First-Look Preview For SMPTE's "Moving Images" Documentary To Screen At NAB

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is taking up a number of landmark projects in conjunction with its celebration of the Society's centennial in 2016, writes Howard Lukk, SMPTE Fellow and Standards Director and Film Director at Pannon Entertainment Inc.

Among these projects is a feature-length future looking documentary, tentatively titled "Moving Images". The documentary will tell the story of the people behind the technology that enables film, broadcast and even internet from content creation to distribution to consumption. Our team includes myself, as director, along with producer Randall Dark, cinematographer Travis LaBella, editor Bobby Hewitt, and associate producers Aimée Ricca and Richard Welsh. We've created a 'first-look preview' of the film, which promises a unique and compelling look into the human element behind epic engineering feats and technological achievements in the motion-imaging field.

We are excited to be screening the preview, in 4K laser projection, as part of the NAB Show's Technology Summit on Cinema (TSC), produced in partnership with SMPTE. Those that attend the screening will not only be the first to view any part of the film, they will also be able to count themselves among the few that get to have this opportunity as the preview will likely not be widely distributed.

The material we've gathered, thus far, for the documentary, is nothing sort of remarkable. I'm sure that, after getting a look at the first-look preview, TSC attendees will be eager to see how it all comes together in the feature. Using original interviews with top filmmakers, historians, entrepreneurs, and engineers, as well as historical and never before seen behind-the-scenes footage, the film will investigate the influence of art and science on one another. The SMPTE documentary introduces the engineers and artists working behind the scenes over the course of the industry's evolution, beginning more than a century ago. It will highlight the craftspeople that have changed the way we consume media: past, present and into the future.

Thanks to Bobby's great eye for cutting, his flair for isolating striking imagery, and his wide experience in music video production, we've created a four-minute piece that will have people's blood pumping from the very first frame. What will become evident to viewers immediately is the technical ingenuity of the people behind the camera, has been just as creative and influential as the on-screen artistry that's so obvious. In demonstrating that engineering is art, the film will provide numerous examples of the ways in which creativity has driven engineering innovation – and how the groundbreaking work of engineers enabled production of iconic films ranging from the D.W. Griffith films of the early 1900s to more recent films such as "Titanic" and "Gravity."

While "Moving Images" is envisioned to provide the audience with an engaging and illuminating look at the people who have driven development of motion-imaging technology, it also will explore future possibilities for innovation. In examining the potential of current and future technical advances, the film will build on SMPTE's work in the realms of both standards creation and education.

Within its technical committees, at SMPTE Section meetings around the world, and at technical conferences and exhibitions, the Society is known for drawing top industry experts and innovators together to discuss motion imaging, audio, and information technology developments and the potential implementation. Looking ahead, "Moving Images" will draw on its resources to examine topics including ultra high definition (UHD) television, immersive cinema sound, virtual and augmented reality, and other emerging technologies as well as speculate on their potential impact on media consumption.

Much has changed since Charles Francis Jenkins, the Society's founder and first president, created one of the first commercially viable film projectors and premiered (in 1894) the first showing of a reeled film with electric light for an audience. Using the state of the art in production and projection technology, "Moving Images" first-look preview and subsequent release of the feature will serve as powerful reminders of the ingenuity, invention, and personalities that are responsible for many important works of art. At the same time, these films will illustrate the influence of SMPTE's important work on the evolution of motion imaging technology.

The article is also available to read on BFV online.

(JP)