PREVIOUS INSYNC EVENT
Building Tools, Telling Stories, Making Movies at Pixar: Michael B. Johnson in conversation with Matt Locke.
July 16th, 2007
Michael B. Johnson is the lead for Pixar's Moving Pictures where he and his team design, develop and support the production pipeline for film development, story, and editorial.
Dr. Johnson first came to Pixar Animation Studios in May 1993, where he worked on custom tools for production. In 1995, he moved to R&D in Pixar's Interactive division, where he wrote and developed a previsualisation system for 'A Bug's Life'. In 1999, he completed additional pre- visualisation work and wrote lighting tools for 'Toy Story 2'. He created animation tools for 'Monsters, Inc.' and 'Finding Nemo', and developed a 3D paint and set-dressing system for the latter. For 'The Incredibles', he designed animation, review and story tools and for 'Cars' he worked on the Editorial pipeline. For the studio's latest release, 'Ratatouille', his team redesigned the entire story/editorial pipeline, moving it over to a completely digital one. Prior to Pixar, he worked for NCSA, Thinking Machines, IBM and MIT's Media Lab.
In this presentation and in discussion with the audience, he will explore creativity and collaboration, art vs. craft, design vs. engineering in constructing Pixar’s unique entertainment experiences.
Crossover UK: inventing the future of documentary.
Wednesday the 20th of June 2007.
InSync hosted a debate with leading commissioners and producers from the UK's broadcast industry on the 'Future of Documentary' hosting the London launch of Crossover UK: a creative lab in which talented and experienced documentary film and television makers will work with new media producers and games developers to develop innovative, interactive projects for cross- platform delivery. Crossover UK explored the creative and the commercial challenges of creating factual content and services for digital media.
At the InSync launch, mentors and producers who participated in Crossover Australia earlier this year outlined their vision for the factual future and give a taste of the lab process. They included Matt Adams (Blast Theory), Marc Goodchild (BBC), and Paul LeDieu (Magic Lantern).Heather Croall (Sheffield Doc/Fest) and Frank Boyd (Unexpected Media) will explain how to apply for Crossover UK which will take place between September 30th and October 5th 2007.
"The revolution will not be televised. It will be YouTubed"
Thursday March 15th 2007
The technological changes happening within television (from YouTube to 18DoughtyStreet, Current TV to Joost) together with the increasing democratization of the medium are obvious. Likewise, the inherent conflicts are equally clear; balancing being commercially viable, technologically up-to-date, creative, and maintaining audience interest and participation. Less clear is what to do about it all, as the possibilities are exponential and unpredictable.
Bringing together some of the people who have looked these challenges in the eye, we will discuss how the latest technologies are already being harnessed (socially, politically and technically), how commercial, creative and operational demands have been met and what possibilities we might expect in the future.
The discussion was chaired by Kathryn Corrick, new media consultant. Speakers included Hi8us, Iain Dale, broadcaster and Director of 18DoughtyStreet – www.18doughtystreet.com and Current TV
Rights Will Make You Rich
January 25th 2007
We keep being told that the key asset in the knowledge economy is intellectual property: that rights will make you rich. But is making money from IPR a real option for companies working in digital media? Most are stuck in a ‘gun for hire’ business model, selling ideas to clients and brand owners who own them because they commission and pay for them. Until recently, “cost + 10%” was the business model in television but in the past couple of years the indie production sector has been revitalised by the new arrangements with broadcasters. Is there any real prospect of new media agencies doing the same? With a very diverse range of clients and no effective lobbying body or trade association, how will businesses in the digital sector establish terms of trade and ways of working which will enable them to own and exploit intellectual property?
Games you should have played
2nd October 2006
Everyone knows what the classics are in Literature but what are the equivalents from the world of interactive entertainment?
Whether you're a complete non-gamer, an embittered industry veteran, or somewhere in between, come along to play and debate the known milestones in the development of the medium, in the company of Dave Green Nick Gillett - games reviewer, extraordinaire.
The Guardian Guide, Simon Wistow, console collector.
Kids: The Converged Consumers?
