Oscar with a Digital Twist

As I was watching the Academy Awards this evening, I took special note of the mention of yesterday’s awards for technical achievement. Coming from the technology world versus the actual content generation world I’ve watched from the wings as the “geeks” and “cool dudes” have formed a unique partnership to create some truly phenomenal art, entertainment and educational content. Special effects labs such as Industrial Light & Magic and Pixar get a lot of the attention. Very cool stuff – I even ran a computer reseller promotion back in the late 1980’s where the prize was a trip to ILM.

More recently, however, I was introduced to the American Film Institute Digital Content Lab (DCL). I had no idea the AFI had a digital content lab. And after speaking with several friends and family members in the entertainment industry – neither did they. The AFI has a broad focus on the advancement of content designed for presentation on a screen - silver, TV, and PC – and who knows, maybe even mobile… The DCL is focused exclusively on digital media ranging from interactive television, games and computer content.

The Digital Content Lab is a hands-on production lab. So if you have a digital content project that you want to take to market and are looking for mentors, collaboration partners and a supportive environment in which to get your project ready for market, I encourage you to check them out and submit your project for consideration in their next lab session.

And while the silver screen may be grabbing the spotlight tonight, who knows, your digital content may be premiering to an audience of millions tomorrow.