Summit 2020

 

Virtual IMERSA Days

August 14, 21, and 28th, 2020 

 

Think of it as a three-part series, with each episode about two hours, all held on Zoom, with ample opportunities to learn, discuss, and share without the fatigue of a full-day online conference.      

 

Virtual IMERSA Days

This special event featured the best of what we planned to offer at the cancelled IPS conference in July.

We presented two exciting talks, panels on the business of art in the dome, a panel on state-of-the-art camera technologies, an open discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on our community, and more!

 

Notice - The views expressed by our panelists, guests, and audience members do not necessarily reflect the views of the IMERSA organization, nor should be considered an endorsement by IMERSA. This applies in particular to our conversations concerning our current understanding of COVID-19 and its potential future impacts.

 

August 14th 2020

Welcome from the Board of Directors

Creating Audience Impact

An insightful presentation by Michael Daut (Michael Daut Productions) about creating audience impact, extending a discussion he began at the last IMERSA and offering five simple principles for storytelling in the dome. In educational programming, the audience is often the forgotten partner in the equation. Especially in the immersive dome format, the audience is more important to consider than ever. Immersive media naturally places the audience right inside the experience, providing an emotional connection that simply does not exist in other forms of media.

 

August 21st -2020

Art in the Dome 

Dani LeBlanc, Director of the Charles Hayden Planetarium and Adult Programs at the Museum of Science, Boston, leads a panel focusing on the art and business of presenting artistic efforts under the dome, including pivots made in the age of COVID, from the perspectives of producers, managers, and artists working in Planetariums across the US. Panelists include Ben Gondrez (Fort Collins Museum of Discovery), who leads a highly successful Domelab series, Kate McCallum (Vortex Immersion) at the forefront of the hit production Mesmerica, Monica Bolles (Resonant Interactions) a multimedia artist working in immersive media, and James Wetzel (Museum of Science, Boston) who has spearheaded and produced a myriad of novel artistic and theatrical experiences for the dome.  At the end of the presentation, Dani and panelists will be available for a live Q&A session.

 

 

Kate McCallum (Vortex Immersion)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Gondrez

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery / Planetarium

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dani LeBlanc

Boston Museum of Science / Hayden Planetarium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monica Bolles

Resonate Interactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Wetzel

Boston Museum of Science / Hayden Planetarium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's our Future?

A live, interactive discussion with our community. What is the future of fulldome particularly in an age of pandemic? Come share your insights into where our business is going and what effects we've felt from COVID-19.

 

August 28th 2020

A Look at Camera Technology (panel discussion)
A look at today’s state-of-the-art camera technologies featuring the 8K Digital Camera Comparison demo produced by the Giant Screen Cinema Association, presented by Michael Daut, and ultra-high-resolution camera used in recent fulldome show creation by The Ken Ackerman  and Mike Schmitt (California Academy of Sciences), Robin Sip (Mirage3D), and Paul Raphaël (Felix & Paul Studio). We will explore the capabilities and potential of these remarkable tools to capture live-action content with video resolutions necessary for today’s 6K and 8K digital dome systems. Led by Michael Daut, who will moderate a live Q&A after the panel discussion.

 

 

Paul Raphaël, Co-Founder / Creative Director

Felix & Paul Studios

An immersive entertainment revolutionary, Paul Raphaël combines creative and technologicalinnovation to design ever-evolving forms of storytelling.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Sip, Director of Show Production & Content

Evans & Sutherland, and CEO of Mirage3D

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ken Ackerman has been making fulldome films since 2012.

California Academy of Sciences

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Schmitt has helped design and execute many fulldome feature films since 2008

California Academy of Sciences

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our featured  speaker for IMERSA 2020

 

 

Eddie Sotto,

 

President of Sotto Studios/LA and former senior vice president of concept design at Walt Disney Imagineering.

He’ll be giving us a look at how Imagineers make their magic, and how we in the immersive community can apply some of that magic to our own work.