Conference 12 Oct

Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum
in association with the BFI London Film Festival
12 – 15 October 2010

How do the new ways that audiences are accessing and interacting with media change the way that stories are told, delivered and shared? How can powerful new tools and applications enable content creators – writers, directors, producers –  to reach far greater and diverse audiences? What are the new business and rights models that are emerging?  Who are the new stakeholders, financiers and partners of cross-media stories?

Power to the Pixel presented a day of keynotes, candid case studies and presentations from an array of world-class experts who are working at the vanguard of cross-media content creation, production and finance.

CONFERENCE, NFT1 BFI Southbank

09.30 – 09.45
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
LIZ ROSENTHAL Founder and Managing Director, Power to the Pixel

09.45 – 10.15
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: THE GAME-IFICATION OF LIFE
MICHEL REILHAC Executive Director, ARTE France Cinéma (FR)

10.15 – 10.45
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: BABIES, BUNS AND BUZZERS
MIKE MONELLO Co-Founder Campfire, Co-Creator The Blair Witch Project (USA)

10.45 – 11.00
BREAK

11.00 – 11.30
A PEEK INTO THE FUTURE: THE ADVERTISER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES CREATED BY DIGITAL CONVERGENCE
JEAN-PAUL EDWARDS Executive Director Futures, Manning Gottlieb OMD (UK)

The advertising industry has also been grappling with the implications of the convergence of media in a ubiquitous digital world. Advertisers have been looking at the shifts in technology and consumer behaviour over the past decade through consumer insight and modeling, to understand what people want to hear and where. Here we share our view of the drivers affecting change and where the opportunity for new revenue-generating models might exist over the next three to five years.

11.30 – 12.00
NEW BEDFELLOWS: TIPS FOR DIGITAL SUCCESS VIA ALTERNATIVE DISTRIBUTION MODELS & PARTNERS
WENDY BERNFELD MD Rights Stuff (NETH)

Wendy Bernfeld canvasses various different ways rights holders can monetise their programmes and/or finance new ones via new media.

She will present an overview of recent launches and trends in international online, mobile, handheld device and other new media video platforms, as well as recent cross-platform (transmedia) production and distribution trends. The discussion also distinguishes various emerging consumer and business models (including rental, subscription, ad-supported and sell-through/download-to-own).

12.00 – 12.30
DIGITAL SHIFT:  WRITING FOR TRANSMEDIA
MAUREEN McHUGH Co-Founder & Writer, No Mimes Media (USA)

For the last decade ARGs, transmedia, digital media have been seen as ways of promoting and extending films.  What if they’re more?  Just as talkies changed the landscape of filmmaking, technology is changing audience expectations – they want immersion, they want interaction.  Does that mean audiences want to make the story?  Not exactly.  But they certainly expect to impact it.  How does one write a dynamic, immersive, interactive experience where the film is just one part (and a static one at that)?

12.30 – 13.30
LUNCH BREAK

13.30 – 14.00
BUILDING A STORYWORLD
LANCE WEILER MD Seize the Media (USA)

This is an amazing time to be a storyteller. The democratisation of the tools to create, combined with rapid changes in media consumption mean that there are more ways to tell stories than ever before.  The creative possibilities are endless but where do you start? How do you extend the stories you want to tell beyond a single screen?

Lance Weiler, one of the leading experts on transmedia, will share how he designs and builds storyworlds that engage audiences whilst at the same time tap new forms of funding and revenue streams.

14.00 – 14.30
CASE STUDY: THE LEGION OF EXTRAORDINARY DANCERS
KEITH QUINN SVP Creative Development & Production, Paramount Digital Entertainment (USA)

Jon M. Chu’s The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (The LXD) is the world’s first online dance adventure, released on Hulu in the US in July 2010, and currently available worldwide across multiple distribution platforms. This stunning project breaks boundaries in genre, format and platform and is a game-changer in the way that web series and the arts are presented online. Keith Quinn will present a case study of this huge online phenomenon, produced by Jon M. Chu and Hieu Ho in partnership with Agility Studios and distributed by Paramount.

14.30-15.00
CASE STUDY: COLLAPSUS
TOMMY PALLOTTA Director & Producer (USA/NETH)

Markets fail, buildings collapse, empires end, but what about media? Is it also crumbling? Will a new form of media emerge which will break all boundaries of storytelling before it? Tommy Pallotta will walk you through his latest project Collapsus, which combines interactivity, animation, fiction and documentary.

Collapsus looks into the near future and shows you how the imminent energy transition affects a group of ten young people who appear to be caught up in an energy conspiracy. What will their world look like after the turbulent transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources? Interact and make decisions to avoid further blackouts; get a broader perspective by listening to the experts; or observe the consequences for everyday people through the fictional story.

15.00 – 15.15
BREAK

15.15 – 15.30
ADVENTURES IN INTERACTIVE VIDEO
STEVE CALLANAN, CEO wireWax (UK)
DAN GARRAWAY, wireWax (UK)

Steve and Dan present the potential of interactive video to create new types of storytelling experiences and find new ways to monetise video. Through the hyper linking, or “hot-spotting” of objects in video, consumers can access information relative to the people, places and products shown in their favourite tv shows, music videos or feature films simply by clicking on objects within the video frame itself.  With the ability to provide media owners, distributors and advertisers an unprecedented level of video viewership and consumer behaviour data, does this lead to a way of creating value around free delivery models?

15.30 – 15.45
ADVENTURES IN P2P
JAMIE KING, Co-Founder VO.DO (UK)

Jamie King has become a spokesperson for a growing movement promoting the possibilities of ‘free culture’ as a viable alternative for filmmakers and other cultural producers. Jamie updates us on the VO.DO project, launched in 2009, which works with creators to distribute free-to-share media via notable P2P sites and services including The Pirate Bay, Mininova and Vuze. Its aim is to develop an innovative P2P distribution platform whose reach can rival that of mainstream media.

15.45 – 16.15
CASE STUDIES: PRISON VALLEY AND WATERLIFE – ADVENTURES IN INTERACTIVE DOCUMENTARY
ROB MCLAUGHLIN Head of Digital & Interactive Content Production/Strategy, National Film Board of Canada (CAN)
JOEL RONEZ Head of Internet, ARTE France (FR)

Documentaries interpret and synthesize many sources of information to explain a situation or express a POV. How do interactive platforms enhance and transform the possibilities for documentary storytelling? What are the new financing models? The pioneering producer/financiers of two award-winning multi-platform interactive documentaries, Prison Valley from France and Waterlife from Canada, will demonstrate how these new formats are transforming the genre.

16.15 – 16.45
CASE STUDY: FINAL PUNISHMENT<