Symposium and Speakers Program

12 - 13 November 2008, Level 2 Melbourne Convention Exhibition Center, Southbank

The iDEF (International Digital Entertainment Festival) Develop Symposium program is listed below. It is one of the most engaging programs that has been assembled for the local industry to attend. Make sure you are available on the 12 - 13 November as you don't want to miss this one.

Time	Main Auditorium	Breakout Sessions
	Wednesday 12 November
9.45am - 10.30am	Tony Keusgen - Google National Sales Manager, Technology Markets Speaker Profile > Innovation at Google... "A rare look inside Google's approach to innovation - principles, rules, applications and outcomes. How products have evolved - and what's the latest..."	Brian Chau - Adobe Asia Pacific Web Market Development Manager Speaker Profile > Simplify the design and development workflow with Adobe CS4 A demonstration of the latest Adobe CS4 web premium: - initial graphic design and prototyping - build standard-compliant web site - add in rich expressiveness content - output as desktop and mobile apps
10.40am - 11.25am	Shane Morris - Microsoft User Experience Evangelist Speaker Profile > Welcome to the Social Back in the 'olden days', people worried that computers and technology would take away our ability to relate to one another. Nowadays, we are discovering just the opposite - that technology can bring people together in powerful, unexpected ways - at work and at play, at home and on the move. Shane Morris, User Experience Evangelist for Microsoft Australia, will explore the 'social computing' phenomenon and discuss what Microsoft is doing to create new experiences that put interaction with people ahead of interaction with computers.	Damian Scott - Primal Clarity Founder, CEO Speaker Profile > Independent Games Development In this session, Damian Scott will discuss the topography that faces independent developers, and he will outline his belief that the time is ripe for independent design collectives to bolster traditional game development studios with a suite of pre-production services to maximize the creative and commercial success of their products, whilst funding their own development.
11.35pm - 12.25pm	Simon Allen (US) - Pixar Animator Speaker Profile > Perth to Pixar Simon will talk about his past work in 2D animation, the games industry, working at Lucasarts, Breaking into the VFX world of animation and show his work as animation Supervisor on the Matrix Revolutions and Constantine, talk a little about working on Happy Feet and what it was like working with Motion Capture. He will also talk about Pixar, it's culture and what it's like to work there as well.	Jeremy Morris - Anything Interactive Founder eSport Discussion Anything Interactive will be discussing eSports culture and how professional gaming is becoming part of social/mainstream culture.
12.25pm - 1.25pm	Lunch
1.30pm - 2.20pm	Steve Fawkner - Infinite Interactive Founder, CEO Speaker Profile > Gaming, Where the Bloody Hell are You? Steve discusses the current state of the games industry in Australia; how it got to where it's at, and how it needs to move into the future. Topics that will be covered include the recent Skills Shortage, the power of Intellectual Property and the current areas of Gaming that are potentially ripe and ready for conquest by Australian Development Studios.	Australiangamer.com Guy Blomberg, Anna Dunne Speaker Profiles > How to promote and network yourself in the Gaming Industry'
2.30pm - 3.20pm	Paul Van Gaans Feelance Animator Speaker Profile > Topic Title TBC Topic TBC	Session TBC
3.20pm - 3.40pm	Afternoon Tea
3.40pm - 4.25pm	Geoffrey Handley - Hyperfactory Co-Founder and New Business Director Speaker Profile > Topic available shortly	Andrew Owen Nana Glen Media Speaker Profile > They never tell you about the projects that crash? Andrew will talk about his diverse career in traditional and modern media. From creating graphic work for the rock group U2 to television pilots, Andrew will showcase a variety of past work and preview several digital film projects currently in development. He will also discuss some past projects that did not work and what to do next.
4.35pm - 5.30pm	Where is digital entertainment headed? Panel Discussion Damian Scott - Primal Clarity Founder Speaker Profile > Tony Keusgen - Google National Sales Manager, Technology Markets Speaker Profile > Geoffrey Handley - Hyperfactory Co-Founder and New Business Director Speaker Profile > Facilitator - Justin Brow - 60Sox Founder, Producer, Curator Speaker Profile >	Monash University Faculty of Information Technology Multimedia Showcase See some of the past and present work of students from the Faculty of Information Technology Multimedia applications major.
