What do we think of when we talk about 'digital screen'?
- Film
- Television
- Games
- Animation
- Augmented and Virtual Reality
- Digital Storytelling
- Interactive Experiences
A convergence of technologies
The manner in which all of the above are becoming increasingly interconnected when it comes to the creation of new digital content is called convergence: a buword we'll hear a lot in relation to the creative media industries.
A popular example of convergence to date has been the production of The Mandalorian, which came together through Virtual Screen Production, a versatile innovation developed through Epic Games' Unreal Engine.
It's also apparent in the acquisition of Aotearoa New Zealand's own WētāFX by Unity, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision|Bliard, Netflix's move into mobile game development and TikTok's recent foray into games.
While the success of these developments are generating excitement, it's creating equal amounts of concern within a sector already crying out for skilled workers.
It's clear that digital screen convergence is happening, it's critical to the entertainment industry and there's a huge need to educate and develop the talent needed for these industries to grow. From cinema to streaming, games to cross-reality and everything in between, each of these sectors are slated for continued, massive growth over the next decade, with a shortage of highly skilled, technical and artistic talent.
Formally announced in January 2022, the Digital Screen initative is a form of convergence in itself, explains Professor Kevin Watson, Executive Dean of UC's Faculty of Arts and Senior Academic Lead for the University's Bachelor of Digital Screen with Honours.
"[It's convergence] of teaching and research, education and industry across the digital screen sectors with a view to empowering the next generation of storytellers."
Examples of Convergence in media
- Fortnight Movie Nite: Christopher Nolan’s hit films screen in-game [June 2020]
- Peter Jackson selling Wētā Digital's VFX Tech Division to Unity for $1.625 billion [Nov 2021]
- New Zealand to build Digital Screen Campus at Christchurch [January 2022]
- Real-time round up: the metaverse and emerging 2022 trends [February 2022]
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney talks the metaverse, crypto, and antitrust [April 2022]
- Xbox job ad suggests it's not done with acquisitions [April 2022]
- Sony says it is ready to enter the metaverse [May 2022]
