The 13th annual Association of Imaging Technology & Sound (ITS) Forum & Exposition will begin its four-day run next week (7/12-15) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. This will mark a return to Southern California for the event, which was held last year in New York.
Educational sessions are slated to cover such topics as: cinematography and image capture in the digital era; significant technological developments over the past year; creative cash flow management; marketing strategies; motivating and compensating sales staff; a panel discussion on 1080/24P and HD postproduction moderated by Leon Silverman, executive VP, Laser Pacific Media Corp., Hollywood; and a SHOOT panel presenting perspectives on what post/effects facilities need to do in order to gain new media clientele. The SHOOT session is scheduled for Friday (7/14) from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Technology will be showcased in the exhibit hall area of the Beverly Hilton, and in sponsor suites hosted by Avid, Panasonic, Philips, sgi and Sony. ITS event attendees can gain hands-on access to products and direct contact with manufacturers, setting the stage for dialogue on industry needs and how they can best be met.
ITS president Terry Rainey noted that the Forum will focus on such relevant areas as "the business of survival," while shedding further insights into an industry which he described as being in the midst of "a great time of extreme technological change."
The Forum will culminate on Saturday evening (7/15), with the 21st International Monitor Awards. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, followed at 7 p.m. by the awards presentation and banquet. The International Monitor Awards gala honors the creative achievements of production and post professionals around the world.
The 2000 Monitor Awards drew nearly 1,000 entries, from which 250 were selected as finalists by judges. Trophies will be awarded in 18 categories, with nine craft areas. This year, for the first time, the Monitor Awards will honor achievements in sound design, audio mixing and original scoring. There were 89 entries in these new audio categories.
Commercials again will be well represented in the Monitor competition. Finalists for best achievement in national spots were: Mercedes-Benz’s "They Invented" directed by Bruce Dowad of Bruce Dowad Associates, Los Angeles, with 525 Studios, Santa Monica, serving as the post/visual effects house; Sega’s "Rapid Eye Movement," "Anxiety" and "Claustrophobia" produced and designed by Imaginary Forces, Hollywood; and Qualcomm’s "Sand," "Pop Quiz" and "Lined Paper," also out of Imaginary Forces.
The field of Monitor spot editor finalists consisted of: Barry McMann of Third Floor Editing, Toronto, for Ford’s "Global"; Richard Rosenbaum of Invisible Dog, New York, was nominated twice for Canon’s "Human Collator" and "Wires"; and Stuart Shevin of Postique, Southfield, Mich., also garnered two nominations, one for Adobe’s "Dreams," the other for Buick Regal’s "Fast Lane."
Companies nominated in the national spot visual effects category included: A52, Los Angeles; Lost Boys, Vancouver, B.C.; and POP (now part of R!OT), Santa Monica. A52 also scored finalist status in the 3-D animation category as did Manhattan Transfer, New York, and Blue Sky Studios, Harrison, N.Y. And receiving finalist recognition in the color correction category were such shops as R!OT; Todd-AO Hollywood Digital, Hollywood; and Postique.
