Immersive entertainment specialist Ed Lantz to address Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on the future of cinema

Dec 02, 2010 Judith Rubin Uncategorized 0

Beverly Hills, Calif. USA – When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences meets at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Thurs, Dec 2, at 8 p.m. to explore what could be in the future for motion pictures in “Where Do We Go from Here?” presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council and hosted by writer-director-producer Jerry Zucker, one of the people they’ll hear from will be entertainment technology engineer/entrepreneur and digital cinema pioneer Ed Lantz, president of Vortex Immersion Media and co-founder of IMERSA.

From the Academy press announcement:

‘”Where Do We Go from Here?” will examine topics ranging from artificial intelligence to performance capture, 3D and non-traditional theatrical venues. Joining Zucker will be Council member and production designer Alex McDowell (“Watchmen,” “Minority Report”), immersive art and entertainment expert Ed Lantz, neuroscientist Eric Haseltine and transmedia storytelling expert Jordan Weisman. Zucker’s interest in the future of cinema is evident in his role as a co-founder of the Science & Entertainment Exchange, a program of the National Academy of Sciences that provides entertainment industry professionals with access to scientists and engineers. His feature film credits include “Airplane!,” “Ghost,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Rat Race” and “Fair Game.”’

Ed Lantz is president of Vortex Immersion Media and co-founder of IMERSA, an international nonprofit promoting the uses of immersive digital theater. He transitioned from aerospace engineer to digital cinema pioneer in the 1990s, joining Spitz Inc. where his team transformed old-style planetariums into immersive visualization environments, designing some dozen dome theaters worldwide, including the Library of Alexandria in Egypt and Papalote Museo in Mexico City. Lantz has trained animators in immersive arts at ACM/SIGGRAPH, and provided creative and technical expertise on six fulldome productions. He holds two U.S. patents on immersive theater designs. Lantz’s company Vortex Immersion produces interactive experiences for Fortune 500 clients and recently opened the Vortex Dome, a fulldome production studio and event venue in downtown Los Angeles.

Tickets for “Where Do We Go from Here” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. More information at www.oscars.org.

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