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At the Sept. 21 Entertainment Evolution Symposium (EES) in Los Angeles, attendees will have a bevy of panel sessions to choose from, including discussion on the metaverse, the state of virtual production, and new creative workflows.

First up is “Web3 & the Metaverse – What’s Real & What’s Not,” with Lori H. Schwartz, CEO and principal of StoryTech and co-chair of the Web3 Council.

The promise of Web3 and the Metaverse echos the “launch” of the internet in the mid-1990s. But along with the promises (i.e. a multi-trillion dollar, global marketplace that leverages immersive technology to evolve the “web” experience) come a new wave of “what-ifs” that may drive excitement but many ignore the ultimate risks of moving large enterprises into new technologies. These sessions gather experts who are pioneering inventive ways to make Web3 and the Metaverse accepted, bankable and interoperable in a “no BS” conversation about when and how this revolution will unfold.

Then comes “Living on the Edge: Data Requirements for (Virtual) Production” with moderator Sean Tajkowski, technical director of MEDCA, overseeing a panel with Dane Brehm, production technologist for Cintegral.Tech, and Bradley Greenberg, senior director of Coresite. On a virtual production set, the digital imagery displays and reacts in real-time, integrating live action photography with in-camera visual effects (ICVFX).

As camera to cloud gains traction in onset technology stacks, the data associated with digital imagery multiplies exponentially.

The high computing demands of the workflow and process are only as capable and reliable as the data center infrastructure that supports them. This session discusses how in-house data center infrastructure helps producers and creatives optimize workflow efficiencies to maximize on-set virtual and traditional production outcomes aligned with long-term evolution.

And the final panel of the day — “Creatives and their Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes” discusses how getting updates to the stage as soon as possible saves money and maintains creative flow. No matter how much preparation, once on set (or near set!), adjustments within the virtual environment imagery are almost guaranteed to be requested. Making artistic changes during active production is an ‘all hands’ effort. Artists across multiple vendors, operating from disparate locations, and LED stage technicians who are delivering high resolution digital assets and environments to a volumetric stage need no-nonsense inter-connectivity to ensure a stable environment for the massive amount of data being transmitted, and stored.

This exchange and more (camera to cloud) are supported by a facility’s in-house data center infrastructure, the fundamental layer of any data-centric workflow. Eric Rigney, VP of MEDCA, will moderate the panel with Jason Bautista, solutions architect for Commscope, Dane Brehm, production technologist for Cintegral.Tech, Derek Powell, director of Altman Solon, Tajkowski, and Tom Thudiyanplackal, virtual production producer, and senior M&E solutions architect, for The Storyteller’s Desk.

The Entertainment Evolution Symposium (EES), the annual gathering of industry innovators and thought leaders, all discussing the use of data to effectively blend physical and digital experiences across the global entertainment ecosystem, returns as an in-person event at The Skirball Cultural Center.

Presented by the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Institute for Entertainment, Media and Sports (IEMS) and the Hollywood IT Society (HITS), the full-day symposium will be a closed-door event for audience member participation only. The event is sponsored by Iron Mountain, Signiant, Whip Media, Atos, Fortinet, FPT Software, invenioLSI, Perforce, Vision Media, and EIDR.

To get involved with future MESA events contact sales@mesaonline.org.