By MARC SCHWARTZ
I’M NOT GOING TO NAB THIS year.
For thousands of people there are valid reasons to attend, and if you’ve never been, you should experience the sheer size and excitement of the ‘show’ at least once. But socializing and professional networking purposes aside, which in fact are excellent reasons to attend, there is less and less benefit in trekking to Las Vegas simply to physically touch the ‘gear.’
If the main goal in attending NAB is to seek information about the latest and greatest in equipment and software, much of the information is already at your fingertips. We decided not to send anyone from Spontaneous this year because, for the first time, we don’t feel very far behind the technology information curve. We already know, or don’t know, or are just as confused about the same issues as everyone else. And this is because the postproduction business has, for the most part, reversed it’s emphasis from hardware based/software supported to software based/hardware supported (that being "digital"), and much of this information is readily available online.
All the hardware that used to be required to run an offline, online, or sound studio, has been reduced to a software package running on a single box, plus a storage device for output. (For the sake of this argument, please allow me the oversimplification.) Even for production, Mr. Lucas has announced that Episode III will be shot and distributed digitally, taking a significant amount of gear out of the production loop as well. So, email and the Web have made the annual trip to Las Vegas (today, it’s also a family town … another reason I’m not going) less necessary for me this year.
At Spontaneous Combustion, and I’m sure at many other companies, we are constantly forwarding each other emails with Web addresses to check out this or that new software, press release, or set of hardware specs. As beta sites and participants of manufacturer-sponsored online news groups, we learn about specific techniques and issues that crop up in new software packages and on real projects in production around the world. Via email we can communicate directly with technology development people to explore new feature possibilities. We can electronically communicate with our peers, anywhere, exchanging information and commenting on the pros and cons of a specific new device. Strong relationships with our vendors have allowed us evaluation licenses on the software we are interested in, and at times, loaner boxes to run them on. And transporting these tools no longer requires heavy trucking-downloads or Fed Ex envelope will do. And finally, trade publications, online or print (such as SHOOT) do an excellent job of covering pre-NAB, NAB and post NAB, and that’s a lot of NAB.
To be fair, there are tools and toys that will be first displayed at the show. But I can read about them on the Web a nanosecond after they are unveiled. I remain open minded though, and might in fact see you there next year!
“Memoir of a Snail” Takes Top Prize At London Film Festival
The Official Competition jury said: “Our jury was incredibly moved by Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, which is a singular achievement in filmmaking. Emotionally resonant and constantly surprising, Memoir tackles pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognize an animated film alongside its live-action peers.”
Rounding out the winners of this year’s films screening In Competition are:
- Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – On Falling (Dir. Laura Carreira)
- Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – Mother Vera (Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson)
- Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – Vibrations from Gaza (Dir. Rehab Nazzal)