Summit 2018 Archive

 

 PHOTOS  

SPEAKERS 

  EXPO 

Download the Program Guide (PDF)

 

The 2018 IMERSA Summit brought together 150+ immersive pioneers and innovators from all facets of the community: producers, equipment experts, and visionaries.

We enjoyed and learned from keynote speakers Clark Dodsworth about storytelling, Amy Blackman on understanding audience interests, and Bob Cooney on VR experiences. Through four days of sessions, we took part in a unique audio training presentation, explored the world of festivals, learned from filmmakers about their toughest challenges, got inside tips on marketing for institutions, heard about our fulldome and immersive history and future, watched some amazing fulldome content, and much more!
 
In one of the most highly anticipated sessions, master filmmaker and special effects expert Douglas H. Trumbull mesmerized the attendees with what was very nearly a master class in film production and immersive experience. He attended all four days and interacted with everyone to learn more about our fascinating community.
 
We had people from around the world attending, enjoying the kind hospitality of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) staff. There were networking opportunities and social events that helped knit us together personally as well as professionally. IMERSA 2018 was everything a Summit should be.
 
We thank everyone who attended, from our colleagues who curated and sliced content for the dome, to our panelists and moderators, our outstanding keynote speakers, and the COSI staff for opening their doors to us.

 

Thank you sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featuring Immersive Cinema visionary

Douglas Trumbull

 

 Technology sessions   -    Dynamic presentations   -    Fulldome film premieres

  

Forging the Future at the IMERSA Summit 2018

The recent 10th Anniversary celebration of IMERSA, held at the Center for Science and Industry (COSI), in Columbus, OH, February 24-27th, saw the announcement of several new initiatives.

The first is a preliminary progress report on video encryption for dome theaters, being worked on by the Association of Fuilldome Innovators under IMERSA’s aegis. This will be announced later this year.

The second is the creation of the IMERSA Ambassadors program. This group of people will raise the IMERSA flag at other events around the world, such as planetarium conferences and film festivals.

IMERSA announced the appointment of four IMERSA ambassadors. They are Monica Bolles (MonicaBolles.com) who is pursuing a masters' degree in Creative Technology and Design at University of Colorado, producer and designer Jennifer Deafenbaugh, Timmy Edens (DomeMasters), Ben Gondrez (Fort Collins Museum of Science and Discovery), and Ty Owen (COSI).

"The idea behind our ambassador program is to have people with a passion and interest in immersive media bring the IMERSA face to the world," said Dan Neafus, IMERSA executive director. "Like those of us who have been involved with the organization as founders and board members, these people will put more faces out in front of the immersive community."

The ambassadors hail from all facets of the immersive production community, from fulldome theater directors to content producers and academics. The newly appointed ambassadors were introduced at the recent IMERSA meeting in Columbus, OH. Each has been involved with IMERSA for several years, contributing papers, participating in sessions, and sharing ideas from their own experiences. For Monica Bolles, the summit experience was an introduction to a community that teaches and inspires. "I see the IMERSA ambassadors program as an exciting way to help promote and engage a larger professional community of immersive media practitioners with IMERSA," she said. "I have always enjoyed the summit feel of IMERSA and the way in which its focus is on the building of a community to support and engage a space for conversation around the innovations that are going on within immersive entertainment. My first IMERSA summit changed my life and has since introduced me to a community and industry that inspires me constantly to push the boundaries of what is technically and artistically possible.

Each ambassador brings unique viewpoints to the IMERSA position. "IMERSA is a showcase that inspires and challenges us all by putting a spotlight on the best in the world," said Ty Owen. "IMERSA is not only home to those who set the bar, it’s home to those who don’t even see the bar because they are working 100 steps above it. By being an ambassador, I can extend a welcome into that home."

Ambassador Jenn Deafenbaugh brings a solid background in production and design to her work with IMERSA. "To me, IMERSA is an an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals with different multimedia strengths," she said. "Individuals who are interested in this sort of work need support to help make their visions come to life - whether their work is scientific and educational or artistic and experimental. I hope this organization becomes a trusted leader in this space for new content creators."

