Against a backdrop of rapidly emerging technologies in design for narrative media, “5D: The Future of Immersive Design Conference” will bring together many of the most innovative and influential voices in film, television, animation, interactive media and architecture, in Long Beach on October 4th and 5th.
Produced by the Art Directors Guild (ADG) and the University Art Museum of California State University at Long Beach (CSULB), this first-ever conference takes place on the CSULB campus, with Autodesk as the presenting sponsor. Film, animation and TV professionals and students will experience the very latest on the impact of immersive design through panels and sponsored workshops, with such visionary speakers as directors Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Joseph Kosinski (TR2N), John Tarnoff from DreamWorks Animation and ABC’s Mike Benson, among others.
“The culture of design is being redefined,” said Alex McDowell, co-founder of 5D and head of the Art Directors Guild Technology Committee. “This groundbreaking international conference explores the profound impact of rapidly changing technologies in design for narrative media — film and television, game design, animation, interactive media, architecture and environment — for artists, designers, scholars, educators, and students. Our definition of narrative media is shifting dramatically as traditional storytelling disciplines expand and converge. A new breed of designer is emerging who can flow freely between the real and the virtual — between media and across cultures.”
Attendees at the 5D Conference will also benefit from sponsored workshops custom designed by leading companies in the content and technology fields including Autodesk, DreamWorks Animation, ILM, OTC Productions, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Two workshop sessions will address Visualization – one sponsored by Animation World Network, the other by the ASC/ADG/VES Joint Previs Committee, which will include reports on its findings. Hosted by VFXWorld editor Bill Desowitz, the AWN session — “Pervasive Previs – How to Achieve More Immersive Visualization” – will enlist a diverse panel of filmmakers as they discuss the explosion of previs as a central tool of non-linear workflow. Moderated by co- chair David Morin, the ASC/ADG/VES Previs Committee session – “Previs in Hollywood: Past, Present, Future”– will feature an open discussion and brainstorm session of current and future visualization practice with some of the leading previs users and creators in the industry.
Tickets are available online only at www.5dconference.com, through September 26. Attendees may also register onsite at no additional cost. Pricing has been established to encourage academic and professional participation through special rates, with the current early bird pricing of $225 for a full professional pass available until the event opens on October 4. For more information on special rates, contact Rachel Ramirez at 714-374-1140 (Rachel.ramirez@pexcelp.com).
Thought Leaders in Entertainment Weigh In
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, John Tarnoff of DreamWorks Animation will guide the panel session, “Reality and Hyper Reality: Envisioning New Design Paradigms in Computer Generated Animation.” Exploring the future of environment and character in design-based entertainment, the session will raise questions about the “willing suspension of disbelief” and the opportunities for designers when the audience is prepared to accept any on-screen imagery. Panelists will include Pirates of the Carribean director Gore Verbinski; Scott Robertson, Art Center College of Design; Lance Williams, computer graphics researcher; and Evan Douglis, chair of School of Architecture, Pratt Institute.
On Saturday at 1 p.m., Joseph Kosinski, commercial and feature film director now working on TR2N, will participate in “Narrating Space,” a panel exploring the interaction of the virtual environment with the real world of architecture. When architecture no longer has to be concerned with physical, financial, and geographic constraints, it looks to filmmaking, story-telling and other forms of media for its limitations and context. Moderated by Peter Frankfurt, co-founder/creative director, Imaginary Forces – which recently won an Emmy for its title design for Mad Men — the panel also features Dr. Jerry Schubel, CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific, and noted architect Greg Lynn of UCLA’s School of Architecture & Urban Design.
At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Anne White, VP programming & creative, PRN by Thomson, will lead the panel session, “New Television: The Media Blender.” The panel – which includes Mike Benson of ABC; Stephanie Otto, Brainstorm Communications; Kevin Slavin, managing director of Area/Code; and Robert Tercek, founding chairman of the Game Developers Mobile Game Summit — will address the intersection of design and technology for the next generation of television (the experience in front of the screen and the experience in the screen), created by the blending of the media and the interaction of the consumer.
At 12:45 on Sunday, Rick Carter, production designer of James Cameron’s forthcoming “Avatar,” and Tino Schaedler, architect and art director (Harry Potter series), will join conference co-founder Alex McDowell, production designer of Minority Report on the panel, “Design in Flux: Immersive Design and the New Visual Narrative.” McDowell’s panel will also feature Sebastian Sylwan, senior industry manager for film at Autodesk and Habib Zargarpour, senior art director, Electronic Arts. The session will explore the challenges of the designer’s role in the process and the harnessing of technology to facilitate new levels of creative expression.
M.I.T.’s Henry Jenkins to Keynote
M.I.T.’s Henry Jenkins, one of the most influential film and media analysts in the world, will deliver the keynote address – “What Designers Need to Know About Transmedia Entertainment” — on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. This topic challenges designers to develop a better understanding of how fans and other consumers build upon, expand and enrich their fictional worlds. Jenkins is the author and/or editor of nine books on various aspects of media and popular culture, most recently the highly acclaimed “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide,” which examines contemporary trends in the entertainment industry, online culture and audience participation.
About the Art Directors Guild
The Art Directors Guild & Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists (Local 800 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE) represents 1,600 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world as Production Designers, Art Directors, Assistant Art Directors and Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists in Film, Television and Theater. The ADG Technology Committee has, since its inception two years ago, striven to inform its members, related guilds and students on the rapidly expanding uses of new technology tools and the new central role of design in the future of narrative media.
