The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced additional details for its 2020 HPA Tech Retreat, which will take place Monday, February 17 through Thursday, February 20. The HPA Tech Retreat is comprised of the main conference program, Supersession, TR-X and the Innovation Zone as well as extensive networking and meeting opportunities that are incorporated throughout the four day event. The 2020 HPA Tech Retreat will take place at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA.

2020 marks the 25^th year of the annual gathering, which has served as the forum for groundbreaking thought leadership, analysis and connection. Predictive but not predictable; disruptive, informative, and with a decidedly non-commercial focus that eschews marketing-oriented presentations, the HPA Tech Retreat is where honest and challenging discussions take place. Technologies have been premiered, dismantled and discussed in this forum over the course of those 25 years, and the deep analysis that has transpired has led to a number of fundamental changes and advancements for the industry.

As the organization moves into the next phase of the HPA Tech Retreat, the event continues to offer an incomparable opportunity to engage and collaborate with well-known and emerging leaders in engineering, technology, creativity and business in an environment designed to facilitate connection. In keeping with its evolutionary approach, the 2020 HPA Tech Retreat offers an incomparable main program curated by HPA Tech Retreat Maestro, Mark Schubin; an expanded TR-X under co-chairs Mark Chiolis and Craig German; and a fresh take on the Supersession, under the leadership of Joachim Zell, which will present an end to end live production and post of a short film. More than 70 speakers will fuel insight and conversation over the course of the four-day retreat.

In announcing the main conference program, Schubin noted, “Each year, we don’t know what issues will be discussed until we see the submissions, and this year’s were particularly great!  I’m looking forward to intensive learning about everything from weaponized video to driving consumer acceptance to the future of production and post. I can hardly wait!”

The 2020 HPA Tech Retreat Program:

Monday, February 17

TR-X: Stop the Technology World, I Want to Get Off!

This year’s TR-X, a half-day session produced by Mark Chiolis and Craig German, will examine how the most disruptive changes in technology will fundamentally alter the way each of us practices our craft. When anything is possible, how do you think and behave differently when you create content? What new skill sets will you need in this new era? How will each of us, from new entrants to the workforce to old hands, continue to learn when the pace of change becomes daily? From professional educators to visionaries to industry pioneers, we will explore what it looks like to live and work in a rebooted future.

Among our headline speakers will be Mark Turner of MovieLabs, Josh Stinehour of Devoncroft, and Rodney Grubbs of NASA.

Registration for the half-day TR-X is included in the All-Access registration package or can be purchased as a standalone registration.

Tuesday, February 18

Supersession: HPA Makes A Movie

From previs to popcorn, Supersession Chair Joachim Zell will walk the audience through every element of an original HDR production, experimenting with various technologies and techniques. The production features the skills of working professionals including Roy Wagner, ASC; Steven Shaw, ASC, DGA; Peter Moss, ASC, ACS; and Sam Nicholson, ASC. The day will end with a screening of the short film.

The latest and greatest technology will be experienced live and in real time: multicamera shots, lens metadata handling, cloud workflows, the most current in compositing and editing, color grading and movie deliverables to YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and SDR/HDR for traditional theaters.

Innovation Zone opens with cocktails.

Welcome Dinner

Wednesday, February 19

• Welcome – Seth Hallen, HPA President
• Introduction & Technology Year in Review – Mark Schubin
• Washington Update – Jim Burger, Thompson Coburn LLP
• CES Review – Peter Putman, ROAM Consulting
• Decoding CES 2020: the Key Trends that will Impact Media and Entertainment – Mark Harrison, Digital Production Partnership
• “Broadcasters” panel – Moderator: Matthew Goldman, MediaKind
• The Immersive Media Challenge: USC Students Envision the Near-Future of Entertainment – Phil Lelyveld, Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California
• The Theatre is not a Big TV – Jerry Pierce, Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum, National Association of Theatre Owners
• Collaboration at Any Resolution: Virtual Production for the Rest of Us – International Cinematographers Guild in Cooperation with the Art Directors Guild
  • Moderator: Michael Chambliss, ICG
  • Ramy Katrib, DigitalFilm Tree
  • Eliot Mack, Lightcraft Technology
  • Benjamin Nowicki, art director
  • David Stump, ASC
• In-Camera Visual Effects – David Morin, Epic Games
• Live Production Innovative Solutions and Workflow Highlights –
  • Moderator: Mark Chiolis, Mobile TV Group
  • Nick Garvin, Mobile TV Group
  • Scott Rothenberg, NEP
• Tested Perceptual Difference Between 4K & 8K – Michael Zink, Warner Bros.
• Immersive Audio Rollout – Brian Vessa, Sony Pictures
• Why Traditional Information Security Doesn’t Fit in Most of Media & Entertainment – Marc Zorn, HBO/WarnerMedia
• Latest International Guidelines to Protect Viewers from Photosensitive Epilepsy (PSE) Provoked Seizures – John Harris, Cambridge Research Systems
• New Adventures in Mastering & Deliverables (compression edition) – Josh Pines, Technicolor
• What Just Happened? A Review of the Day by Jerry Pierce & Leon Silverman
• Innovation Zone Reception (dedicated demo time)

