For me, the movie that changed film sound was Francis Ford Coppola’s essential war epic, Apocalypse Now. Released over 30 years ago, its groundbreaking audio design still stands out as the gold standard for the art of sound design. Don’t remember it?  Let me refresh your memory:

In Apocalypse Now, every piece of audio – from the dialogue to the choppers to the rock and roll soundtrack – was carefully captured, mixed, remixed, edited, and/or recreated to fully capture the surrealism that the characters were experiencing both on the river and in their minds. On-location audio was all but foregone in favor of studio recording, and even familiar sounds such as the passing of helicopters were deconstructed with synthesizers and rebuilt from scratch.  This close attention to detail helped achieve the dream-like effect that abounds throughout the film, and earned Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs, and Nathan Boxer the Academy Award for Best Sound. (To learn more about the sound design of Apocalypse Now, check out this interview with Walter Murch from Salon.)

Yet In 1979, when Apocalypse Now was released, audio technology had not yet caught up with the creativity of sound designers.  All film sound was done using big, expensive hardware, and every step in the process was lengthy.  Add in the time it took to share those recordings with others off-site (remember, this is before email), and then edit, re-edit, and finalize the audio, and now we’re talking about an incredibly time-consuming (and, hence, exponentially expensive) portion of the filmmaking process. As a result, high-quality audio was a luxury practically exclusive to big-budget films. Low budget films could not even dream of such a thing.

But thanks to some wonderful advancements in audio technology, this is no longer the case.  Today, virtually every film, from the student-produced and independent to the summer blockbuster, now has access to a wide array of audio tools that at one time were unavailable or prohibitively expensive.  Everything is being built faster, better, cheaper, and smaller.

One tool that has really revolutionized audio is the Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW.  The DAW, which allows for computerized, non-linear editing, manipulation, and mixing of audio came into widespread use in the 1990s and has since seen rapid improvements to its interface and sound-handling abilities. It has also gotten much more affordable. While at one time, one multi-channel tape recorder would cost $100k or more, now, thanks to innovations to the DAW and other equipment, a complete audio set-up can be had for under $25k.

Another part of this digital revolution in audio is miniaturization, and thus portability. Where once we would carry an unwieldy recording rig into the field to collect sound effects and ambient sounds, we now have ready access to pocket-sized, highly-portable handheld recording devices that are capable of full-frequency HD recordings. These devices, such as the Zoom H4n, are not only small, highly accurate and readily available; they are also very affordable.

So what does all this mean for filmmakers?

For one thing, it means a blurring of the traditional roles of film sound design. Whereas once there were very well-defined roles for the sound editor and the re-recording mixer, DAW technology allows the editor to perform mixing functions as part of his work and vice versa. As a result, it is now quite possible for one craftsman (or perhaps a small team) to complete a finished soundtrack without ever leaving the computer environment.

For another thing, it means no more waiting on delivery of film reels or video tapes. Just as you might get minute-by-minute project updates from your office via your smart phone, filmmakers can use similar technology to share audio instantly with anyone, anywhere in the world. Now, post-production crews in any location can be up and running in a matter of minutes instead of days; and they can easily, affordably, and quickly send experimentations and creative ideas back to the director to check sound concepts.

For students and teachers of film audio, this is all great news. Since equipment costs less, more young people can get hands-on, intensive training in this craft and have high-quality results in a short period of time. In our courses at Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, for example, students can take to the streets to learn and experiment with the equipment they will be using on location. When they have questions, they can text an instructor from anywhere they might be, and even send the instructor short videos and audio clips to assist in problem-solving and troubleshooting.

Thanks to this increased access to better equipment and improved ability to collaborate remotely, young and independent filmmakers can now create sound designs as elaborate and nuanced as Apocalypse Now was over 30 years ago. For film viewers, this means that even the smallest indie picture can feel big using the beautiful, invisible magic of sound.

In Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo, a down-on-her-luck housewife looking for an escape (Mia Farrow) gets her wish when a dashing young archeologist (Jeff Daniels) leaps off the silver screen and into her life.

Allen’s story of Cecelia, Tom Baxter and Gil, the actor who plays him, challenges our notions of cinema, audience, imagination, and reality; and it does this by drawing on a common fantasy of moviegoers everywhere: the desire to break the fourth wall and take part in the world of the film.

