“It allows us to shoot in places we wouldn’t have access to or shoot in a safer way than we normally could,” Waterhouse said.

The University of Canterbury is leading the charge and plans to open the new digital screen campus next year.

“A key part of this plan is that we want students and industry to work together in one place,” Acting Executive Dean of Arts Kevin Watson told Newshub.

“So the students work and then get their experience, so they’re all doing it together at the same time.”

The University already has film and game development programs and this new facility will create an ecosystem of existing and new qualifications.

“It really comes down to this idea of ​​converging the way we make movies, games and interactive apps. It’s merging more and more,” Andrew Phelps, a professor at the University of Canterbury, told Newshub.

“So it gives us the opportunity to think about how we’re going to provide for the next generation.”

It is redeveloping 14 hectares of its Dovedale campus, including four existing buildings.

The auditorium is being transformed into a recording studio large enough for a 90-piece orchestra.

This new technology could be the key to New Zealand’s growth in the gaming industry.

“The industry, both separately and together, is huge and worth billions of dollars internationally,” Watson said.

Watch the full story above.