American Cinematographer - March 1995 - 64

Composer/producer
Quincy Jones echoed the recur¬
ring notion during the sympo¬
sium that nobody really knows
the future of interactive digital
technology, 'd've met most of the
players and they are all as health¬
ily confused as they should be/'
Jones said. "This is a revolution¬
ary time. Our juices are coming
back."

However, Jones expressed
concern for those not included in
the information elite. "We must
find

way for kids in the inner
city to share in the computer
a

revolution," Jones said. "We
must not have a segment of soci¬
ety that does not function in this
new

era." He said the

new

tech¬

nology will not make a difference
unless there is

an

attitude and

philosophy behind it.
"The information

high¬
way should help people tell their
own stories and not just make
them consumers," he said. "The
information highway should

help the 'have nots' find their
voices, and it should not be used
them out. This technology
help bring magic to their own

to shut
can

communities."

Jane Alexander, chair¬
man

of the National Endowment

for the Arts, echoed Jones' ideas
about fair and equitable access
for all citizens.

"Everybody thinks that
will be easy," she said. "But check
out the demographics in this
room. This is not the face of
America. Without access we
could divide into subcultures of
the elite and the unschooled."
Alexander called for free
access sites on the information
network that would resemble the

libraries, schools and

but warned that information

seen

without context is

is

that content

on

Alexander warned the

a

new

technolo¬

Cinematographer

over

cable. "Con¬

"The information highway
should help people tell their
own stories and not
just make
them consumers."
-

audience not to confuse the

new

technology with what's real and
"Seeing the Mona
Lisa on a compact disc is not the
same as
seeing the real thing,"
she said. "Hearing If 1 Had A

what's not.

Hammer

your computer
not the same as hear¬

a box or a
game.
"The whole point

struction

is

proceeding,"
he said. "The
backbone is al¬

ready in place."
S

Quincy Jones

drew

m

i t h

laughs

when he used the "field of
dreams" analogy to describe Bell

Atlantic's new enterprise. "It's
not a field of dreams, it's a field of

nightmares," Smith quipped. "If
we

on

speakers is
ing Pete Seeger singing it. There
is no way to actually create live

don't build it, THEY will."
Smith predicted an ex¬

plosion of creative activity in the
upcoming months as producers
try to create new programming

theater in

forms for the interactive technol¬

about
virtual reality is that it is virtually
real, not really real," Alexander
said. "Technology cannot replace
the seeing, the hearing and the
experiencing of art. It doesn't rep¬
licate the doing of art. There's a
big difference between a paint¬

ogy. The network, he said, will
"demolish the last proprietary
roadblocks that have been stifling

brush and
and

a

a canvas

and

a mouse

screen."

are

digital creativity."
Smith offered

symbol and metaphor to

work with interactive technol¬
ogy. "Content is everything,"
Alexander said. "As much as we
hear about the information

su¬

perhighway, it doesn't mean a
thing unless we have good con¬
tent running on top of it."

the

near

an

information

any
su¬

future. "It will be built

the terrestrial and the wireless

companies.
"We've tested it, we've

March 1995

video

company's new "digi¬
tal factory," the center in Reston,
Virginia, where program mate¬
rial will be integrated into the in¬

digital factory "a new kind of cre¬
ative unit and

a new

concoction

of

engineers and artists."
He urged large and small
program creators to take a close
look at the

media. "The

digi¬
its
way," he said, "but that pipeline
will remain empty if it doesn't
new

tal distribution

pipeline is

on

have content."

Bell Atlantic Chairman
doubts that

a

tour of his

teractive network. He called the

She called for more "di¬
vine discontents" whose tools

gies are teaching tools," she said,

American

already invested $11 billion

the past five years and has laid
two million miles of fiberoptic

computer technologists in the

quickly," he said. "The underly¬
ing economics of it are over¬
whelming. It's not just the telcos
but the satellite companies and

play

Atlantic, Smith said,

in its broadband network

the park and concerts at sym¬
phony hall," Alexander said.

education. "The

door."

our

Bell

has

perhighway is going to be built in

can

know the demand

said.

and bookstores, radio (stations)
and music stores, free concerts in

technologies
major role in public

banging at

the information

Ray Smith tried to dispel

The NEA chairman said

we

highway has real meaning," she

museums

information

it and

there," said Smith. "The de¬

mand for choice and control is

"Educators, businesses and the
up to ensure

arts should team

of today. "What we advocate is a
mixed economy with libraries

new

62

meaningless.

Sony America CEO
Michael Schulhof said Sony will
introduce a new five-inch CD for¬
mat with

"motion-picture-qual¬
ity" video and CD-quality audio
in

early 1996. He said the

new

format will hold two hours and
15 minutes of program

material.

"To me, the digital videodisc will
be to video what that Walkman
was

to recorded

said.

audio," Schulhof
?f
American Cinematographer - March 1995

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