On Saturday, July 31, 2010, over 560 DGA members and guests gathered at the Guild's Los Angeles Theatre complex for the eighth annual Digital Day symposium at the DGA.
This year's event, entitled The Evolution of Digital: Survival of the Fittest, drew a sold out crowd to take a look at some of the new technologies DGA members have at their disposal. Attendees were able to join DGA colleagues and other industry professionals for a whole day of learning and networking through seminars, workshops, exhibits, and hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies.
Indie Strategies for Adapting to the New Media Landscape
The day kicked off with the panel discussion that explored multi-platform release strategies presented by the DGA Independent Directors Committee with Directors Michael Blieden (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live), Ondi Timoner (We Live in Public), and Jesse Warren (The Bannen Way); and Writer/Actor/Producers Jason & Randy Sklar (Back on Topps); moderated by Director Jamie Babbit (Itty Bitty Titty Committee).
Cutting Edge Apps
The second session was a quartet of presentations about the latest technological tools, moderated by Digital Day subcommittee chair Randal Kleiser (Red Riding Hood).
Using Still Cameras for High-Def Video Capture
The next session explained the growing practice of using cameras primarily designed for still photography to capture high-def video in a trio of conversations moderated by Randal Kleiser.
The Latest in 3D
Recent advances in 3D was the guiding theme of the next set of presentations, also moderated by Kleiser.
Raising Money and Building an Audience Online
In 2010 Digital Day's final presentation, Peter Broderick, a distribution strategist who consults with filmmakers and media companies to maximize distribution, audiences, and revenues explained The Latest Developments in Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing.
In addition to the hands-on demonstrations in the DGA lobby, and the presentations and seminars in DGA Theatre 1, Digital Day participants also watched highlights from a previously unseen Ridley Scott interview on directing with VFX that ran in Theatre 2, and highlights from the recent Inside the Virtual Technology of Avatar seminar in Theatre 3.
The DGA thanks the following companies for their assistance in making Digital Day possible:
American Hi Def • Progressive Productions • HdiRAWworks and these vendors who provided exhibits and hands-on demos: Apple iPhone, iPad and FinalCut Pro • ARRI • Avid • Canon • Chemical Wedding • eCallSheet • Grass Valley • J.L. Fisher • Kerner Commercial Production Labs • Let It Cast • Microdolly • Panasonic • Panavision • Phantom HD • RED • Sony • USC ICT Graphics Lab
Posted below are photos of the some of the many presentations, demos and panels that made up the day.