Wednesday AM Keynote

All sessions recorded and available on the website.

Most attendees were not marketers, Hollywood people, kid branding, but rather tech people and VW developers.

Verbeck (Electric Sheep) points out that only 2 conference attendees were present at the Avatars conference in 1996/7. 1995: VW called "Worlds Chat". The only VW still in existence since 1996 is Active Worlds. Wider variety of business models experimented with then. Kids worlds not expected. Same challenges and similar tools to 12 years ago. "Multi-Global War on Geekiness." Geeky in terms of what they expected from the user. Need to reduce interface to point and click.

http://www.virtualworldsroadmap.org <--put out useful things about point and click interfaces and other useful ideas (available tomorrow)

Cory Bridges (co-founder of Multiverse), interviewer for next section
Interviewee of the Keynote: producer of Titanic and others, working on a new film called Avatar, John Landau

Couldn't say a lot about "Avatar." With the internet, it is "Little Brother" you have to worry about, not "Big Brother." Using the tools of VWs in the creation of this movie. Building their own VWs, working with virtual cameras with a set before the set is built. Interact with actors in the virtual space. "Virtual Production"...work with motion capture (they call it "performance capture"). Make technology the enabler instead of the limiter.

Why he is interested in VWs: It is where cinema was in the early 20th century. VWs has the potential to be the artform of the 21st century. Film is a passive experience, but VWs have the opportunity to be a participatory experience. We don't know where it is really going. Needs to be about the long term...not about finding the answers today but determine where we are going tomorrow.

Immersive and 3D worlds vs. the state of the internet: how do we get rid of something text-based and non-intuitive to the non-traditional internet user, representing qualities of their everyday life. Flash worlds.

2D and ways that are easier for the consumer to have virtual and social experience and social nets...he is on Facebook. When you can merge social nets and VW together is very important. What are the connective tissues you want to create in a virtual space. Gaming, monetization, socialization.

Showed nice video of VWs and integrated social networks using Multiverse...THIS WILL BE OPEN SOURCE. His thoughts on open source: not everything can be 100% os, but the more you can create a sense of empowerment, the better. Create something people can share. It is a video camera and allows them to create. Welcome people into the worlds they create and the stories they are telling.

The role of tech in film making: tech when used right is an enabler. Jim Cameron wrote and named the story "Avatar" 14 years ago. Was not made then because the tech didn't yet exist to do it. The story justifies the tech. Not an excuse to make a movie in 3D. Tech has enabled it...do the story first and let the tech enable it when available.

What are you trying to do with the given sites? It isn't good enough to just create and MMO. How do you combine things to create a greater experience. People turn to VWs to escape the real one. If you can deliver that in teh VW, you are better off. People listen to the same music over and over again because they get something emotional out of it. A plot is something you get in the movie, a theme is something they take away from it.

Convergence: bringing different elements together where you have an audience yearning for more. In the case of Avatar, they want to expand the world that they present in the 2 hour movie.

It is not a requirement to have an existing brand to create a VW. Movies (non-sequels) do not have an existing brand...they are a new product. But getting out of new product is where the challenge is. Buffy is now being taken to the MMO via Multiverse. Will first be a 2D flash game, but will eventually launch in 3D where 2 and 3D players will interact. Avatar will be released in both 2 and 3D. If you only do one of the two, you are narrowing who you can really reach. Open it up to as many people as possible of all ages and demos. Find the early adopters to build ground swelling from there.

Stereoscopic 3D: what the 3D part of the movie is, enabled by digital tech. Cameras limited this in the past. The screen has always been a barrier to the narrative. Make the screen go away. Go of VWs should be "it's there," rather it should be "I'm there."

How are VWs affecting Hollywood now and in the future: using it now to create the movie. Motion Builder software by AutoDesk. Right now it is in the promo end and secondary stuff. How can we translate the stories we are telling to be available and accessible to our audience? Film will never go away due to VWs. It is another format and presents another opportunity. Have the social experience while you are having another experience such as film.

Long-term future of VWs: Photorealism is coming. It will become the pervasive way that people deal with connectivity and socialization and gaming. It is a marathon, not a sprint. VWs are a new medium. EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION. Military has been training with it for years. Jim Cameron is doing a VW of Titanic as an educational thing...history, CGI sims, etc. to bring people in to learn.

What is the niche/business model of Multiverse: VW tech platform to make your own VW to let independent and big companies develop. Can download SDK for free from multiverse.net. You don't pay until you start charging consumers. All worlds developed are available on one world browser to let any user get there.

One audience member: VWs work so well with kids since they are not their SECOND lives, but their FIRST. Referenced "academic research" being done on this subject.