MIT Media In Transition 7 Conference

It's the MIT Media in Transition 7 Conference this weekend, and it's been an interesting experience. I've been to two sessions so far, and while they've been provocative, perhaps the most intriguing thing about them is that they keep turning out to be about things other than what I thought they would be about!


Digital Film Production
  • Aymar Jean Christian, Promise and Problems: Independent Production in Periods of Change
    This talk was about producing and distributing content as web series through YouTube and other services.
  • Daniel Faltesek, Film, Video, Metadata: Time-Axis Manipulation After the Linear Medium
    A discussion of the history of NLE's and how they have impacted the production of television and movies.
  • Kim Knowles, Analog Obsolescence and the ‘Death of Cinema’ Debate: The Case of Experimental Film
    A plea for keeping analog (film) as a production medium. I must admit that I wasn't sympathetic to the argument because it seemed to just be an analog vs digital argument; and why would people want to edit film or video rather than use an NLE? But then she showed a short clip, which was made by hand coloring and manipulating film, and while I could see recreating the same effect in After Effects, I could understand how it would be a very different way of working.
Segment of: Loretta (2003) by Jeanne Liotta


TV Readings, TV Transitions
  • June Deery, Texts and Texting: TV and the Internet
    Talked about Reality TV - specifically the Real Housewives series - and the interaction between fans and the show "stars" through blogs and other online mediums. Also discussed how the "stars" react - or respond - to the reaction they receive from the viewing audience.
  • Alberto Frigo, Understanding Television as a Social Experience
    Discussed how teens use online medium's like Facebook to discuss their favorite shows.
  • Michael Z. Newman, The Television Image and the Image of the Television
    Talked about the adoption of LCD and HD TV, how it has been driven by manufacturers deals with sporting franchises, as well as how TV sets have been portrayed in publications and the media.
MIT: Media in Transition


[Update: Added link to Jeanne Liotta]

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