By Robert Goldrich
The Association of Imaging Technology and Sound (ITS) continues to make progress in its Washington, D.C., lobbying efforts. It recently enlisted the support of Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Federal Communications Commission (see separate story, p. 1). The ITS is seeking financial assistance for post facilities in making the transition to DTV, including hi-def television. Among the means being considered are: a research and development tax credit; a change in equipment depreciation schedules; and a loan program that might involve the Small Business Administration.
As earlier reported (SHOOT, 11/5/99, p. 22), the ITS’ Southern and Northern California chapters have enjoyed success in gaining the ear of California legislators, resulting in a state sales tax exemption on qualifying new equipment purchases.
And while some view a federal R&D tax credit as a long shot in this session of Congress, there’s still cause for optimism. During a public hearing in January (SHOOT, 1/28, p. 1), Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, described the R&D tax credit proposal as a legislative "opportunity," in that there’s "tremendous interest in helping technology on both sides of the aisle [in Congress]."
Indeed, the ITS has made significant strides on state and federal government levels. It is important that the industry have a voice in the body politic—particularly during this turning point, as new media and technologies emerge, resulting in a lobby that’s becoming crowded.
The Silicon Valley lobby, for example, won an increase in high-tech visas so that skilled foreign talent could be hired to compensate for an alleged shortage of qualified American workers (SHOOT, 10/23/98, p. 1). This hike of the H-1B visa cap has also benefited visual effects and CG houses that have had to scramble for capable artisans in an allegedly sparse homegrown talent pool. And now there’s talk on Capitol Hill of increasing the allotment of H-1B visas again, in light of the fact that the raised caps have been met ahead of schedule (SHOOT, 3/31, p. 1). For example, the annual limit of 115,000 visas for fiscal year Oct. 1, 1999 through the end of September has already been reached. The Immigration & Naturalization Service stopped accepting new H-1B visa applications last month.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, eBay, Amazon.com Corp. and DoubleClick Inc., among others, have hired D.C. lobbying staffs, set up offices and stepped up political contributions in a bid to influence whether and how the federal government regulates the electronic commerce industry. Dot-com firms are preparing for battle over such issues as Internet taxation, online privacy and data protection. Last summer, NetCoalition.com was formed and billed as being the first Washington lobbying group of purely Internet-based companies. Its founding members included America Online, Inktomi Corp., Lycos Inc., and theglobe.com.
Then there’s the National Entertainment Coalition, a group of organizations representing different segments of the filmmaking community. The coalition was formed in response to concern over runway production (SHOOT, 1/28, p. 1).
Building some form of lobbying muscle has become essential, noted ITS chairman David Case, who is also president of Pittsburgh facility Production Masters Inc. "We have the attention of some key legislators," Case said. "The postproduction industry is hitting their radar screens."
Tim Burton Discusses His Dread Of AI As An Exhibition of His Work Opens In London
The imagination of Tim Burton has produced ghosts and ghouls, Martians, monsters and misfits — all on display at an exhibition that is opening in London just in time for Halloween.
But you know what really scares him? Artificial intelligence.
Burton said Wednesday that seeing a website that had used AI to blend his drawings with Disney characters "really disturbed me."
"It wasn't an intellectual thought — it was just an internal, visceral feeling," Burton told reporters during a preview of "The World of Tim Burton" exhibition at London's Design Museum. "I looked at those things and I thought, 'Some of these are pretty good.' … (But) it gave me a weird sort of scary feeling inside."
Burton said he thinks AI is unstoppable, because "once you can do it, people will do it." But he scoffed when asked if he'd use the technology in this work.
"To take over the world?" he laughed.
The exhibition reveals Burton to be an analogue artist, who started off as a child in the 1960s experimenting with paints and colored pencils in his suburban Californian home.
"I wasn't, early on, a very verbal person," Burton said. "Drawing was a way of expressing myself."
Decades later, after films including "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Beetlejuice," his ideas still begin with drawing. The exhibition includes 600 items from movie studio collections and Burton's personal archive, and traces those ideas as they advance from sketches through collaboration with set, production and costume designers on the way to the big screen.
London is the exhibition's final stop on a decade-long tour of 14 cities in 11 countries. It has been reconfigured and expanded with 90 new objects for its run in... Read More