One of the goals of the ambassador program is to put the IMERSA face in front of like-minded communities at such events as SIGGRAPH, SXSW, and at fulldome and immersive festivals. Each ambassador has many opportunities for such outreach, bringing the message of IMERSA to an ever-widening audience.

 

Our 2018 lineup of fulldome films;

EXPLORE

SATfest 2017

Lamparium

Faster Than Light: Dreams of Interstellar Flight

Global Soundscapes: Mission to Record Earth

KYMA: The Power of Waves

Liquid Architecture

Tales of a Time Traveler 

Agenda 

Click here for the full agenda

 

Saturday 24th
3:00 IMERSA Matters and Inclusiveness (Mezzanine)
5:00 Opening Reception
7:00 Vision for IMERSA 2018 Dome,
7:45 Clark Dodsworth FEATURE speaker Immersion, Storytelling, and Evolving Tools -
8:30 EXPLORE show,
9:00 Dinner on your own

Sunday 25th
9:00 Marketing Matters: Revealing Hidden Gems, Galaxy Theater
9:30 Camera Matters, (Mezzanine)
10:30 Break
11:00 Blender Tips and Techniques for Fulldome, (Mezzanine)
11:00 Business Matters, (Galaxy Theater)
2:00 Innovation Matters, Application of New Technology and Techniques, (Galaxy Theater,)
2:45 Amy Blackman FEATURE speaker, Data Hacked Creative, R.O.E. and the Meme-Geist,
3:30 Break
4:00 Bob Cooney FEATURE speaker, Applications for Group VR Experiences (Galaxy Theater),
5:30 Art Matters, Dome Theater, Sponsored by Museum of Science
6:30 Flood, live performance, Osea Merdis and Phil Liddell
7:00 KYMA - Power of Waves
7:30 Liquid Architecture

Monday 26th
9:00  Liquid Flow 360  - short video

Interaction Matters; Pushing the Boundaries of Audience Engagement, Dome Theater
10:00 Global Soundscapes - Live show!
10:40 break
11:00 Making of Immersive Video Dome Theater, Sponsored by Christie
12:30 Lunch on your own,
12:30 IMERSA Expo, Vendors Matter
3:30 Immersive Matters Presentations, National Geographic Theater,
3:30 Fulldome Animation Drafting (Mezzanine)
4:00 SPLASH - Projection Mapping Engine, Auto-Parasitic Light Calculation Tool, (Mezzanine)
4:40 SATIE: Spatial Audio Toolkit, (Mezzanine)
5:00 Vendor Spotlight: What’s new from our vendor colleagues? dome theater
6:30 Food and drinks with vendors
8:00 E&S / Christie Demo
Tales of a Time Traveler

Voyager to Eternity and Beyond (Short video)

Faster than Light

Tuesday 27th
9:00 Production Matters - The Craft of Immersion, Dome Theater, Sponsored by Creative Planet
10:30 Break
11:00 Directing Dynamic Drama for Digital Domes, Douglas H. Trumbull, Sponsored by Evans & Sutherland
12:30 Lunch on your own
2:00 Festivals Matter: The World of Fulldome Events, Dome theater,
3:30 Break
4:00 AFDI Update, The Association of Fulldome Innovators,
4:20 Meet Creative Planet!
4:30 Works In Production or Development
5:00 Bringing Theater to the Dome, dome theater
5:00 From Big to Many: Ubiquitous AR Beyond the Theater, (mezzanine)
5:30 Break
6:30 Cocktails, Progress exhibition hall
7:00 10th Anniversary IMERSA Banquet
9:00 Party and shows

INERTIA show,

Travelling Kungkarangkalpa: Art Experience ,

SATfest 2017 show,

Lamparium show

Event location

 

 

 Your generous sponsorship provides funding for our popular Summit as well as IMERSA’s important projects and activities throughout the year. This means that your sponsorship gives you high visibility year-long on our event web page as well as acknowledgment during our events. All sponsorship levels will be recognized in our printed program, on digital signage, during fulldome intermissions and on the IMERSA.org web site.