Three universities of applied sciences–the Hochschule der Medien (HdM), Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM), and Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt (HSHL)–have earned approval to launch Germany’s first SMPTE Student Chapter. The new SMPTE Student Chapter will be the first jointly hosted chapter, leveraging the resources of all three institutions to engage and support students through educational and networking opportunities that support a future in media technology and digital entertainment fields.
“Students, educators, and researchers today are eager for opportunities to learn about emergent technologies–media in the cloud, data, virtual production, and others–and to connect with the people and companies setting the course for the future,” said SMPTE executive director David Grindle. “SMPTE Student Chapters deliver those valuable experiences, making innovation accessible and opening pathways to careers on the cutting edge of media arts, both technical and creative. I believe it’s why we’re seeing interest in SMPTE Student Chapters growing, and imaginative new partnerships developing, as well! It’s fantastic to see these three universities working collaboratively to make the benefits of a SMPTE Student Chapter available to their student bodies.”
SMPTE Student Chapters give students the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and trends, and to develop and even refine the skills they need to move into a workplace in need of those talents. Thanks to their close connection with SMPTE and its extensive professional network, SMPTE Student Chapters are able to host educational and networking events that are in tune with the skills needed, the knowledge most valuable, and the opportunities available for students as they move into the professional realm.
“I am delighted that the German SMPTE Student Chapter will offer my students what SMPTE has given to me: A giant pool of learning resources on state-of-the-art topics in media production and distribution, as well as an extremely welcoming, personal network with which to build a career,” said Prof. Jan Fröhlich of Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart. “I hope my students will fully engage in all SMPTE topics and contribute our expertise in color science, image coding, VFX, and virtual production. We live in amazing times, working together–around the globe, but as one family of media engineers and scientists–on the future of media.”
“I’m thrilled that our media technology students at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences are participating in the SMPTE Student chapter,” added Prof. Wolfgang Ruppel of Hochschule RheinMain, noting that an introductory workshop soon will be offered to inspire active participation in the new chapter. “We look forward to fruitful discussions and knowledge sharing on advanced topics such as Professional Media over Managed IP Networks, SMPTE ST 2110, the Interoperable Master Format, the Academy Color Encoding System, and many others.”
“In launching the German SMPTE Student Chapter, our students get their hands on an international network of media industry professionals with their eyes on the technologies at the horizon,” said Prof. Stefan Albertz of Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt. “In addition to enjoying connections and exchanges with students from all over the world, participating students have immediate access to the industry’s current topics, standards, and research. This will help them to gain speed, focus on their progress, and find their path and place. For our own international and interdisciplinary courses of study, the benefit increases and creates a perfect match.”
Music Biopics Get Creative At Toronto Film Festival
Many of the expected conventions of music biopics are present in "Piece by Piece," about the producer-turned-pop star Pharrell Williams, and "Better Man," about the British singer Robbie Williams. There's the young artist's urge to break through, fallow creative periods and regrettable chapters of fame-addled excess. But there are a few, little differences. In "Piece by Piece," Pharrell is a Lego. And in "Better Man," Williams is played by a CGI monkey. If the music biopic can sometimes feel a little stale in format, these two movies, both premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, attempt novel remixes. In each film, each Williams recounts his life story as a narrator. But their on-screen selves aren't movie stars who studied to get a part just right, but computer-generated animations living out real superstar fantasies. While neither Williams has much in common as a musician, neither has had a very traditional career. Their films became reflections of their individuality, and, maybe, a way to distinguish themselves in the crowded field of music biopics like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Rocketman." "This is about being who you are, even if it's not something that can be put in a box," Pharrell said in an interview Tuesday alongside director Morgan Neville. Also next to Pharrell: A two-foot-tall Lego sculpture of himself, which was later in the day brought to the film's premiere and given its own seat in the crowd. The experience watching the crowd-pleasing "Piece by Piece," which Focus Features will release Oct. 11, can be pleasantly discombobulating. A wide spectrum of things you never expected to see in Lego form are animated. Virginia Beach (where Pharrell grew up). An album of Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life."... Read More