Hollywood Confab Focuses On The Future Of Cinema
The future of the cinema will be debated during a seminar co-hosted by the Hollywood Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema-Television on Saturday, May 22 at the Norris Cinema Theatre on the USC campus. Thought leaders from the creative, technology and business sectors of the entertainment industry will participate in panel discussions and demonstrations designed to bring the future of the cinema into sharp focus. The common thread running through the fabric of the seminar is the relative roles of film and digital imaging technologies in the production, post-production, distribution and exhibition sectors of the industry. ""We will attempt to separate fiction from fact and hyperbole from truth by bringing main players from the creative and technology sectors of the industry together for an in-depth dialogue,"" says SMPTE Hollywood Section Chair John Brooks. ""The goal is to find common ground between the needs of the creative community and the realities of the business of filmmaking, distribution and exhibition."" The day will begin with dual keynote addresses by cinematographer John Bailey, ASC, and Phil Barlow, Walt Disney Studios. Bailey will focus on how the convergence of film and digital technologies affects the art of visual story telling. Barlow will discuss the same issue from the perspective of a major content producer and distributor, paying particular attention to the future of exhibition. Five panels with an eclectic mix of filmmakers, industry executives and hardware manufacturers will discuss the relative roles of film, digital and hybrid imaging technologies. The first panel will focus on production. Ed DiGiulio, founder of Cinema Products, will moderate it. Panelists include Allen Daviau, ASC, Arthur Cosgrove, Kodak, John Galt, Panavision, and Larry Thorpe, Sony. The second panel will deal with lab processes. The moderator is Jerry Pierce, Universal Studios. Panelists include Glenn Kennel, Kodak, Rob Hummel, DreamWorks SKG, Garrett Smith, Paramount Pictures and Dash Morrison, Deluxe Laboratories. A third panel moderated by H. Loren Nielsen, Entertainment Technology Consultants, will discuss alternatives for distributing electronic and film prints to exhibitors. Panelists include Robert Mayson, Kodak, Steve Morley, CineComm, and Al Shapiro, New Line Cinema. Following that panel, Clyde McKinney, Technical Editor, Film Journal International, will discuss the future of exhibition. A panel that includes Larry Jacobson, LJ Productions and Michael Karosian will discuss the issues he raises. A final panel will focus on projection systems. Bob Pinkston, Dolby Laboratories, will moderate it. Panelists include Doug Darrow, Texas Instruments, Dave Schnuelle, THX Consultant, Chapin Cutler, Boston Light & Sound, William Bleha, Hughes-JVC Technologies, and Joe Husung, Walt Disney Imagineering. The audience will also hear a report form the SMPTE task Force on Electronic Cinema and learn about a new initiative by the Entertainment Technology Center of the USC Cinema-Television School. Jim Korris and Thomas MacCalla of the USC Entertainment Technology Center will make that presentation. The seminar will conclude with demonstrations of film and digital projection technologies and a wrap-up question-and-answer session with the dayís speakers and panelists. ""This is part of an on-going series of educational initiative by our members,"" says Brooks, ""It is designed to build communications bridges linking the creative and engineering communities, so we can address issues of mutual concern."" For information about registration contact Herb Farmer, USC School of Cinema-Television. Phone 213 740 2921 or email: hfarmer@usc.edu. For more information on SMPTE programs and updates, visit the Website at www.smpte.org.