How did the Motion Graphics Festival begin? How did it develop its specific focus?

The festival began five years ago and at that time there was a real need in the film and video industry for a festival that celebrated creativity and graphical innovation without excluding work based on genre. For instance creative motion pictures created for advertising, film, and the internet were highlighted in very different forums, and works not created specifically for those delivery methods, such as realtime (VJ) work or medical motion illustration, had almost no public awareness or exhibition opportunities.

Is it hard to get a new festival off the ground?

The people that come to our festival have been craving this kind of work. There were so many artists in need of educational opportunities and people interested in this artform that the festival had a very natural growth. There have been so many volunteers and enthusiasts that the biggest obstacle has been find ways to organize all of the interested people and companies.

Is most of the work shown in theaters at the festival intended for another environment (the web, a television, etc)? Does this matter?

It matters a great deal. As marshal mchluan illustrated so well; the method of delivery is an integral part of every piece of content. This has been a curatorial challenge for us; especially considering our cross-genre emphasis. We have really appreciated organizations like Lumen Eclipse because they enable us to curate works in a way that really highlights their genius. For instance Sean Capones work was designed for public video displays in fashion stores. The work is so well done specifically because it works well in this format. It entices audiences but does not hold their attention for the length of the piece. The fact that it doesn’t hold audiences attention after a short time would be excruciating for a theater audience; but on the Lumen Eclipse kiosk it works perfectly. This kind of integration of delivery and content is exactly why genre-specific festivals failed to include so much amazing motion-picture designs.

In what other venues is work presented?

Our curatorial program constantly evolves in include what people make with motion-picture tools. Over the last five years we have been able to include most all of the work we felt deserved attention through the following programs: theater presentations, interactive/installation gallery showcases, realtime video concerts, public video/interactive kiosk displays, and online presentations.

But if someone created an amazing motion-picture designed specifically to be shown on ping-pong balls, you can bet a ping-pong tournament would be added to our program.

What is the aim of the Motion Graphics Festival, and what do you think is the most important function of festivals in general? Getting new work out there, into the market? Drawing together industry professionals/likeminded people?

Our mission is three-fold: provide public awareness of motion-picture artistry, provide a critical framework for motion-picture artistry, and create educational advancement and future opportunities for motion-picture artists.

Who attends the Motion Graphics Festival?

Our demographics for the full conference program weigh heavily towards working professional artists but also include students. The screening and art exhibits attract a wide range of enthusiasts and curious humans.

What is your background? What is it like to be part of a large art institution? Does it help or hinder your personal artmaking?

Personally I attended film school at University of Texas and have worked professionally in the new media / emerging media space for over ten years. The Art Institute of Chicago is a fantastic institution that well deserves its reputation as the best art school in the country. Teaching there has enabled me to maintain a prolific art practice and run a national festival, while consistently being exposed to new ideas and approaches by my students and colleagues. Can you tell I like it?

What are some of the highlights of the past five years of the festival?

For me the best parts have been the amazing people I have met in the process. Specifically, I most treasure: Troy and Julee of Psymbolic.com (who now co-organize the festival), Jason White and the whole team at Lift Studios (who have created our Festival opener for several years in a row), and the artists and organizations (like Lumen Eclipse) that are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with Art in this century.

In terms of activities, the curation of this broad assortment of work has always been a fun and interesting challenge. Also this year’s educational program really exploded the pedagogy of art education by incorporating aspects of professional training, academic education, and the underground arts education that is becoming very popular here in Chicago.

Who are some artists that you’re excited about currently? Are the most exciting artists in motion graphics (or more broadly, moving images) working in the commercial world? Are they working for the silver screen, the TV screen, for other multimedia environments?

Wow. I have no idea how to answer that. Honestly, I was very excited about working with Lumen Eclipse because I think you have built the most vibrant and cutting-edge collection of motion-picture art currently available.

The next genre I expect to see a lot of innovation is narrative-based web content that incorporates new media design with motion-picture design.

Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years? Is the internet going to revolutionize media beyond what it’s already done?

The 10-20 year forecast for media and the Internet is bleak. Google will become an operating system much like AOL has tried to become years ago. Nearly all of media that people receive will be personalized for the individual viewer, and will be formatted as a hybrid of content and advertising, much like 1940’s television and the now ubiquitous product-placement in Hollywood cinema. Nearly all programming will be delivered through proprietary devices much like cell-phones and satellite television receivers.

The FCC rules on media consolidation are and will continue to lead to massive vertical integration of media companies; where competition exists only between mediums, not within mediums. The idea of the Internet as a democratic platform where anyone can participate was to a large degree enabled by Microsoft’s monopoly, and as their market dominance wanes, so will the Internet as we know it. What we think of as the “World Wide Web” will be relegated to little more than a back alley on the information super-highway, much like Newsgroups and Archie have been, accessible only to experts and bots. These platforms will be replaced by much more conditioned virtual spaces.

This is why the iPhone has been such a symbolically important device. It places the competition in the media market into a new constellation; pitting telephone and broadcast mediums in a single coliseum of experience design, pure verticals of content, interface, advertising and delivery.

The best plateau artists can hope to leap to in the next ten years is custom device design (likely through open source microcontrollers) and/or private darknet delivery.

Like I said: the forecast is bleak.

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Interview conducted by Lumen Eclipse

more information on the Motion Graphics Festival