On the heels of SCADstyle comes SCAD’s very first ForwardFest, a three-day digital media festival championing the newest technologies revolutionizing the field. The festival is hosting 16 events, split between SCADshow and the Digital Media Center, catered toward exposing creative minds to the limitless power of technology changing the artistic landscape now.
What is ForwardFest? According to the event’s main page, the festival’s central mission is: “As new tools and technologies power a seismic shift in visual effects, immersive storytelling opportunities have transcended limits and branched into augmented and virtual realities. Join forward-thinking professionals and emergent content creators who are leading the way at this interactive exploration of digital media’s future.”
There are numerous opportunities for hands-on learning. From April 19-21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., students can experience the technology themselves with a selection of HTC Vive, Oculus and Samsung Gear devices to choose from. This is the only experience in which you must sign-up in advance. Be prepared to arrive to your VR time slot early because sessions won’t be held for late-comers.
A few other events, including “Plan, Shoot, Repeat: Meet Milo,” “Virtual Canvas: Painting From a New Perspective” and “Mixing Reality: Designing Experiences for the HoloLens” give attendees the chance to see these new technologies in action in the form of live demonstrations.
ForwardFest is also a great opportunity to network. Google and Microsoft are among the companies participating. The presenters are equally impressive as Academy Award-nominated visual effects supervisor Chris White, SCAD alumnus and “worldwide guru of VR” (Wired Magazine) David Karlak and Moxie’s senior team are among the prestigious list of speakers. Fourth-year motion media design student Laura Cash said she is looking forward to meeting these industry stars. “I’m excited for these cool industry professionals to come in and talk to us,” she said. “It’s a pretty good opportunity to learn something new and maybe network with people in the business.”
ForwardFest isn’t just for students whose primary “home” at SCAD Atlanta is the DMC. This festival has events to pique the interests of many. If you’re a writer and want to learn to effectively tell stories, “Blurred Lines: The Mixed Media Landscape of Tomorrow” and “Storytelling in New Realms” are right up your alley. If a career in marketing is your passion, then plan to attend the “Marketing That Moves” panel. If you have no interest in VR but love watching films, movie screenings are closing out each day of ForwardFest.
There have been mixed reactions from students, some expressing excitement for the festival while others feel SCAD hasn’t done enough to publicize the fact that the festival is taking place. When reached out for comment, multiple students studying film and television, animation and motion media stated they didn’t know enough about ForwardFest to give an opinion.
Those more familiar with FowardFest said they were excited about attending. Fourth-year motion media design student Rebecca Gerhard said, “I’m excited to see a whole weekend dedicated to the fusion of art and tech. As a digital artist it’s important to invest time into the future of software as our tools grow more intuitive every day. There are going to be VR demonstrations, panels and workshops all dedicated to sharing what is new and what is next.”
The future of art, design and business is intertwined with these emerging technologies. It’s time to embrace this fact and be a part of it. Whether or not you are interacting with these technologies firsthand, knowing how to utilize them as an artist will strengthen your career prospects and open your mind towards the future. Creativity is limitless and, with the help of augmented and virtual reality, anything you dream can be a reality, at least artificially. Place yourself at the forefront of this burgeoning field, which will soon transform today’s tech buzz words — like virtual reality — into commonplace nomenclature in the average household.
SCAD ForwardFest is free to all students. To view the schedule and learn more, click here.
