The SMPTE 2019 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2019) has been reimagined with a fresh style, focus, layout, program schedule, logo, and website. The Society’s flagship event, SMPTE 2019, will run Oct. 21-24 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles.
“We’ve updated and restructured our annual conference at every level so that it’s easy and enjoyable to discover, engage, and excel,” said SMPTE executive director Barbara Lange. “We’re bringing the conference and exhibition elements together to create a richer and more interactive atmosphere for attendees. In addition to making the educational experiences more engaging, we’ll be hosting various networking and social events throughout the conference.”
SMPTE’s flagship annual event is the world’s premier forum for the exploration of media and entertainment technology. Full conference registration for SMPTE 2019 will include the keynote presentation, entry to the exhibition and to all conference sessions, a rooftop lunch each day of attendance, and an opening night party.
SMPTE 2019 will provide access to the latest technology and offer top-quality education and professional development opportunities to help attendees increase their personal and professional value within the media and entertainment industry. The event is known for attracting the industry’s innovators — both creative and technical — and its business leaders, and this year’s event will provide attendees with a more intimate atmosphere for meeting and exchanging ideas.
SMPTE 2019 offers a more focused combination of submitted and programmed content to address the needs and interests of both experienced creatives and technologists as well as early career professionals. On the first day of the show, the latter group can leverage tutorials that will lead to in-depth sessions later in the week. Through a series of brief presentations, the industry’s most thought-provoking thinkers and doers will share their insights and anecdotes on motion-imaging technology and future directions in a non-commercial setting.
The exhibits and special events will create an enhanced experience for attendees, providing them with opportunities for networking and face-to-face meetings with industry experts.
Extended lunch breaks each day will take place on the iconic hotel’s spectacular rooftop venue. Attendees looking for more sunshine and fresh air can take part in the second annual 4K 4Charity Fun Run. Pop-up happy-hours and featured exhibits in the conference foyer will allow for impromptu gatherings.
“As always, SMPTE technical conference sessions will address timely, forward-looking topics like no other event in the industry does,” said SMPTE Education VP Sara Kudrle, who is also product marketing manager at Imagine Communications. “From the fundamental elements of cinema and broadcast workflows to the latest in immersive experiences, SMPTE 2019 will offer expert insights on the technologies driving the future of storytelling.”
Tickets for many SMPTE 2019 events are limited, and early registration is encouraged. Early-bird registration pricing is available now through July 27. Attendees also can save by booking SMPTE group room rate at the Westin Bonaventure, where a limited block of reduced-rate rooms will be available through Sept. 27, or while rooms remain available. A NAB Show special — available only through April 13 at the 2019 NAB Show — gives attendees $100 off registration. Come by the SMPTE booth located in the south hall, upper level, LSU1, for the discount code.
SMPTE is seeking technical manuscript proposals for SMPTE 2019. Abstracts are due by May 3. Authors of manuscript proposals selected by the SMPTE 2019 program committee will have the opportunity to present at the event and network with the industry’s most esteemed technology thought leaders and engineering executives during the world’s premier forum for the exploration of media and entertainment technology. Following SMPTE 2019, accepted manuscripts will be published to the SMPTE digital library, hosted on the IEEE Xplore platform, and video of each paper presentation will be posted on the Society’s YouTube channel, Submitted manuscripts will also go through peer review for possible publication in the award-winning SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. Program sessions will address advancements in current technology, plus future-looking developments in media technology, content creation, image and sound, and the allied arts and sciences.
Details on SMPTE’s call for papers, including topics and instructions on how to submit an abstract, plus additional information about SMPTE 2019 is available here.
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Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More