February 28, 6.30pm 2006
Children have always been a key audience for audio-visual content. But in recent years, with the advent of interactive media and new digital platforms, there has been particular interest in how they use and consume digital media. It has become something of a truism that children are the earliest of adopters:
the most interactive and experimental of viewers, and that their patterns will shape the future of media production. But how accurate is this picture? How are children migrating to new technologies and platforms? This evening event will do some in-depth thinking about the realities of how kids use interactive media. It will bring together professionals from television, interactive and mobile content production to explore in detail what we think is happening, and how we can best understand this to develop creative and commercially successful products.
Networking The Future
November 22, 2005
This event is dedicated to exploring the shape of the audio-visual and interactive industry in the years ahead. What are the new markets? Where will the clients and customers be? The most exciting and creative work? The most important platforms? The job and enterprise opportunities? As Yogi Berra said, “Predictions are hard, especially about the future.” This event offers the antidote to expert’s prophecies that fail to materialize. By drawing on a broad and diverse range of views and insights and a participatory approach – everyone attending will be able to contribute as well as take insights – the evening aims to create a vision of the future that can help us all make practical decisions today. Presented in association with New Media Age.
How to Shoot a Film in London
November 17, 2005.
Filming in the capital is getting easier, but can still be a daunting prospect. With 33 local authorities and numerous regulations, good location management is vital to the smooth and efficient running of a production. Not everyone can afford a professional Location Manager, but even a small team needs someone with the experience and expertise to find, negotiate and secure a location, and ensure that it fits with both the director’s brief and the practical and financial constraints of production. This evening seminar will give you an introduction to shooting in London. It will guide you through the issues and common problems, and give you the knowledge you need to film considerately and effectively.
Presented in association with Film London.
Ambient Media: The Poster that Talked Back
November 9th, 2005.
Outdoor or "ambient" advertising has always, by its very nature, been static. But now brands are going mobile via the poster. Mobile owners are being invited to enter competitions or download content and offers. The possibilities, as Bluetooth becomes more widespread, could be endless - and not all welcome. So who are the companies behind these developments? What have been the results on the ground so far? And will we face a future where we are swamped by adverts on every street corner? With players including Blucasting (behind recent campaigns for Coldplay) and Hypertag, this InSync session will look at the latest innovations and trials, and at how brands and media owners are responding to this brave new mobile world. Presented in association with Mike Butcher, Editor-at-large of netimperative.com
Point and Schtick: Can Interactivity Make You Laugh?
October 20th, 2005.
Interaction with consoles and computers elicits a lot of responses, but laughter isn't usually one of them. Why is this? Is it that we haven't yet found the Buster Keaton or John Cleese of the medium? Or is there something inherent in the nature of interactive media that simply doesn't lend itself to comedy in the same way that linear media do so well? The BBC is setting out to prove that clicking can be a laugh. This session is the first stage in a process that will offer up to six teams the opportunity to develop an idea for a cross-platform comedy show for interactive tv, the web and mobile platforms. The session will bring together people from the independent production, games and digital media sectors to talk about comedy and interactivity, come up with some ideas and, with luck, have a laugh. Presented in association with NTK (www.ntk.net)
Interact! Games Meets Interaction Design
September 22nd, 2005.
Games design and interaction design have much in common and a lot to share. Both are mature disciplines, and address sophisticated human-computer interactions. As interaction design has moved towards user experience, games design has crossed back into multi-player gaming and collaboration. What can these disciplines learn from each other today about storytelling, models of interaction, user research and testing, aesthetics, 'learnability', collaborative environments, and product development? Come and discuss these key issues with some of the leading thinkers and doers in the games and interaction design industries.
The Future of Documentary
6th July: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
In collaboration with the Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Insync presents an evening of lively discussion with commissioning editors and filmmakers, to explore the onset of the second wave of the digital revolution. How will documentary filmmakers and broadcasters respond to the challenges of making programmes for new platforms? What is the future of factual film and television with the emerging importance of cross platform distribution? How will broadcasters respond to the challenge of user-generated content? Just what is on the horizon for factual television production and delivery and how will the
second wave of digital revolution affect documentary filmmaker |
