Considering the profound global success of James Cameron’s Avatar, as well as the hype surrounding practical 3-D television at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the growing frenzy surrounding the current 3-D craze has got me thinking about the future of cinema and immersive entertainment yet again. Now, we’re no where near seeing holographic, pliant, lifelike simulations like the one illustrated in the clip above – in fact, in our lifetimes we’re more likely to see something like a real starship Enterprise constructed before we ever see its famous Holodeck – but, for all the commotion surrounding 3D, well, it has got me looking at some new entertainment ventures that are edging us closer to true, fully immersive digital entertainment. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘film’
Edging closer towards the Holodeck
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Video DSLR – the “almost there” future of visual storytelling
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
/above image hot as a fresh flapjack – from http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/images/CameraConfigs/Studio-handheld-cam-2.jpg
Canon, with their 5D MkII and 7D DSLR cameras, (not to mention a host of other traditional still-photography camera manufacturers like Nikon), has slowly been making waves in the camcorder market for the last few years. The disruptive technology found within many modern DSLR’s through their video modes is the primary reason traditional camcorder manufacturers like Sony have to sweat. Video DSLR takes impressive advantage of the large image sensors traditionally used to make high-quality still images by applying these same sensors’ capabilities to video capture. Nowadays, models like the 5D are really stretching the definition of what constitutes a video/film capture methodology. It’s without question that the HD video capabilities of top-of-the-line DSLRs are going from novelty “extra feature” to becoming the primary purpose and use of the device for many production companies and hobbyists alike.
This item from Hurlbut Visuals (special thanks to Twitter user @russish for sharing this) illustrates just how far the video DSLR has come. (more…)
Piracy is just another word for “Quality Control”
Monday, November 23rd, 2009Today, my video, “The Internet is Unstoppable“, was posted to my program’s official blog by my professor, Kathy Gill. She seemed to like it enough to want to show it to her undergraduate students in another class even. Well, I shared this news on Facebook, where an independent filmmaker friend of mine commented that the idea was great, but that “free” hurts the little guys. I don’t know to what extent piracy endangers content producers on the slim side of the media scale, but I responded with this:
Hey, I don’t condone piracy or content theft of any variety – I’m just discussing what’s already happening. Copyright is a broken concept. You see, as long as the cost of reproducing content is basically zero, then you look pretty foolhardy trying to protect your right to sell an individual media item when it doesn’t cost you anything to create that individual SKU beyond its initial production. And for the little guys who have very limited production costs, they look even more foolish trying to sell digital product for net gain! Why on Earth would you expect people to gullibly contribute to your net profits when they KNOW, right or wrong, how to reproduce it and that it doesn’t cost a dime to do so?
So, by now you’re asking: Well, how do I recapture my production costs, in the least? (more…)
Proposed Social Media Strategy for the Seattle International Film Festival
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
About SIFF
The Seattle International Film Festival is a organization dedicated to promoting communication through extraordinary films from around the world. The annual festival brings together filmmakers and film denizens from parts far and wide, including the greater Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest, and the globe. In addition to the festival, SIFF Cinema presents classic Hollywood pictures and other events throughout the year.
Current Reach
The mission of SIFF is simple: to create festival experiences that foster the film community here in Seattle. To generate awareness, SIFF has traditionally utilized basic festival promotional techniques to promote their annual festivities. This includes but is not limited to print advertising, marquee displays, and posters. More recently, SIFF has executed a broad web strategy, consisting primarily of a website promoting the organization and the festival’s entries. In addition to their website, SIFF has established partnerships with other Seattle-oriented organizations’ websites and various local blogs. On top of this, SIFF has begun a foray into social media, creating Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
Challenges
The success of films and film festivals often depends on socially produced word-of-mouth. Positive word-of-mouth, especially that shared on-line, can make or break a movie. Merely establishing a presence within social media, where this word-of-mouth can be generated and spread, does not do enough to promote the festival or its films. Moreover, the impact of SIFF’s participation in social media is yet to be seen. Additionally, SIFF’s biggest fans are not always the most social individuals. How can the SIFF audience participate in a collective experience when being social-able is not always the M.O. of the biggest SIFF filmgoer? And, how can SIFF bolster positive word-of-mouth?
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