where you and a friend could choose from a collection of films worthy of Netflix but without paying any money or waiting for shipping?
What if I told you that this magical place even had people who loaded the movies for you, ready to play anything of your choosing at any moment, and what if I told you that this was all for free? Yes, free!
No, I’m not Billy Mays, and I’m certainly not pushing OxiClean or Orange Glo, but I am about to share with you perhaps the most under-used treasure that UCLA has to offer: the Instructional Media Lab.
The media lab provides students and faculty with a readily available, easy-to-use, fully functional film library, keeping students on the cutting edge of innovative ways to study and research. And it’s free ““ all you need to access it is your BruinCard.
The Instructional Media Lab is provided by the Office of Instructional Development. According to office’s Web site, “the Media Lab enables faculty to incorporate media into the curriculum beyond using limited classroom hours, and offers students an opportunity to learn at their own pace, with the flexibility of studying at times convenient to their individual schedules.”
The lab is on the second floor of the College Library in Powell. Walk past the CLICC lab and the Reading Room, up either side of the awkwardly wide and short steps, take a left past the couches and the students sleeping on them, and voila!
Thousands of wonderful films await you at the Instructional Media Lab.
Let me assure you: It is not as ominous and boring as it may sound.
“Instructional (anything) Lab” sounds awful. It’s an awful, awful name. But give it a chance, and it won’t let you down.
Let’s say you have an hour-long break between classes. You don’t want to hike up the Hill back to your dorm, you certainly don’t want to face the mosh pit that is Bruin Walk, and CLICC has a 20-minute wait for a computer. Instead of waiting to get to a CLICC computer and surfing YouTube for 40 aimless minutes while occupying a computer that someone might need to print out a paper or finish an assignment, why not wander the 84 steps from CLICC up to the media lab and pop in an episode of “Arrested Development” or “The Sopranos” or “Seinfeld”? All are part of the collection.
Or, if you have even more time, watch one of your favorite movies. The movie collection at the Media Lab puts any personal DVD collection to shame: from “Kill Bill” Vol. 1 and 2 to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “300” to “Mean Girls.” “Titanic” to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
Plus, they’ve got 17 of IMDb’s top-20 rated movies, as well as most of the best picture Oscar winners from the past 30 years and beyond. Trust me, I looked into it.
I first fell in love with the media lab early fall quarter.
As an English student, I run into Shakespeare in almost every class I take. I’ve taken three classes devoted solely to Shakespeare, and all of my professors have encouraged us to watch the plays instead of just reading them.
Last quarter I spent nearly six hours a week in the media lab watching various versions of Shakespeare plays, most of which are early ’80s BBC adaptations that would have cost a fortune to buy had I been able to find them at all.
The staff is always friendly and more than happy to answer my inane questions, and there’s never a wait. Ever.
With more than 50 personal viewing stations and at least 10 private viewing rooms for groups of two or more, there’s always an empty seat.
And since I like to think of myself as a seasoned veteran of the lab, here are a few tips:
Most importantly, bring a jacket. And a blanket. And maybe leg warmers. And definitely another blanket. For whatever reason, the Media Lab is always freezing. Maybe it’s to keep people from falling asleep; maybe it’s to keep all the equipment cool; maybe it’s because there is an abominable snowman in the back room, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s absolutely as cold as a fridge.
Also, come with a specific film in mind. If you are looking for something old or in a foreign language, having the year of production, the director’s name or the specific title is helpful.
Lastly, and regrettably, leave the popcorn at home. The staff might turn a blind eye to a water bottle, but there are no food or drinks allowed.
The Instructional Media Lab is open when the university is in session, with hours varying depending on the day and season, but normally it is open every day.
If you’re ready to face the freezing tundra that is the Media Lab, check out oid.ucla.edu/units/imlab for more information.
For suggestions on the best BBC Shakespeare adaptations, e-mail Stoll at rstoll@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.