PORTLAND, Ore. - Stuart Cunningham, Will Vinton, Janet Wasko and Bryce Zabel are among the many film experts descending upon the Turnbull Center in Portland this weekend for the "What is Film?" conference. With digital technologies changing the nature and production of film, experts will unite at this two-day event to scrutinize the industry and forecast its future.
Oregon is no stranger to the film industry, hosting numerous Hollywood productions and housing Portland's burgeoning independent film and art scene. LAIKA, the local studio that pioneered the 3-D animated feature "Coraline," is owned by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who serves as its chairman, while his son Travis, an animator, was recently named its CEO.
"Technology is changing the nature of our jobs as media professionals. At this conference, we hope to look closer at how film will undergo change and continuity in the 21st century," said Tim Gleason, dean of the SOJC.
The event, which takes place from Nov. 6-7, will feature more than 18 panel discussions for conference attendees. Some of the topics discussed will be:
• Making a Living in Media: What Will Change and What Will Stay the Same?
• Write Now!: Screenwriting in the Digital Age
• Filmmaking in Oregon: The State of the Industry
• Bollywood and the World
• Corporate Hollywood
The conference will start with a keynote speech called "Technocalypse Now?" by Bryce Zabel, who won a Writer's Guild award for his Hallmark mini-series "Pandemic." Zabel will also host a screenwriting panel discussion with his wife, Jackie, on Friday. Stuart Cunningham, a distinguished professor at Queensland University of Technology and one of Australia's top media scholars, will discuss online channels of media distribution in his Saturday presentation.
Will Vinton, who founded Claymation and developed such memorable advertising personalities as the M&Ms "Red" and "Yellow" and the California raisins, will conclude the weekend's events with his keynote speech, "It's the Art, Not the Tools."
The conference was coordinated by Janet Wasko, the SOJC's Knight Chair in Communication Research and author of 14 books on film, television, and cultural studies. This conference marks the the first time such an event has been held at the School of Journalism and Communication's Portland hub.
Additionally, members of the SOJC faculty will be featured as panel moderators. Julianne Newton, Jon Palfreman, Bish Sen, Al Stavitsky and Wasko are a few of the names who will be representing the UO faculty throughout the conference. The UO has made strides in strengthening Oregon's film appeal, adding an interdisciplinary Cinema Studies major to its curriculum this fall.
Pre-registration is required and can be completed online: http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/whatisfilm/registration. Registration is $20; however, for senior citizens and UO faculty and students, the fee is $10.
Media Contacts:
Janet Wasko
Knight Chair in Communication Research
jwasko@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-4174
Zanne Miller
SOJC Director of Communication
zanne@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-2519
Oregon is no stranger to the film industry, hosting numerous Hollywood productions and housing Portland's burgeoning independent film and art scene. LAIKA, the local studio that pioneered the 3-D animated feature "Coraline," is owned by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who serves as its chairman, while his son Travis, an animator, was recently named its CEO.
"Technology is changing the nature of our jobs as media professionals. At this conference, we hope to look closer at how film will undergo change and continuity in the 21st century," said Tim Gleason, dean of the SOJC.
The event, which takes place from Nov. 6-7, will feature more than 18 panel discussions for conference attendees. Some of the topics discussed will be:
• Making a Living in Media: What Will Change and What Will Stay the Same?
• Write Now!: Screenwriting in the Digital Age
• Filmmaking in Oregon: The State of the Industry
• Bollywood and the World
• Corporate Hollywood
The conference will start with a keynote speech called "Technocalypse Now?" by Bryce Zabel, who won a Writer's Guild award for his Hallmark mini-series "Pandemic." Zabel will also host a screenwriting panel discussion with his wife, Jackie, on Friday. Stuart Cunningham, a distinguished professor at Queensland University of Technology and one of Australia's top media scholars, will discuss online channels of media distribution in his Saturday presentation.
Will Vinton, who founded Claymation and developed such memorable advertising personalities as the M&Ms "Red" and "Yellow" and the California raisins, will conclude the weekend's events with his keynote speech, "It's the Art, Not the Tools."
The conference was coordinated by Janet Wasko, the SOJC's Knight Chair in Communication Research and author of 14 books on film, television, and cultural studies. This conference marks the the first time such an event has been held at the School of Journalism and Communication's Portland hub.
Additionally, members of the SOJC faculty will be featured as panel moderators. Julianne Newton, Jon Palfreman, Bish Sen, Al Stavitsky and Wasko are a few of the names who will be representing the UO faculty throughout the conference. The UO has made strides in strengthening Oregon's film appeal, adding an interdisciplinary Cinema Studies major to its curriculum this fall.
Pre-registration is required and can be completed online: http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/whatisfilm/registration. Registration is $20; however, for senior citizens and UO faculty and students, the fee is $10.
Media Contacts:
Janet Wasko
Knight Chair in Communication Research
jwasko@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-4174
Zanne Miller
SOJC Director of Communication
zanne@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-2519