The Hollywood Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers will examine the promise, and potential peril, of digital humans and so-called deepfakes at its monthly meeting November 19, in Hollywood. Held in tandem with the Radio, Television, Digital Newsroom Association, the free event will include a panel discussion of experts in the emerging field of synthetic humans.
A new organization was formed in recent weeks designed by women in exhibition for women in exhibition. Heather Blair, the founder of the new trade group Women in Exhibition, says the idea had its beginnings one day at a conference when, for the latest in more times than she can remember, she was the lone woman taking part in a panel discussion with a group of all white men. She says she knows many talented and intelligent women who have as much to offer the industry as men do and she set her mind to changing things. I recently spoke with Blair about her plans and goals for the new organization. Here is our conversation.
The Hollywood Professional Association awards committee will honor Peter Jackson’s documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old with the organization’s Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation. The award, whose recipient is selected by a jury of industry luminaries, was conceived to recognize companies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence, whether in the development of workflow, process or project to support creative storytelling, or in technical innovation. The award will be bestowed on November 21 at the 14th annual HPA Awards gala at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), the trade body representing cinema operators and their national associations across 38 European territories, has voiced its support for the National Association of Theatre Owners resolution laying out aspects of its digital cinema technology evaluation program. The technology evaluation program was approved last month by NATO’s executive board at the organization’s annual meeting.
Event Cinema Association executive director Grainne Peat will be celebrating her first year in that role when the association convenes in Amsterdam next month for its annual convention. It has been a busy year for the association and for Peat who has implemented many changes. I recently spoke with her to talk about all that has happened in the past eleven months. Peat says one of her key challenges going forward is to better define what event cinema actually is. But first, we discussed the association’s new website.
New York Women in Film & Television has named Jamie Zelermyer as its new board of directors president. Zelermyer has served on the NYWIFT board for four years, most recently as vice president of special events through which she oversaw the production of the 2017 and 2018 NYWIFT Muse Awards. She has been a New York-based producer and production executive for over 20 years and is currently producing Independent Feature Project’s signature program, IFP Week.
The International Cinema Technology Association has presented Christie Digital Systems with its Teddy Award as Manufacturer of the Year. The award is voted on by active members of the ICTA and presented annually to the ICTA manufacturer which “most closely exemplifies the progressive principals of product development and provides the dealers with service and up-to-date technical and sales information, while supporting the status of its product without qualification.”
The International Cinema Technology Association has named Ellis Jacob, president and chief executive officer of Cineplex, the recipient of the Global Cinema Innovation Award. The award will be presented to Jacob at ICTA’s awards ceremony at Puro Beach, Hilton Diagonal, June 16 in Barcelona the day before CineEurope begins.
The Hollywood Section of SMPTE will host a panel discussion this month on real-time visualization tools that are revolutionizing the way film and television productions are planned. The meeting takes place Thursday, February 21, at Sim in Los Angeles.
Earlier this week Cinionic was named Innovator of the Year by the Advanced Imaging Society during its 10th Annual Lumiere Awards at the Steven J. Ross Theater on the Warner Bros. studio lot. The event recognizes outstanding international achievement in the creation of immersive storytelling using advanced visual technologies.
