Please Note: Access to recordings and presenter materials from the professional development sessions is a benefit of GSCA membership. Please click on "login" in the upper right-hand corner of this page and enter your user name and password. Once you have logged in, the materials for each session will appear on the screen below beneath the session description. If you do not have a GSCA login or have any problems accessing the files, please contact Kelly Germain at kelly@giantscreencinema.com.

Although we encourage use and distribution of these materials for the purposes of providing professional development, promoting best practices, and strengthening the position of the GSCA community, we request that those interested in reproducing materials observe the following guidelines. Materials are a benefit of GSCA membership, and you may not post, publish, transmit, or disseminate any GSCA material in digital or electronic form by means of the World Wide Web, e-mail, online services, or any other medium without prior written permission from GSCA. To obtain permission, please contact Tammy Seldon at tammy@giantscreencinema.com. 

Click here to download a PDF of the event program.

Click here to view the program online. 

The Filmmaker Symposium held on March 9-10, 2016,  at the Universal City AMC IMAX Theatre, Hilton Universal, and Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles featured sessions and hands-on opportunities to learn more about the technology, techniques, and business practices that are unique to the giant screen format. Materials from the following symposium sessions will appear on the screen once you have logged in.

Moderator: Paul Fraser, Blaze Digital Cinema Works

This four-part session examines the business aspects of what goes into getting a giant screen film made, with plenty of time for Q&A.

Part 1: The GS Film Economic Model
Paul Fraser of Blaze Digital Cinema Works will present the current economic realities of financing a giant screen film and its potential return on investment, highlighting the need for (and potential amounts of) non-equity funds, high penetration of GS screens, and ancillary revenues.

Part 2: Quantifying What the Audience Wants
What are audiences looking for in giant screen film content? And how does this compare to giant screen theater programmers’ preferences? In this segment, Paul Fraser provides a brief review of the GSCA Audience Research Survey results and the GSCA Theater Programming Survey.

Part 3: Potential Film Funding Sources
A brief overview of National Science Foundation programs from Valentine Kass,  the IMAX Documentary Film Fund from Di Roberts, and the Giant Dome Theater Consortium from Robin Doty (Museum of Science, Boston).

Part 4: The Real World of GS Film Financing
Panelists: Stephen Amezdroz, December Media; Jonathan Barker, SK Films; Pascal Vuong, N3D LAND Films
Producers Stephen Amezdroz (Hidden Universe), Jonathan Barker (Flight of the Butterflies and Amazon), and Pascal Vuong (D-Day: Normandy 1944) discuss how they got financing for their films and how those films achieved stakeholders’ expectations. Our panelists will share financing structures (e.g. equity vs. sponsorships/grants vs. tax credits, etc.) and production budgets/returns; describe how to involve theatres in the development process; and explain their approach to choosing a distributor if not self-distributing.

Moderator: Kim Nickels, CPA
Presenters: Jennifer Casey, JCP; Greg Eliason, Line Producer

Producers will provide the anatomy of a giant screen film budget. They will discuss "above the line" costs on a high-level basis, and then each will drill down into the "below the line" costs for a recently completed giant screen film and typical giant screen films. They will focus on line items that are unique to producing a film made specifically for the dome or giant screen. A question and answer session will round out the session.

Moderator: Diane Carlson, Pacific Science Center
Panelists: Peter Chang, Golden Gate 3D; Steve Judson, MacGillivray Freeman Films; Stephen Low, The Stephen Low Company; Wendy MacKeigan, SK Films

What makes storytelling on the giant screen unique? How do various GS filmmakers approach structure, stakes, character, flow of ideas and information. What works? What doesn't?

Moderator: Michael Daut, Evans & Sutherland
Presenters: Tim Archer, Masters Digital; Cory Mandel, Technicolor; Brian Eimer, ImagesInSound

Sound design is as important to the giant screen experience as the crisp visuals and stunning 3D. The understanding of that, and what it means to create a giant screen soundtrack, is as important as the camera you use and the lens you put on it. Presenters discuss the following:

• the layers and textures of sound design needed to create an immersive soundtrack for the giant screen, from the importance of location sound recordings, to designing and mixing for the new sound formats now available, including the ability to create for the new dimension of height.
• the importance of workflow and understanding the need to plan for the final delivery format in preproduction through to all the final deliverables.
• the technical and creative aspects of multi-channel location audio recording for the giant screen and the tools used and some tricks of the trade.
• the similarities and differences between location audio recording for the giant screen or recording for feature films and television.

Presenters: Myles Connolly, 360-Media; Peter Crithary, Sony; James Manke, RPG Productions; Bruce Markoe, IMAX Corporation; Ryan Mullins, Big Picture Digital Productions; Daniel Rapo, FotoKem; Pierre Routhier, Creat3

Join us for an overview of the increasingly complex world of giant screen deliverables, which have expanded from the modicum of simplicity – 1570 2D prints from 65mm negative – to encompass a dizzying array of multi-platform masters, of varying lengths, customized for wildly differing digital and analog exhibition platforms: from 2D domes to 3D flat screens; from DCI standard projection to laser and high dynamic range (HDR) digital projection; from DVD to Blu-ray to 4K (Ultra HD) disc.  A panel of industry experts will breakdown the issues and costs associated with navigating this strange new world.

Presenters: Joe DeAmicis, California Science Center; Tina Ratterman, BIG & Digital; Kate Storm, COSI; John Wickstrom, National Geographic Partners

Production is just part of the giant screen filmmaking equation. For a film to be financially successful, you will need a marketing and distribution plan. In this session, distributors and theater operators will outline the differences and similarities that lie between GS distribution and other distribution channels (TV, commercial theaters, direct streaming, etc.). How do distributors and theater operators work together to successfully market your film? What kind of terms do distributors and theaters expect? What services and marketing support do theaters expect distributors to provide? What are the pros and cons of distributors supplying multiple content versions, and what are the costs associated with providing them? What role do distributors play in providing ancillary educational materials, and what are the benefits of providing them? What are some high-impact, low-cost ways to market your film? This session will get to the heart of why distribution and marketing of giant screen films is a unique beast.