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The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), the organization whose standards work has supported a century of technological advances in entertainment technology, today released details about the 2017 NAB Show's "Future of Cinema Conference: The Intersection of Technology, Art, & Commerce in Cinema," produced in partnership with SMPTE. Scheduled for April 22-23 during the 2017 NAB Show, the conference will feature two full days of expert presentations delving into how technical innovation, artistic intent, and evolving consumption and business models will interact to shape the future of cinema.

 

"In the 21st century, cinema is evolving faster than at any time in its history," said Richard Welsh, SMPTE education vice president and CEO of Sundog Media Toolkit. "With consumers seeking content via many distribution outlets, creators are working vigorously to maintain artistic intent in an ever-changing landscape. The Future of Cinema Conference will explore the burning questions, with thought-provoking sessions and speakers, as we examine the future of movie-making and SMPTE's next century."

 

On day one of the conference, sessions will address topics including the use of the SMPTE Digital Cinema Package (SMPTE-DCP) for distribution in a time of technical and creative innovation; the role of cloud technology in global distribution; the latest in cinema projection and displays, and how the industry is adapting to these advances; real-world implementations of Interoperable Master Format (IMF); the evolution and current status of immersive audio technologies and standards; and threats to content security and how to protect against them.

 

The second day of the conference will extend the conversation on content creation, as well as consumption and the consumer. It will tackle the impact of light field imaging on content production and feature a panel on high-dynamic-range (HDR). Sessions also will discuss topics such as consumers' changing relationship to the movies; the significance of artistic intent to the consumer; the advance in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR, VR, and MR) experiences; and new styles of narrative and performance as showcased in select Sundance Film Festival entries.

 

"The diversity of topics and perspectives showcased in this year's conference sessions is remarkable," said Cynthia Slavens of Pixar Animation Studio, who serves as program chair for the conference. "From cutting-edge technology and creative techniques to questions about visual arts and the consumer experience, we've got it all."

 

In addition to Welsh and Slavens, the program committee includes Jaclyn Pytlarz of Dolby Laboratories; Chris Witham of The Walt Disney Studios; SMPTE Executive Vice President Pat Griffis, also of Dolby Laboratories; Nick Mitchell of Technicolor Creative Services; Jennifer Zeidan of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM); filmmaker, speaker, and writer Jennifer Hall Lee; Siegfried Foessel of Fraunhofer IIS; and Rajesh Ramachandran of Qube Cinema.

 

SMPTE members may use code EP02 to take $100 off the NAB Show nonmember rate for a Conference Flex Pass registration or to get a free Exhibits Pass. The offer expires March 24.

 

More information about the conference is available at www.nabshow.com/education/future-cinema-conference. Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.

 

NAB Show, held April 22-27, 2017 in Las Vegas, is the world's largest electronic media show covering the creation, management and delivery of content across all platforms. With 103,000 attendees from 166 countries and 1,700+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways.

 

About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®)

For more than a century, the people of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE, pronounced "simp-tee") have sorted out the details of many significant advances in media and entertainment technology, from the introduction of "talkies" and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, the Society has received an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery engineering across the industry. SMPTE has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force today. SMPTE Time Code™ and the ubiquitous SMPTE Color Bars™ are just two examples of the Society's notable work. As it enters its second century, the Society is shaping the next generation of standards and providing education for the industry to ensure interoperability as the industry evolves further into IT- and IP-based workflows.

 

SMPTE's global membership today includes more than 7,000 members: motion-imaging executives, creatives, technologists, researchers, and students who volunteer their time and expertise to the Society's standards development and educational initiatives. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) connects SMPTE and its membership with the businesses and individuals who support the creation and finishing of media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join. 

 

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