Roughly 200 attendees representing advertisers, ad agencies, production companies and post houses learned about DTV and its potential impact on advertising during a Dec. 15 DTV conference hosted by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Minnesota chapter. AICP estimates that roughly 70% of attendees represented ad agencies and another 20% production companies.
Held at the Minneapolis Hilton and Towers, the event began with a keynote address by industry veteran Mark Schubin, who is involved in the implementation of DTV in the U.S. During his talk, Schubin explained the basics of understanding DTV.
Next, a panel discussed DTV in relation to advertising. Panelists were Schubin, Charlie Lach, president of Minneapolis-based post house Crash & Sues, and David Perry, executive VP/ director of broadcast production, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. The discussion was moderated by Carolyn Giardina, senior editor, postproduction, of SHOOT and editorial director of SHOOTs DTV & Advertising supplements.
The session included the presenters role-playing the parts of commercialmakers planning to produce a fictitious spot in HDTV. Discussion topics included costs, post technology and film versus tape.
Panasonic, Philips, JVC and Sony displayed a variety of flat-panel and HDTV sets for the attendees. Dolby provided a Dolby Digital (5.1 AC-3 Surround Sound) demonstration.
I had a little information on the transition to DTV, but when I read the [first] ADTV & Advertising supplement in SHOOT [8/3/98], I realized how important a subject it is to the ad community, explained AICP/Minnesota chapter president Kirk Hokanson, president of Minneapolis-based Voodoo Films.
In addition, I didnt feel that anyone else in this region was remotely concerned about the impact this was going to have on the advertisers or the commercial production community, he continued. Especially in the transition period when we would have to finish in NTSC and HDTV, most people that I talked to were unaware of the complications in regards to post. So after a while I realized there was a tremendous amount of misinformation, and I wanted to have a seminar to help enlighten the production and post community as well as the agencies and the advertisers.
Hokanson cited as evidence of the events success much positive feedback and requests from attendees for a follow-up. AICP/ Minnesota is considering putting together another DTV session in about six months, he noted.
Key event organizers were Hokanson; Janet Zahn, AICP/ Minnesota board member and head of the Minneapolis Office of Film, Video & Recording; Heidi Habben, AICP/Minnesota board member and VP of Crash & Sues; Jodi Nelson, communications officer, Voodoo Films; and freelance producer Amy Brewster.
