Fast Forward 2012, the 10th conference of the International Digital Media and Arts Association, continued at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL, November 9, 2012. With the theme Fast Forward, the conference featured speakers and presenters from a wide variety of disciplines presenting their thoughts and research on where digital media and digital arts are headed.
Meredith Amdur, General Manager, Strategy/M&A at Microsoft, started the day with her talk, “Searching for Innovation.” Amdur looked at the past ten years of technology development, including the rise of super platforms like Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, as well as where she sees the tech industry moving in the next 5 years.
Dr. Peter Raad, founder of the GuildHall at SMU, gave a talk on “Innovative Programs…finding the balance between Theory and Practice in Education,” where he argued for a combination of university-style education with a guild-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to create digital media.
Evan Hirsch, Principle of Engine Co. 4 and former Design Head, Microsoft & Creative Chief, THQ Studios, addressed the academics in the room with his talk, “Design Process—The Hard Transition from Classroom to Studio.” Hirsch shared his wish list for new graduates in the field of digital media, including the ability to generate multiple ideas, not simply one bug idea; the ability to quickly and succinctly define a problem; and such soft skills as research skills, the ability to critique work and presentation skills.
A number of special topics presentations were made by academics across the nation on the second day of the conference. The special topic for the first paper session was “21st Century Tools for Teaching.” Lindsay Grace, Miami University, spoke on “Producing Results with a Student Based Creative Design Studio.” Allen Jones, Puget Sound University, talked about “Visualizing Invisible Cities: Using the Cave to Teach Postmodern Literature.” Holly Hey, The University of Toledo, spoke on “The Objective Machine and the Subjective Experience: Meshing Methodology and Ideology in Digital Non-Linear Editing.” Michael Rabby, Washington State University Vancouver, presented the results of his research in “What Binds Our Programs Together? A Survey of Required Courses in Digital Media Programs.”
Richard Hilleman, Chief Creative Director, Electronic Arts, addressed the conference on the topic of “Changing the Palette in Digital Media.” He addressed how a contemporary video game company is structured around multiple platforms and described himself as “a whale” who is going to gulp up the students we are graduating to integrate into the EA ecosystem. Hilleman also addressed the need for generalists who can solve problems coming out of the university setting,
Liam Callahan, Senior Analyst, NPD Research, talked about how “The Audience Is Changing— Entertainment Consumption in America,” sharing results from NPD Research’s consumer data.
Stefano Corazza, Chantel Benson & Brent Jentzsch from Mixamo, a new online 3D animation tool, spoke about their service in their talk, “Unleashing Artistic Creativity in the Cloud.”
The afternoon special topics were divided into two concurrent sessions, one focusing on “Novel Interactions” and the other on “Social Narrative.” In the “Novel Interactions” session Mei Si, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, talked about “Applying Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Creating Rich Interactive Avatars. Julia Griffey, Animocation, spoke on “Movement-Driven Computer-Based Interactive Educational Media Systems in the Children’s Museum.” Angelos Barmpoutis, Digital Worlds Institute, University of Florida, talked about “A Novel Augmented Reality Educational System for Classical Drama Using RGB-D Sensors.”
In the “Social Narrative” session Mary Pettice, Lebanon Valley College, addressed the issue of ”Narrative Playfulness, Secondary Orality, and the Star Wars Fan Film.” Scott Shamp, University of Georgia, spoke on “Facebook, Feedforward Loops, Permeable Data Sources: The New New Media Content.” Daniel Cooper, Ball State University, talked about his Debate 2012 app in his talk titled, “Second-screen Showdowns: Presidential Debates in the Tablet Age.” Robert Fraher, University of Wisconsin Stout, with Patricia Frazie, Brad Hokanson, and Christiaan Greer, spoke on the “Therapeutic Potential of Interactive Digital Media”
Fast Forward was pleased to present a Digital Performance by Daniel Lewis, James Oliverio & guests at the New World School of the Arts Performance Theater. Entitled “Icons of Innovation,” the performance combined performers in Miami and the Digital Worlds Institute in Gainesville, Florida, and their online avatars representing their movements to audiences in Miami, Salt Lake City and Peru.
The Icons of Innovation digital performance by James Oliverio, Daniel Lewis and performers from the New World School of the Arts & the Digital Worlds Institute.
The annual iDMAa Awards Dinner recognized the winners of the Student Showcase and the IDEAS exhibit, and the International Digital Media and Arts Association awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, the “Iddy,” to Richard Hilleman, Chief Creative Director, Electronic Arts.
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