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May 21, 2007

The Internet is not a medium, it is a language

Yesterday was a busy day for us in Cannes. First we held the Cisco panel in the American Pavilion (more below), then we watched the red carpet procession from an overlooking apartment (video below), and finished off the day with a screening of the new U2 3D movie.

If you have bad memories of “3D” movies with red and green glasses, U2 3D will convince you 3D is the only way to see movies within the first two minutes. Even if you’re not a U2 fan, I recommend seeing this for it’s innovative technology.

Now, to the panel…

Our panel “The Internet: New Platform for Storytelling, or Just Distribution?” focused on how technology is changing every aspect of the entertainment industry including production, distribution and the business deals that are struck.

I managed to capture a few video highlights before dumping the memory on my camcorder somehow. From left to right on the attached video, the panelists included:

Tony Perkins, AlwaysOn (moderator)
Dan Scheinman, SVP and GM, Cisco Media Solutions Group
Catherine Owens, director of U2 3D
Michael V. Lewis, CEO of Real D (maker of 3D technologies)
Bobby Bedi, director of Bandit Queen

Bobby Bedi set the tone for the conversation in his introduction by saying “I thought I was a filmmaker, but I really am a content-maker. The business of filmmaking is not necessarily that of being a content producer.” That is because, “the Internet is not a new medium, it is a new language” and a new form of communication.

Catherine Owens noted that in the past there has been little connection between technicians and artists, resulting in content developed by technologists familiar with the technology. She sees it as important for artists like herself to “bring a sense of emotion” to content through these new technologies.

Michael Lewis picked up a similar theme when he talked about evolving the cinema experience to give viewers something unique. People are willing to pay for that premium, 3D experience in the theater because it is an immersive experience you can’t achieve on an iPod, or home TV.

Catherine also touched on the side benefit of mobility that digital technology gives her on the production side. The fact that she could “be a my mum’s house” in Ireland tagging a rough cut of the film on her laptop before sending it off to the production team in the US was invaluable.

Bobby Bedi also provided an eloquent close to the session by saying, “Will the industry resist [digital technology and the changes it brings]? Yes, that is part of the normal process. It is human behavior to at first resist, then join change.”