By the time you are reading this, all Y2K fears and issues will be a part of history. And probably one of the biggest jokes of the new millennium is the hype and buzz about the gigantic glitches that were going to engulf us and lead to a worldwide state of chaos.
This is not to say that some fears and precautions were not warranted. Left unchecked and ignored, many of the issues that the water-and-cash-hoarders feared would come true would have. Precaution and planning are keys to avoiding catastrophe.
At AICP, as we look toward entering our fourth decade of representation of the commercial film industry (in 2002), we are already addressing the issues that will challenge our business. One of those issues is the definition of who we are. Broadly, commercial production is the world of creating engaging messages for the purposes of marketing products and services. But where and how those messages will run in the future are still to be determined.
Cable and Direct TV gave us tremendous opportunity, but will the spread of the Internet—faster than most expected—take it away? Will the rise of TiVO and other technologies that zap commercials (perhaps adopted more slowly) quash our business, or provide different opportunities? How will the development of digital and hi-def TV affect us? What other applications of science and engineering are on the horizon that will impact spot production?
Studying the future is one of our jobs: Raising these issues and making sure we are familiar with the possibilities and the probabilities is key, so that our members can make informed decisions and continue to provide the finest creative services anywhere.
To this end, the AICP will undertake three important projects in 2000. A new technologies committee will be scoping out just that, and reporting back via the Web and other vehicles to give us a vision of what inventions and innovations are likely to be adopted, and how they’ll function in production’s future. A Delphi study of what experts see as imminent in the next ten years will give us a medium-range view. And a joint AICP/ SHOOT research venture will assess the amplitude of commercial production and provide a benchmark for comparison against successive studies, and a look at trends in our industry.
The combination of these elements should provide our membership with a helpful guide to the future, and will augment the activities that provide services for them on a day-to-day basis.
Preparing for the future is wise. Panicking about it is not. At AICP, we’re looking for the markers that point the way, analyzing the signs, and reading the compass. And, practical sorts that we are, we’ve still got a few water bottles in the cabinet. Happy New Year!
