Digital media and visual effects pioneer Scott Ross will deliver the keynote address at the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers’ 2011 Annual Technical Conference & Exposition in Hollywood. Ross whose production teams won multiple Academy Awards for visual effects and founded and ran one of Hollywood’s premier digital production studios will discuss the current state of 2D-to-3D conversion as well as address the combined impact of globalization and technology trends on visual effects and the vital role of standards in this dynamic area of movie production. His keynote takes place October 25th at the Hollywood Renaissance hotel and conference complex. Ross is a founder and former CEO of Digital Domain and served as the general manager of George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic and as senior vice president of LucasArts Inc. He currently works as a professional consultant and producer and serves on the boards of multiple technology and entertainment companies. “Scott Ross saw the future of digital effects early on and is uniquely qualified to explain the motion-imaging research science standards and business models required for its thriving future ” says SMPTE president Pete Ludé. “We are thrilled to have him address our conference attendees.” The pioneering work in entertainment and technology of Ross spans three decades. Under his leadership Industrial Light and Magic won five Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. LucasFilm was reorganized in 1991 as LucasArts Entertainment Group and Ross was named as its senior vice president. In 1993 Ross founded along with James Cameron and Stan Winston Digital Domain one of the largest digital production studios in the motion picture and advertising industries. Under his leadership as CEO the company won two Academy Awards including its first Oscar in 1997 for the groundbreaking visual effects in Titanic – as well as four Scientific and Technical Achievement Academy Awards for its proprietary software. Ross successfully sold the company to director Michael Bay and a group of private investors in 2006. The importance of visual effects to move studio revenue and industry employment is significant: the top 20 films of all time which comprise 35-45 percent of overall box office returns all relied heavily upon visual effects according to Ross. “Effects and world-class imagery will continue to be box-office drivers worldwide ” says Ross. “So it’s critical for the livelihood of everyone involved along the production chain to fully understand the impact of dynamic globalization and technology trends particularly on effects. SMPTE understands that standards can help accelerate industry growth as well as ensure U.S. competitiveness amid these trends – and that the next generation of digital tools will require the fusion of motion science and the creative vision of great storytellers.” SMPTE www.smpte.org
