The Motion Picture Association of America Inc (MPAA) chairman/CEO and former US Senator will address attendees at the 2011 SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exposition later this month.
Chris Dodd (pictured) will address an SMPTE conference luncheon at 12.45pm on 26 October at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel & Spa, and will examine the impact of digital content theft on workers and businesses in the entertainment industry.
Looking forward to his session, Dodd remarked: “The movie and the TV industries aren’t just about big studios and stars. More than 2.2 million hard-working, middle-class people in all 50 states depend on the entertainment industry for their jobs. They work behind the scenes in production, and in small businesses like equipment rental, transportation, construction and food service. Millions more people work in theatres, video stores, retail, restaurants and other businesses that depend on entertainment. For all of these workers and their families, content theft means declining incomes, lost jobs and reduced health and retirement benefits.”
Pete Ludé, SMPTE president, added: “We are thrilled to have Senator Dodd address the 2011 SMPTE Annual Technical Conference. Our attendees are on the front lines of creating the technologies that help protect the creative product of the MPAA’s members, let consumers experience in new ways, and form the basis for entirely new business models that will help the industry thrive.
“Attendees at the 2011 SMPTE Annual Technical Conference have delivered some of the most incredible technologies for creating entertainment programming and I am honoured to address this gathering to discuss how we must protect it.”
New multi-platform distribution schemes, cloud computing production solutions, new approaches to 3D acquisition and production, and new ways of managing file-based workflows and locating digital media are among the topics set to be covered at this year’s technical conference. Meanwhile, a pre-conference SMPTE Symposium – to be produced in cooperation with the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will focus on large-sensor imaging and its impact on creative production workflows.