Indeed, many of us live The Purple Rose of Cairo (in a far less literal way, of course) every time we watch a good movie. Characters seem to pop off the screen and run with us out of the theater. They inspire us, and their stories inform our own. But what if Woody Allen’s farcical take on the movie-going experience isn’t that far off? What if one day we really can interact with the film characters and stories we love? Believe it or not, advances in game technology may make that day come sooner than you think.

Six years ago, a program called Façade blurred the line between game and cinema. Described by its creators as a “one act interactive drama,” Façade put the user in the role of Adam, a dinner guest who finds himself awkwardly in the middle of a marital dispute. As Adam, a user could freely explore his hosts’ complicated relationship, making alliances, taking sides, and asking questions – all while enjoying a favorite (virtual) cocktail. To make the experience even more immersive, a player could enter questions and responses into a text box, as opposed to choosing them from a pre-determined set. The result was a highly effective, open-ended drama that challenged the very notion of game.

What’s important about Façade is that it managed to do something no other game had accomplished: it shared authorship freely with its audience. Whereas other games had allowed players to choose things such as weapons or paths as a means of facilitating game strategy, Façade gave the user the power of choice to facilitate the story itself. And because Façade offered no objective winning position (who’s to say how or even if Trip and Gloria should resolve their troubles?), story was the only thing that mattered.

Since then, game art and game technology have only gotten better. Compared to the cinematic heights of, say, the Bioshock series or Heavy Rain, the world of Façade looks two-dimensional in every sense of the phrase. With each passing year, games get more detailed, worlds more complex, characters richer. When coupled with an interesting story and engaging game play, today’s games can yield an extraordinarily immersive and rewarding experience for the player.

So what happens when we revisit the idea of interactive drama in the face of all this new technology? Can we begin to approach a truly interactive cinematic experience? I, for one, think we can.

Today, one game that is paving the way for such a future is L.A. Noire, which will be released by Rockstar Games in May 2011. An interactive crime drama set in Hollywood’s golden age, L.A. Noire is using truly innovative imaging techniques, including a facial mapping technology called MotionScan to bring a new level of realism to the game.

Not only does the technology make the game look better; it actually contributes to game play. By enabling the player to read facial features and explore an elaborate, eight-square-mile game world, he or she is able to judge a witness or suspect’s believability. The player can employ his or her own intuition, sleuthing skills, and interpersonal skills to navigate through the story. For Star Trek nerds like me, this is basically the holodeck realized.

Although it’s a stretch to believe that Tom Baxter is literally going to step out of movie screen in the near future, I do strongly believe that game technology is giving filmmakers a set of tools they’ve never had before. Talk about social media: tomorrow’s filmmakers may watch their movies take on a life of their own as audience members interact with characters and environments in never-before-seen ways. The interactive drama paved the way for the interactive crime mystery. Who’s to say this couldn’t pave the way to the interactive action movie? Or the interactive romantic comedy? As we continue to grow technologically, filmmakers will have an unprecedented opportunity to engage an audience in exciting, immersive ways. And if that’s not the very dream of filmmakers and audiences alike, I don’t know what is.

The team will now advance to the international finals in New York City, where their entry will go head to head with projects from around the globe. We wish them the best on the next leg of their journey!

View the press release from Microsoft below.

MICROSOFT : Arizona State University Students Win Top U.S. Spot at Imagine Cup, the “World Championships of Technology,” With Assistive Note-Taking Solution

REDMOND, Wash., April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Students from Arizona State University took the top prize today in the U.S. finals of the Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition, with their project that enables low-vision students to take notes in class with the assistance of a custom-designed, portable camera, a touch-screen Tablet PC, and Microsoft One Note. Michael Astrauskas, David Hayden, Shashank Srinivas and Qian Yan from Team Note-Taker will represent the U.S. at the Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals in New York City this summer, competing against student teams from more than 70 countries and regions around the world.

Students who created video games to drive awareness of world issues were also celebrated at the U.S. Finals. The winner of the Game Design for Windows and Xbox competition was Team Bloom, from Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, with a game focused on helping kids learn about alternative energy solutions. The winner of the Game Design for Mobile competition was Team Big Impact Bear, from the University of Houston, with a game to increase awareness of the importance of preventing and reversing deforestation.

“It is inspiring to meet so many students who are on the forefront of new discoveries,” said Mark Hindsbo, vice president of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft. “Whether they go on to develop a breakthrough in healthcare, start a new company or become better prepared to enter the workforce, students who participate in the Imagine Cup are leading us into a brighter future.”

