Students help transform Jackson for ‘Stranger Things’ event
JACKSON — Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) Film Technology students helped transform downtown Jackson into an immersive “Stranger Things”-inspired environment for the Welcome to Hawkins Weekend held Oct. 2 to 4. The project marked the Film Technology Program’s third year collaborating with the Butts County Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of Jacqueline McKoon, president and CEO. Jackson’s historic downtown square is well known to fans of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” as a filming location for the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. This year, students and instructors drew inspiration from Season 5’s Military Access Control Zone (MAC-Z), creating a military-themed quarantine setting and a dramatic passageway leading to the eerie alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. The student-centered project immersed participants in the art department side of production, providing hands-on experience from concept development and preproduction through set design, scenic construction, fabrication, practical effects, lighting, set dressing and installation. Students created military-style signage, weathered barricades, perimeter fencing, prop equipment, creature elements, atmospheric lighting and an illuminated portal to bring the concept to life. Working toward a fixed public event deadline requires them to apply not only technical skills but also collaboration, troubleshooting, resource management and adaptability, according to SCTC. The
