“The challenge that faces us is to create a new dimension in immersive storytelling,” says Rick Rothschild of FAR Out! Creative Direction, who is featured in the “Great Storytelling” discussion atIMERSA Summit 2014, March 6-9 in Denver.
Registration is open and discounts are available through Feb 17, 2014.
Click to see Summit schedule overview
IMERSA is a trade group founded in 2008 by Dan Neafus and several colleagues in response to the rapid adoption of digital dome video (“fulldome”) in planetariums that has essentially transformed these spaces into state-of-the-art immersive theaters. They saw new, potential creative and market opportunities exploding in multiple directions – as indicated by the group’s acronym, which stands for Immersive Media,Education, Entertainment, Research, Science and Arts.
Sponsors of IMERSA Summit 2014 include Attraktion!/Sphere of Light Award, California Academy of Sciences, Clark Planetarium, Dome3D, Evans & Sutherland, Electrosonic, Holovis, Loch Ness Productions, Morrow Sound, OpenLens Productions, Seiler Instrument/Carl Zeiss, Sky-Skan, Spitz Inc., SCISS, SlicedTomato Video Productions and Vortex Immersion.
Participants in IMERSA Summit 2014 include:
Daren Ulmer (Mousetrappe) Leading media producer in theme parks and museums, whose recent accomplishments include the USA Pavilion at Yeosu Expo 2012, and primary media components of the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at Kennedy Space Center. Ulmer will join the “Great Storytelling” session. Read more
Jeff Jortner president of SIGGRAPH will introduce keynote speaker Dr Donna Cox, and will participate in various sessions as an affiliate representative on behalf of SIGGRAPH.
Michael Daut of Evans & Sutherland is an IMERSA Board member and is chairing the Professional Development sessions on Thurs-Fri, March 6-7. Read more
The closing event of IMERSA Summit 2014 will take place on Sunday, March 9 at the new 8K fulldome facility of Fiske Planetarium in Boulder (shown above). Very few digital dome systems are capable of 8K resolution, currently considered one of the furthest frontiers of any cinematic medium. This event is an opportunity to see 8K content created specifically for the 8K digital dome and to hear from early adopters, system providers and producers all in one place.
(Below) “To Space and Back” will be screened in the Gates Planetarium in 4K, and at Fiske Planetarium in 8K, as part of IMERSA Summit 2014.
More about IMERSA and IMERSA Summit 2014
To help fulfill its vision IMERSA has formed active alliances with other trade groups where it sees common cause, including the Giant Screen Cinema Association, Producers Guild of America, Themed Entertainment Association, SIGGRAPH, and Association of Science Technology Centers.
Embodying IMERSA buzzwords “Cross-fusion” and “Convergence,” the 2014 Summit discussions, screenings and demos are aimed at sharing information across industry sectors, looking at promising directions and innovations, offering professional development for producers, exploring business models and honoring pioneering contributors.
The IMERSA Board members are Dan Neafus (Gates Planetarium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science), Ryan Wyatt (Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences), Ed Lantz (Vortex Immersion) and Michael Daut (Evans & Sutherland). Visit www.imersa.org.
“Dream to Fly” will be a featured fulldome show screening at IMERSA Summit 2014
Opportunity for producers, artists and storytellers
For producers and distributors of giant-screen movies, the fulldome network – currently estimated to number roughly 1,000 digital dome theaters of varying sizes and configurations in science centers, planetariums, educational institutions and other facilities around the world – can represent a significant market expansion if the industry is able to meet the technical challenges of cross-platforming. The cross-platform chain potentially spans a wide range of formats including (but not limited to) flatscreen and dome screen, 2D and 3D, resolutions from 2K to 8K, and frame rates from 24 fps to 60 fps – as well as virtual reality platforms such as Oculus Rift.
For other media producers, including those active in broadcast, movies, video games or entertainment attractions, as well as artists, theatrical producers and those working in multimedia, the fulldome network offers numerous creative possibilities and new directions.
Opportunity for facilities
Existing facilities with fulldome theaters can learn to use those spaces in new ways that help reach new sectors of the community, enhance their positioning, generate revenue and increase their power to serve educators and educational missions.
New facilities can consider incorporating immersive dome theaters for education or entertainment purposes.
IMERSA
IMERSA is a professional trade association recognized as a non-profit 501 (c) (6) Corp. IMERSA’s vision: To build an international community of professionals who create large-scale immersive digital experiences. IMERSA’s mission: To advance and promote the art and science of large-scale digital immersive media, fulldome, and immersive group experiences in digital planetariums, mobile domes, themed entertainment and giant screen theaters. www.imersa.org
“The challenge that faces us is to create a new dimension in immersive storytelling.