By Robert Goldrich
With this season’s The Road To Emmy series now squarely in our rearview mirror, this issue of SHOOT takes a look back at a TV awards season like no other during the unprecedented times of a pandemic and society’s reckoning with racial injustice.
Our feature story includes reflections from Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma and takes into account a mix of accomplishments on both ends of the continuum–in the spotlight and under the radar.
On that latter front, however, our recap didn’t get into two such achievements that rang out with a special resonance and relevance–namely the winners for Outstanding Original Interactive Program, and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.
The former honor went to The Messy Truth VR Experience, a virtual reality series designed to build empathy. One episode, for example, puts us in the shoes of a 12-year-old Black lad who’s in a car when he and his dad are unnecessarily pulled over by the police. During night four of the virtual Creative Arts ceremonies, among those accepting the Emmy for The Messy Truth VR Experience was producer/EP Van Jones, a CNN commentator and former Obama administration adviser. Jones noted that he was drawn to the promise of VR primarily for the opportunity to use technology to unite rather than divide people, helping viewers to feel what others from different walks of life experience.
Embracing the power of technology to help generate empathy and understanding can go a long way toward helping to address what ails us. The VR series incorporates Oculus Quest hand-tracking technology that transforms viewers’ hands to match the race and gender of the character whose eyes they are looking through.
The other acceptance speech carrying relevance in today’s times was that of Nena Erb who along with colleague Lynarion Hubbard won the alluded to editing Emmy–for Insecure, the HBO series created by Issa Rae. As an Asian American and person of color, Erb is committed to advancing the stories of others.
In her virtual acceptance speech, Erb said, “You know, none of us is gonna remember who won this award a week from now but being an immigrant and a woman of color, I’ll always remember that Issa made sure I had a seat at the table. This was possible because of her. Thank you.”
Robert Goldrich is an editor for SHOOTonline.
European Union moves to compel Apple to open up operating system to rival tech
The European Union said Thursday it will outline steps to compel Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to competing technologies under the bloc's tough new digital rulebook, which threatens hefty fines for breaches.
The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said it has opened two "specification proceedings" that will spell out what Apple needs to do under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act.
The DMA is designed to prevent Big Tech "gatekeepers" from dominating digital markets, including by breaking up closed tech ecosystems. It requires tech companies to make their systems operate with rivals, allowing consumers to switch more easily between platforms.
One proceeding will focus on how connected devices like smartwatches and headphones will have "effective interoperability" with Apple's operating system. The other will look at how Apple deals with interoperability requests from software developers for iOS and IPadOS, which should be done in a "transparent, timely and fair" way, the commission said.
During this process, which will take up to six months, the commission will send its findings to Apple. It's the first time the commission has used this process since the DMA took effect earlier this year. The bloc is already investigating Apple over its App Store rules for developers.
The commission's executive vice president in charge of competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, said in a press release that the process will "provide clarity" for developers and Apple.
Apple said it has "created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPadOS while protecting our users."
"Undermining the protections we've built over time would put European... Read More