The Hollywood Section of SMPTE®, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of advances in entertainment technology, will delve into the deep history of moving imagery with filmmaker, inventor, and author Lenny Lipton at its monthly meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 22, in Hollywood.
Lipton will offer a lively presentation based on his forthcoming book “The Cinema in Flux.” In it, he traces the history of moving imagery to the 17th century and Christian Huygen’s invention of magic lantern projection. This early period, which Lipton dubs the “Glass Era,” was followed by the Celluloid Era, brought about by the invention of film and discovery of apparent motion, and today’s Digital Era, distinguished by the electro-digital method of storing and manipulating imagery.
Regarded as the father of the electronic stereoscopic display, Lipton was lead inventor of many technologies used in 3D projection. He has been granted 72 patents and is the recipient of a Smithsonian Award for the invention of the stereoscopic eyewear CrystalEyes. He founded StereoGraphics in 1980 and also served as chief technology officer of RealD. He is the author of four books, a Fellow of SMPTE and the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), and a member of the Scientific Council of the Conservatoire des Techniques of the Cinémathèque Française.
“Lenny Lipton is a brilliant technologist whose many inventions have had a profound effect on modern cinema. He is also a gifted cinema historian with a unique view on the development of the art and science of motion pictures,” said Jim DeFilippis, SMPTE Hollywood Section chair. “This promises to be a stimulating and provocative evening full of insights that will surprise even long-time industry veterans.”
Bill Hogan is the producer of the meeting.
- What: SMPTE Hollywood Section, March Meeting
- Topic: “The Cinema in Flux” with Lenny Lipton
- When: Thursday, March 22, 2018. 6:30 p.m. — Reception; 7:30 p.m. — Meeting
- Where: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Linwood Dunn Theater, 1313 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028 . Free parking is available behind the building.
- Price: Free for SMPTE members and nonmembers
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lenny-lipton-the-cinema-in-flux-tickets-43684125395
About the SMPTE® Hollywood Section
The Hollywood Section of SMPTE® was originally organized as the West Coast Section in 1928. Today, as its own SMPTE Region, it encompasses more than 1,200 SMPTE Members with a common interest in motion-imaging technology in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Hollywood Section offers free meetings monthly that are open to SMPTE Members and non-members alike. Information about meetings is posted on the Section website at www.smpte.org/hollywood.
About SMPTE®
For more than a century, the people of SMPTE (pronounced “simp-tee”) have sorted out the details of many significant advances in media and entertainment technology, from the introduction of “talkies” and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has received an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery engineering across the industry. SMPTE has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force today. SMPTE Time Code™ and the ubiquitous SMPTE Color Bars™ are just two examples of SMPTE’s notable work. As it enters its second century, SMPTE is shaping the next generation of standards and providing education for the industry to ensure interoperability as the industry evolves further into IT- and IP-based workflows.
SMPTE’s global membership today includes more than 7,000 members: motion-imaging executives, creatives, technologists, researchers, and students who volunteer their time and expertise to SMPTE’s standards development and educational initiatives. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) connects SMPTE and its membership with the businesses and individuals who support the creation and finishing of media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
All trademarks appearing herein are the properties of their respective owners.