The Imagine Cup is one way that Microsoft is helping the students of today prepare for the jobs of tomorrow by generating excitement for science, technology, engineering and math. Through its process of working in a team environment, developing a complex project within a deadline and presenting a case to a panel of judges, the competition inspires students with a diverse array of backgrounds to gain critical skills for the future in collaboration, communications, critical thinking, citizenship and creative problem-solving. This year, more than 74,000 students in the U.S. rose to the challenge to learn new skills and to make a difference in the world through the Imagine Cup.

“Technology empowers the individual to make the world accessible according to their own needs,” said David Hayden, Team Note-Taker. “Our work demonstrates this by equipping low-vision students with a portable assistive technology that enables them to take their own notes — a process that is well known to benefit retention.

The team’s project, Note-Taker, helps low-vision and legally blind students take notes in class as quickly and effectively as their fully sighted peers. A tightly integrated camera and touch-screen Tablet PC allow the user to simultaneously view live video and take typed or hand-written notes on a split-screen interface.

The Note-Taker project was inspired by one of the team’s legally blind members, David Hayden, who was unable to keep up with note-taking in blackboard-intensive math courses. Hayden and his teammates developed Note-Taker with support from the university’s Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing.

The complete list of winners and runners-up of the Imagine Cup 2011 U.S. Finals follows:

Imagine Cup 2011 U.S. Finals Winners

Software Design

– First Place: Team Note-Taker, Arizona State University
– Students: David Hayden, Michael Astrauskas, Qian Yan, Shashank
Srinivas
– Project: A portable, assistive technology to help vision-impaired
students take notes in class
– Prize: $8,000 (U.S.)
– A trip to New York to compete in the Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide
Finals
– $25,000 (U.S.) donation to team members’ departments (or
schools)
– Second Place: Team LifeLens
– Students: Cy Khormaee, Jason Wakizaka, Tristan Gibeau, Wilson To
– Project: An innovative point-of-care smartphone application to
address child mortality rates caused by the lack of detection and
availability of treatment for malaria
– Prize: $4,000 (U.S.)
– Third Place: Team Uca Ursus, University of Central Arkansas
– Students: Brendan Lee, Muhyeddin Ercan
– Project: An automated system that allows people to self-monitor
their diagnosed skin cancer using their cellphones
– Prize: $3,000 (U.S.)
– Fourth Place: Team TTHV, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania,
Central Connecticut State University
– Students: Alexander Ryu, Annemarie Ryu, Brandon, Liu, David Amenta
– Project: A healthcare solution designed to improve vaccination rates
and ensure women receive proper and antenatal care in underdeveloped
communities
– Prize: $1,000(U.S.)

Game Design– Windows and Xbox

– First Place: Team Bloom, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy
– Students: Andrew Zurek, David Grund, Nathan Heyl, Nathan Moore
– Project: “Spero” — a game focused on alternative energy solutions
and educating people on how to live healthier lives
– Prize: $6,000 (U.S.)
– Second Place: Team Plump Pixel, California State University, Chico
– Students: Kenny Anderson, Kurt Feudale
– Project: “Green World” — an educational game where players take on
the role of city planners whose responsibility is to keep their
environment clean
– Prize: $3,000 (U.S.)
– Third Place: Team Righteous Noodle, University of Houston
– Students: Jack Chaiyakhom, Kyuho Shim, Son Tran-Nguyen, Thien Pham
– Project: “Eva Frontier” –a real-team strategy game that challenges
players to end poverty through the use of advanced technologies
– Prize: $2,000 (U.S.)
– Fourth Place: Team XozGaming, Lick-Wilmerding High School, Oakland,
Calif.
– Students: Julius Lee, Xander Masotto
– Project: “Strain” –a real-time strategy game where players defend
the world against a global pandemic
– Prize: $1,000(U.S.)

