SMPTE Announces NAB Technology Summit On Cinema

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has announced the 2014 NAB Show's Technology Summit on Cinema: The Future of Motion Imaging and Sound (TSC), produced in partnership with SMPTE, which the body says will "provide an in-depth global view of the current state and future of filmmaking innovation."

"As the technology that drives the motion-imaging industry evolves, SMPTE's role as a standards developer puts it squarely in the midst of the latest innovations," said Pat Griffis, education vice president at SMPTE. "Building on the Society's unique role in the industry, the TSC offers NAB Show attendees a remarkable opportunity to hear from the leading-edge creatives, engineers, and technologists who are shaping the road ahead."
"Over the weekend of April 5-6, the 2014 TSC at NAB Show will bring together a unique cross-section of the most knowledgeable, visionary, and innovative engineering and creative minds to discuss leading-edge technologies and issues that will define the next generation of the movie-going experience," a statement from SMPTE said.
The first day will feature presentations and a Q&A session on the human vision system and the potential impact of improved motion images, followed by the presentation of case studies documenting state-of-the-art workflows for TV and motion-picture postproduction.
Chris Cookson, who has served in senior technology executive roles at Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., will take a look ahead with his TSC keynote, 'Cinema: Act 2, The Future.' This conversation will continue through a subsequent roundtable discussion moderated by Michael Karagosian and will include Matt Cowan, chief engineer, Entertainment Technology Consultants; Rob Hummel, president, Group 47; and Howard Lukk, vice president of production technology at The Walt Disney Studios.
'From Camera to Consumer — the New Post Production' will look at both a movie and a TV workflow to understand the impact of the new world of postproduction. Panelists will include Michael Cioni, CEO at Light Iron; Phil Squyres, senior vice president of technical operations at Sony Pictures Television; and Leon Silverman, general manager, Digital Studio, at The Walt Disney Studios.
Presentations on the creation and implementation of new SMPTE standards, including the Interoperable Mastering Format (IMF) standard, will be followed by an overview and live demonstration of the laser-illuminated projector technology now being deployed in cinema installations.
On day two of the TSC, sessions will focus on 'distributive creativity' in the post environment; on how new technologies are being used to enhance storytelling; and on capturing and creating a high dynamic range (HDR) cinema experience. In the latter session, speakers, including the creative team from the short 'Telescope', will discuss the visual improvements possible with extended dynamic range, as well as their impact on the creative process.
The TSC will feature a session on Oscar-winning blockbuster 'Gravity', which earned seven Oscar® awards, including best visual effects, sound editing, and cinematography. Participating in the session will be Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki (pictured); Harry Bardak, CG sequence supervisor for "Gravity"; and Steven J. Scott, senior supervising digital colorist. They will be joined by moderator David Cohen of Variety magazine.
A second-screen panel hosted by Disney's Annie Chang will feature an interactive look at the 'Disney Second Screen Live: The Nightmare Before Christmas' iPad® app designed to enhance the viewing experience on the main screen. (The iPad v5.1+ app is available on iTunes®.) A two-part 'Looking in the Crystal Ball' session will cap off the conference. Session leaders will first examine the emergence of an integrated experience of sound and image, and then provide a glimpse into how movies might be photographed and displayed using new methods that seem magical by today's standards.
www.tsc2014.org
www.smpte.org
(IT/JP)