Words You Can Use: The BAVC BLOG

by Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming at BAVC

On January 21, 2008 at 12:30pm at New Frontiers on Main at the Sundance Film Festival, BAVC will be moderating what will hopefully be a memorable discussion about storytelling for next generation platforms.

In the current digital environment, you can’t really talk about “content” production or storytelling without also talking about funding, marketing, and distribution. Everything is wrapped up together, which is why it is so important to have the people who give or invest money, the people with the passion and skill for storytelling, and the people with the brain for technological innovation in the same room, next to each other, riffing off each others’ ideas and inspirations.

What’s central in my mind for this panel at Sundance is to present an engaging conversation that frames some of the key questions and challenges for the creatives as well as the funders working in new media, to create a forum for the sharing of the newest multi-platform projects and strategies, and to look into the future of the field, calling on independent and public media producers to play a significant role in the development of digital content and the technologies that support it.

Here’s the description from the Sundance schedule:

ALTERNATIVE STORYTELLING FOR NEW DIGITAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 12:30 P.M.
NEW FRONTIER ON MAIN (MICROCINEMA)

How do you tell good stories in a world where your computer is a television, your cell phone is a movie screen, and your avatar addresses a global virtual audience? Join visionary new funders, media artists, tech pundits and program innovators to discuss the development of next generation content for emerging platforms.

See the list of Panelists below — each of whom brings something really unique to the conversation, along with a passion for new media, and a commitment to the field.

Elspeth Revere, Vice President, MacArthur Foundation

Claire Aguilar, Vice President of Programming, ITVS

Nick de Martino, Senior Vice President, Media and Technology, American Film Institute

Susana Ruiz, Lead Developer & Director, Darfur is Dying (or check out the article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043001060.html)

Bernhard Drax, machinima artist/Second Life journalist (see his work http://www.mefeedia.com/tags/drax/)

Nathan Mayfield and Tracey Robertson, Co-Founders, Hoodlum Entertainment.

Hope you can join us in Park City. If you can’t, you can be sure to catch the blogposts and podcasts right after. We’re working on a webcast in Second Life, which would be really cool, but I’m not absolutely sure yet. Check back here – I’ll post the slurl if we make it happen.