Game Design — Mobile

– First Place: Team Big Impact Bear, University of Houston
– Students: Brett Langsjoen, Daniel Salazar, Francisco Jimenez
– Project: “Forest Gun” –a game that aims to prevent and reverse
deforestation in the world
– Prize: $6,000 (U.S.) and Windows Phone 7 devices for each member of
the team
– Second Place: Team AAMP, University of Houston
– Students: Antonio Farias, Mark Rojas, Patipol Paripoonnanonda
– Project: “Operation Clean Sweep” –a game intended to raise the
player’s awareness of water pollution
– Prize: $3,000 (U.S.)
– Third Place: Team Mintrus, University of Louisville, Columbia College in
Chicago
– Students: Kazuna Nakama, Matthew Dahl, Quinn Johns, Richard Paris
– Project: “Pandemic” –a tower defense game that acts as a conduit in
the education and prevention of AIDS
– Prize: $2,000 (U.S.)
– Fourth Place: Team EDO, Arizona State University
– Students: Ryan Scott, Travis Sein
– Project: “Word Mine” –a fun word game that focuses on a variety of
different languages
– Prize: $1,000(U.S.)

U.S. People’s Choice Awards

– First Place Software Design: Team BearPaw, Brigham Young University
– Students: Rob Johnson, Carter Green, Craig Treasure, Paul Jones
– Project: A mobile and cloud solution for ultrasound images that is
cost-effective, widely available and easy to implement
– Prize: Each member of the winning team will receive an Xbox 360 250
GB Console with Kinect. Estimated retail value $299 (U.S.) each.
– First Place Game Design: Team Bloom, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts
Academy
– Students: Andrew Zurek, David Grund, Nathan Heyl, Nathan Moore
– Project: “Spero” — a game focused on alternative energy solutions
and educating people on how to live healthier lives
– Prize: Each member of the winning team will receive an Xbox 360 250
GB Console with Kinect. Estimated retail value $299 (U.S.) each.

Now in its ninth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to become a global competition, with more than 325,000 students representing 100 countries and regions entering the competition last year. The theme for the 2011 competitions is “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” The Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals will be held July 8 through 13 in New York — the first time the United States will host the final stage of the competition. More information about the Imagine Cup is available at http://www.imaginecup.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Competition was fierce, but with 5,091 votes, Tribeca Flashpoint Academy’s Team Bloom has won Microsoft’s Imagine Cup People’s Choice Award! Thank you to all who supported them with daily votes and texts!

Currently, the members of Team Bloom (Andrew Zurek, David Grund, Nathan Heyl, Nathan Moore, and faculty mentor Darryl Hughes) are in Seattle, Washington competing in the Imagine Cup US Finals. Stand by for more news on their progress!

See pictures of all the action on Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Flickr page.

Last week, Tribeca Flashpoint hosted another successful meeting of the Chicago AAUGA tonight. Group leader Jennifer O’Connor demonstrated new features in the upcoming release of 3DStudio Max 2012.  Check out our photos from this fun and informative night!

It’s not every day you get to stand in the presence of royalty, but last week, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy students got a chance to meet a real, live Queen of Rock.

Before her concert at Lincoln Hall, the legendary Wanda Jackson sat down in her dressing room with six students from Film & Broadcast and Recording Arts to talk about her storied past, her new resurgence among a young fanbase, working with Jack White (The White Stripes, Rancontours), and releasing The Party Ain’t Over.

Watch Wanda perform with special guest Jack White on The Late Show with David Letterman:

Congratulations to Game & Interactive Media students Andrew Zurek, David Grund, Nathan Heyl, and Nathan Moore, also known as BLOOM STUDIOS, for being named national finalists in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Game Design Competition!

Before they jet off to Washington for the national competition, you can help Bloom Studios and Spero win the People’s Choice Award on Facebook! There are two ways to vote:

Vote on Facebook – or – text BLOOM to 23000*

Microsoft’s Imagine Cup, now in its 8^th year, is the world’s premier student technology competition, encouraging students around the world to use technology to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.

Bloom Studios’ winning game, SPERO, is about making a difference in your community one step at a time. Watch the video below for a closer look!

For more about Tribeca Flashpoint Academy’s Game & Interactive Media program, please visit http://www.tribecaflashpoint.com.

*Standard text messaging rates may apply

That’s exactly what second year Film & Broadcast students did in their winning submission to Best New Ad, promoting Donate Life, an organ and tissue donor organization.

The winning team, comprised of Producer Nathen Grigsby, Director of Photography Bryan Sentiere, Director Tom Merry, and Editor Mike Mitroff, created a :60 spot which features a hapless superhero who discovers his real life-saving powers.

Two other teams from Tribeca Flashpoint were finalists in the Donate Life competition. You can view their excellent submissions here:

Zack Robinson, AJ Mester, Katrina Meier, Thomas Tomesis, and Kevin Koval

David Goldberg