6.00pm - 7.00pm	Digital Media Internships Information Night Film Victoria Our Digital Media Internship program places digital media graduates, or people with relevant experience into internships with host companies. Host companies represent a broad range of screen industry production including game development, post production, animation and multi-platform content creators. At our free Information Night, you'll get to meet potential host companies, hear what they are looking for and ask any questions you might have about our Digital Media Internship program. In addition, host companies and interns that have already received our supported will talk about their experiences of the program. This is a great opportunity for new graduates to get closer to securing a job in the digital media sector, and for those already working in the industry to take the next step in their careers. This is a FREE Session open to anyone to attend. Symposium delegates are welcome to stay on for this session. To RSVP for the Digital Media Internships Information Night please email tim.reid@film.vic.gov.au More Information >
6.00pm - 7.30pm	Develop Drinks Sponsored by 60Sox.org.au at The BLVD Bar, Southbank
	Thursday 13 November
9.00am - 9.50am	How can education better meet Industry needs? - Panel Discussion Pepi Ronalds - Reactive General Manager Speaker Profile > Brad Giblin - Film Victoria Technical Project Officer Speaker Profile > David Giles - Tantalus Chief Operations Officer Speaker Profile > Andrew Owen - Marketing Faculty of IT, Monash University Speaker Profile >	Topic available shortly
10.00am - 10.50am	Robbee Minicola - Hybrid TV (ANZ TiVo licensee) Chief Executive Officer Speaker Profile > TV is the new black Innovation has centred on new media possibilities where online, mobile and games were viewed as the creative nirvana. Problem is that with online people mainly do email, with mobile people mainly call people and send text messages and with game consoles people mainly just want to play a game. Content and services that appear to be outstanding - are simply lost in a multitude of options and distractions in the online and mobile medium. When we look at the television, the lean back, engaged medium that captures the attention of millions of Australians each day in a relaxed state - this is where TV has the opportunity to reinvent itself through bringing broader television services thanks to digital terrestrial broadcasts over analogue as well as broadband connectivity enabling more content plus new services and utilities. So which platform is the most salient for content and services in the eyes of the consumer? The TV (aka central screen) or the PC in the study or the mobile in their handbag?	Derek Robertson (Scotland) Learning and Teaching Scotland National Advisor for Emerging Technologies Speaker Bio > Details of this session TBC
10.50am - 11.10am	Morning Tea
11.10am - 11.55am	Glenn Melenhorst - iloura Creative Director Speaker Profile > The Melbourne Company Who Could Based in Melbourne, iloura is an award-winning design, animation and visual effects company producing work for film, television and advertising clients. Well known in Australasia for creating high end animation and VFX, iloura is going through an exciting growth period, earning attention from the international VFX film community. After a VES award nomination for character animation work on Charlotte’s Web (Paramount Pictures), the team have worked on a host of US feature projects including College Road Trip (Walt Disney Pictures), Where the Wild Things Are (Warner Bros.) and The Pacific (HBO). The team are currently working on a VFX package for the film Australia directed by Baz Luhrmann for Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.	Tom Chandler - Monash University Lecturer, Faculty of Information Technology Speaker Profile > Reconstructed Archaeology and Virtual Histories The widespread popularity of advanced computer games finds the educational multimedia industry faced with the problem of competing against a prevailing new medium to engage young minds. This presentation will explore and discuss the ongoing task of recreating historically accurate, and visually engaging, educational 3D animations of ancient cities and archaeological sites using examples of Monash University’s investigations at Angkor (Cambodia), Kashgar (the Silk Road) and the Dahkleh Oasis (Egypt). Considerations for how this research might be applied educationally to secondary and tertiary studies, and the role of historical visualisations more generally, will also be addressed.
