NAB 2004 has joined forces with the Entertainment Technology Center at USC to present a next generation Digital Cinema Summit on April 18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, highlighted by a case study of the digital tools used on the upcoming VAN HELSING.
The schedule is as follows:
WHAT DO CINEMATOGRAPHERS NEED? (9:30 am - 10:00 am)
Technology exists to serve creative needs. Cinematographers use subtleties in colors, darkness and light and textures to set moods and evoke emotional responses from audiences. What capabilities do they want in digital tools to assure the integrity of the visual nuances in the images they create? How can they obtain the same predictability and accuracy from digital tools as they do from film?
Moderator: Steve Poster, ASC
Panelists:Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASCMichael Goi, ASCDaryn Okada, ASCGil Hubbs, ASCAllen Daviau, ASC
THE NEW GENERATION OF DIGITAL CAMERAS (10:00 am -10:40 am)
An examination of today's digital cameras and the new cameras set for release, and a look at where the technology is headed.
Moderator: David Stump, ASC
Panelists:Jeff Kreines, founder and inventor, Kinetta; Coosada, AlabamaMark Chiolis, sr marketing manager; Thomson Grass Valley, Burbank,CaliforniaSteven A. Stough, technical director and chief engineer, IntelligenceSystems Organization; Lockheed Martin; San Jose, CaliforniaMichael Koppetz, sr engineer, Research and Development ArriflexJohn Coghill, general manager, Digital Cinema; Dalsa Digital Cinema;Waterloo, CanadaAlfred Piffl, co-founder, P+S Technik; Munich, GermanyYasu Mikami, marketing manager, Movie and TV Production; Sony ElectronicsInc., Culver City, CaliforniaMichael A. Bergeron, system camera engineer, Panasonic Broadcast, Secaucus,NJ
ESTABLISHING THE LOOK (10:40 am - 11:20 am)This panel opens the curtain on "look management." Where is the look created, on set or in post? How is it communicated through the pipeline? How does digital post provide new creative flexibility? What is the impact of increasing use of DVD and HD dailies?
Moderator: Leon Silverman, exec vp, Laser Pacific Media Corp.
Panelists:Josh Pine,: vp of Imaging Research and Development, Technicolor Digital IntermediatesBill Feightner, exec vp/technology; eFilm, Los AngelesDaryn Okada, ASCDavid Stroud, product manager, FilmlightPeter Postma, systems engineer, KodakKarl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC
CASE STUDY 1 - VAN HELSING (11:20 am - 12:15 pm)A detailed look at how digital tools are being used on set and in the post-production of VAN HELSING, a May 7 release. The speakers will address look management, digital mastering, visual effects and more, demonstrating the practical application of ideas addressed in the morning sessions.
Speakers: Bob Ducsay, producer/editor; Allen Daviau, ASC, director of photography; and Steve Scott, digital intermediate colorist
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE: THE NEW WORKFLOW (1:15 pm - 1:45 pm)The new workflow is a hybrid process because it must accommodate both film and digital. What will the new production roadmap look like? How will digital tools change workflow on set and in post? Which jobs will disappear and what will replace them?
Speaker: Phil Feiner: president, Pacific Title & Art Studio
THE ROLE OF THE CUTTING ROOM IN THE NEW DIGITALPOSTPRODUCTION PROCESS (1:45 pm - 2:15 pm)How is the cutting room changing, now that creative editorial, HD previews and conforms and film cutting all happen at the same time? How do new desktop tools such as Avid and Final Cut Pro, and editing at higher resolutions, impact the process? Why are editors increasingly using vfx software as a cutting tool?
Moderator: Sheigh Crabtree, features editor/technology reporter, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Panelists:Bruce Markoe, exec vp, Feature Post Production; MGM PicturesNorman Hollyn, visiting associate professor, Editing Track Head; USC School of Cinema-Television; Los AngelesBrian McKernan, editor/associate publisher; Digital Cinema Magazine; New York CityAnton Linecker, technical operations supervisor; Technicolor Creative Services; Hollywood
CASE STUDY 2 - Digital Restoration of Classic Films (2:15 pm - 3:00 pm)
Presenters:
Rob Hummel: sr vp, Production Technologies, Warner Bros. StudiosJan Yarbrough: technical director, Warner Bros. Video Operations
DIGITAL MASTERING FOR FILM & DIGITAL CINEMA RELEASE (3:00 pm - 3:45 pm)Once filmmakers discover digital mastering's creative possibilities, they rarely return to photochemical color timing. At the same time, commercials and music video filmmakers who move into features are demanding the capabilities to which they are accustomed. Will digital mastering become the norm? What issues need to be solved (cost, speed, technology) to make this possible?
Moderator: Debra Kaufman: West Coast editor, FILM & VIDEO MAGAZINE
Panelists:Stephen Nakamura, sr digital film colorist; Technicolor DigitalIntermediates, BurbankSteve Scott, digital intermediate coloristDave Bancroft, manager, Advanced Technology; Thomson Broadcast and MediaSolutions; Reading, U.K.Rob Hummel, svp, Production Technologies, Warner Bros.StudiosLou Levinson, colorist, Post Logic Studios, Los Angeles
DIGITAL ARCHIVING (3:45 pm - 4:30 pm)As digital filmmaking increases, the issue of how and what to archive can no longer be ignored. How can the data from a digital camera - the equivalent of original camera negative - be archived with absolute assurance that it can be retrieved and read decades from now? The same concern exists for all elements used to create the final digital master.
Moderator: Milt Shefter, president; AMIA (Assn. of Moving Image Archivists)
Panelists:Laurin Herr, president, Pacific Interface; Oakland, CaliforniaMs. Patty Gray, vp-Product Development; eTreppid, Reno, NVGrover Crisp:, vp., Asset Management and Film Preservation; Sony Pictures Ent., Culver City, Calif.
WRAP-UP: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (4:30 pm - 5:00 pm)
Moderator: Charles S. Swartz, exec director/ceo, Entertainment Technology Center at USC
Information about the Digital Cinema Summit is at www.nab.org/conventions/nab2004/dcs.asp.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