Thursday, February 20

• The MovieLabs 2030 Vision
  • Introduction – Rich Berger, MovieLabs
  • Cloud Infrastructure
    • Tony Gaughan, RSTOR
    • David Phillips, Cloudian
    • Hossein ZiaShakeri, Spectra Logic
    • Glen Sakata, Dalet
    • Eric Bassier, Quantum
    • Mark Harrison, DPP
  • Security & Access
    • Moderator: Jim Helman, MovieLabs
    • Guy Finley, The Trusted Partner Network
    • Spencer Stephens, TechXMedia
    • Omer Farooq, Independent Security Evaulators
    • Michelle Munson, Eluv.io
    • James Wilson, IBM Aspera
  • Software-Defined Workflows
    • Moderator: Mark Turner, Entertainment Technologists
    • Richard Duke, Avid
    • Annie Chang, Universal
    • Kenneth Cuomo, Vimond IO
    • Steve Morris, Skywalker Sound
    • Martin Coles, IPV
    • Chris Lennon, MediAnswers

• ACES Update – Coordinator, Annie Chang, Universal
• State of Open-Source Software for VFX/Animation, Moderator: David Morin, Academy Software Foundation
• Vid2Vec: A Machine Language for Media Content – Yves Bergquist, Entertainment Technology Center at USC
• Chaos on Demand: Is Online Video Just the Bad Old Days in New Clothing? – Rowan de Pomerai, Digital Production Partnership, UK
• Mastering with a Large LED Screen – John Quartel, Company 3
• SMPTE Update – Thomas Bause Mason, SMPTE
• What Just Happened? A Review of the Day – Jerry Pierce & Leon Silverman
• Post Show: Why the Show on Rebuilding The Brady Bunch House Couldn’t Get the Color Right – Ed Grogan

The complete program for the 2020 HPA Tech Retreat, including schedule, is available at www.hpaonline.com. Additional sessions and speakers will be announced. (Please note the final schedule is subject to change.) In addition to the conference program, a broad offering of more than 50 breakfast roundtable discussions, led by key industry experts, start the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. The Innovation Zone returns Tuesday through Thursday, presenting the opportunity to explore emerging and innovating technologies from nearly 60 companies at the vanguard of the industry.

Seth Hallen, president of HPA, commented, “For 25 years, the HPA Tech Retreat has been the touchstone of knowledge and deep understanding in our industry. The future of our industry is at the core of the presentations and technology explored at the Tech Retreat. Mark Schubin has put together an outstanding program as we celebrate this milestone year. And, in keeping with the evolution of the 2020 HPA Tech Retreat, we’re making a movie at the Supersession!  From backdrops to sets to cameras and visual effects, we’ll be diving deep into every decision made during a next-generation production process. TR-X continues to grow and this year takes a studied and expert driven approach to the future and how we can prepare for it. I’m incredibly proud to be part of HPA and see the incredible work and genius being put forth in the programming, by committee leaders and by the speakers and experts.”

The HPA Tech Retreat takes place thanks to the generosity of Diamond Title Sponsor Adobe, Gold Sponsors Blackmagic Design and Nutanix, Silver Sponsors SDVI, Signiant, and Stellus, Bronze Sponsors Avid, LaCie, and Zeiss, Event Sponsors CP Communications and Dell Technologies, Star Sponsor Cloudian, and Foundation Members Avid, Dolby, EFILM, Encore, Deluxe Toronto, and Level 3 Post.

The HPA Tech Retreat is a limited attendance event, strictly capped at 700 guests, and it will sell out. Registration is open for both day passes and full conference passes. Onsite registration is not available. More information about the HPA Tech Retreat, including registration and program details, is available at www.hpaonline.com.