Exclusives

More than two dozen MESA members will descend on the Palm Springs area Feb. 21-24 for the HPA Tech Retreat 2022, back in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

And along with MESA members taking the stage and highlighting their solutions, MESA itself will be represented in the HPA Innovation Zone, — the event’s showcase for new industry solutions — with presentations about (and in) the MESAverse, MESA’s virtual work environment for its members and communities to watch live presentations, network, and step on the stage to share opinions.

MESAverse is using ICVR’s RendezVu, a proprietary, interactive 3D-world application that will allow for hybrid live and virtual events and regular day-to-day interactions that go far beyond video conferencing.

MESA members presenting and showcasing at HPA include: Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Arch Platform Technologies, Ateliere Creative Technologies, BeBop Technology, Convergent Risks, Deluxe Media, Dolby Laboratories, EditShare, Eluvio, Equinix, FPT Software, ICVR, Iyuno-SDI Group, Microsoft Corp., NAGRA, PADEM Media Group, Perforce Software, Shift, Signiant, Sohonet, Sony Electronics, Teradici Corporation, Testronic, Veritone, Vubiquity, Inc., and Wasabi Technologies.

Here’s what some of them are up to:

TUESDAY, FEB. 22

• Ryan McKeague with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Evolution of Content Production on AWS.”

• Zach Willner with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtables “Cloud Storage Efficiency” and “Cloud Editorial.”

• Brian Kenworthy with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Choosing the Right Tool for the Job.”

• Jack Wenzinger with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Cloud Reference Architecture for Virtual Production.”

• Mathew Gilliat‑Smith​ with Convergent Risks will direct the breakfast roundtable “Automated Security Incident Response Post-Pandemic.”
• MEDCA’s Eric Rigney will co-direct the breakfast roundtable “Visualizing Audio in Virtual Production.”

• “From Game Development to Film Production” on the main stage will see ICVR’s Ihar Heneralau and Amazon Studios showcase an Unreal Engine pixel streaming tool for managing 3D assets and environments from preproduction and throughout post production allowing non-technical talent to share, review, and iterate on assets in an interactive cloud-based experience in real-time.

• MEDCA’s Rigney will take part in the main stage panel “Final Sample – On Set Virtual Production Sound Challenges.” The acoustical equivalent of virtual production’s final pixel is ‘final sample,’ striving to capture and deliver spoken on-set performances directly to audiences, with minimal post processing or ADR. Acoustical camera technology visually demonstrates challenges in 3D. Mitigation discussed.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23

• Wenzinger with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Cloud Reference Architecture for Virtual Production.”

• Gilliat‑Smith​ with Convergent Risks will direct the breakfast roundtable “Best Practice Configuration for Cloud and SaaS Workflows.”

• Jason Dvorkin with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Selecting Cloud Storage Type and Tier for Production.”

• Tom Graham and Kevin Wines with Dolby will direct the breakfast roundtable “Dolby Vision Content Creation Discussion Group.”

• Raul Vecchione with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Cloud Reference Architecture for OTT.”

• Bill Thompson with Signiant will direct the breakfast roundtable “Managing Assets Across Disparate Storage Types and Global Locations.”

• Kaladhar Voruganti with Equinix will direct the breakfast roundtable “Era of Distributed AI.”

• Arjun Ramamurthy with Ateliere Creative Technologies will co-direct the breakfast roundtable “Academy Digital Preservation Forum (ADPF).”

• Rich Welsh with Deluxe will direct the breakfast roundtable “AI: Winning Bet or Existential Threat?”

• Dolby’s Graham will present “New Content Mapping Workflows for the Home and Cinema” on the main stage. With streaming platforms requiring theatrical versions, plus compressed release windows and shrinking production timelines, workflow efficiencies are more essential than ever. Learn how the latest Dolby Vision release and workflow for HDR and SDR content creation can deliver for the home and now for cinema as well.

THURSDAY, FEB. 24

• Dolby’s Graham and Wines will direct the breakfast roundtable “Dolby Vision Content Creation Discussion Group.”

• Vecchione with AWS will direct the breakfast roundtable “Cloud Reference Architecture for OTT.”

• Arch Platform Tech’s Ed Churchward will direct the breakfast roundtable “Building and Automating Secure Cloud Content-Creation Studios.”

• Ian Hamilton and Mike Flathers with Signiant will direct the breakfast roundtable ”Media Workflows with SaaS Building Blocks.”

• Ramki Ramakrishnan with Equinix will direct the breakfast roundtable “Network Timing Advancements and What They’re Driving.”

• The main stage presentation “The Definitive Guide to Modern Cloudspotting” will be delivered by Michael Cioni with Adobe.

• The main stage panel “The Tools of the Trade for the Future Storytellers” will feature Ryan McKeague with AWS. The future workflows and tools of visual storytelling are changing. The creative forces in school today will work in a vastly different landscape of tools and workflows from creatives of the past 30 years. Cloud based tools and workflows are just coming into existence. High school and collegiate creatives will know these emerging tools and processes as the standard of their craft when they enter the workforce. Vendors would like to empower the voices of creatives five and ten years into the future by working with them to tell their story today and allow insight into what their, and our, industry future holds.

• The main stage panel “Picture Post in the Cloud: Biosphere Feature Film Case Study” will feature Michael Cioni with Adobe.

• The main stage program “Technical Foundations of Non-Fungible Tokens for Video Engineers” will be presented by Michelle Munson with Eluv.io.

• The main stage program “Production WiFi Best Practices” will be presented by Patrick Sumby with Sohonet.