12.00am - 12.45pm	Ted Hung - prev. Lucas Arts Associate Professor - QANTM Speaker Profile > Topic available shortly	Robert Smith Autodesk - Solutions Engineer for the Mechanical Solutions Division (MSD) Speaker Profile > Demonstrating Autodesk inventor Robert will demonstrate Autodesk Inventor (details below): The Autodesk® Inventor™ model provides an accurate digital prototype that helps consumer product manufacturers validate engineering and design data before the product is ever built. With its comprehensive, integrated set of tools, Autodesk Inventor helps you: • Optimise product performance and make accurate design decisions without building physical prototypes • Create assembly drawings and exploded assembly views to use in production ready drawings, training manuals and manufacturing instructions • Safely integrate existing 2D designs into your digital prototyping environment through true DWG interoperability
12.45pm - 1.35pm	Lunch
1.35pm - 2.20pm	Derek Robertson (Scotland) Learning and Teaching Scotland National Advisor for Emerging Technologies Speaker Bio > The games industry knows how to make compelling and participative entertainment but are they aware of the potential of commercially available computer games as learning tools that can be used to motivate, engage and challenge learners? This presentation will look at the work that has been happening in Scottish schools that has gone some way to changing the ‘folk devil’ view of the computer game and to helping educational managers rethink what they mean by educational technology. Who’d have thought that Nintendogs, Guitar Hero, Endless Ocean or Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training could become an integral part of the learning experience but in Scottish classrooms this is now commonplace. This presentation will argue that the games industry needs to look at the education market with a keener eye but that they should have faith in the product as it stands and be very wary of designing games for education. Learners love games and with the help of games we can make learners love learning even more.	Robbee Minicola - Hybrid TV (ANZ TiVo licensee) Chief Executive Officer Speaker Profile > Professional Game Developers - The Opportunity to develop games for the TiVo platform This is a specific session that is open only to professional game developers where Robbee Minicola will provide information and guidance as to how to get into developing games for the TiVo platform. She will cover of technical information and revenue opportunities. You will be presented with a Dev Kit to get you up and running. One of the lucky delegates who attened this session will win a TiVo and Wireless adapter worth around $800 in this session.
2.30pm - 3.15pm	Dion Stojsavljevic - Intel Australia Retail Marketing Manager Speaker Profile > Topic available shortly	Robbee Minicola - Hybrid TV (ANZ TiVo licensee) Chief Executive Officer Speaker Profile > Amateur Game Developers - The Opportunity to develop games for the TiVo platform This is a specific session that is open to budding game developers where Robbee Minicola will provide information and guidance as to how to get into developing games for the TiVo platform. She will cover of technical information and revenue opportunities. You will be presented with a Dev Kit to get you up and running. One of the lucky delegates who attened this session will win a TiVo and Wireless adapter worth around $800 in this session.
3.15pm - 3.35pm	Afternoon Tea
3.35pm - 4.25pm	Mobile: entertainment on the move Join the founders of Mobile Monday from both Sydney and Melbourne as they provide insight into exploding mobile content and applications industry. This session will cast a light over this exciting new industry, how Australians are increasingly excelling in several commercial sectors internationally and where the opportunities lie for local operators. Antony McGregor Dey - Founder Mobile Monday Melbourne Speaker Profile > Shane Williamson - Founder Mobile Monday Sydney Speaker Profile >	Jay Boston - Intense Design New Media Director Speaker Profile > Search Engine Optimised (SEO) Interactive Web Experiences Design plays one role to the online experience. Getting visitors to the site is another. Over the last 2 years, Intense Design has invested countless hours researching search engine optimisation and as a consequence, considers it a major part of the web service. Moreover, SEO is included in every web experience created and launched from our studio. Intense Design believes that search engine optimisation should not sacrifice the experience intended for the visitor. There are plenty of ways to maximise the experience of visitors to websites without affecting PageRank, search engine listings and keyword placement. This insightful presentation explains how the coding of a site and the text content within plays a pivotal role in the position of websites in search engines.
4.30pm - 5.30pm	Australia: Where to from here? Panel Discussion Simon Curry - Partner Galbraith & Partners Speaker Profile > Robbee Minicola - Hybrid TV (ANZ TiVo licensee) Chief Executive Officer Speaker Profile > Glenn Melenhorst - iloura Creative Director Speaker Profile > Facilitator - Brad Howarth Writer and Journalist Speaker Profile >	Vlad Postolache and Ben Head IT Challenge Students of the year presentation The winners of this years National IT Challenge will be doing a short presentation about the their winning entry anf development of the project. Ben and Vlad from Camberwell High will also discuss their future direction after the VCE and what inspired them to create www.spidermechstudios.com.
5.30pm	CLOSE
	*The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the program and speakers based on availability.