"Jesh and Riya are excitedly working away at their science assignment during the holidays. Riya has an artistic flair and wants to present the topic in a manner that engages the viewer and brings them into the experience using principles of Art and storytelling. They want to draw their audiences into the experience as active participants and not mere spectators. Jesh ( the know-it-all) proffer's...'we'll need to use Real-Time Technology to make this part of the sequence Interactive'. Riya agrees but interjects, 'this bit we should do as an Animated sequence, can you think of some great color schemes to match the theme?' Jesh blinks and serves up a few options. Riya makes a tapping gesture in the air, 'this one's perfect, thanks Jesh. Please sync this to my project repository' ".
It's 2022. Jesh is Riya's AI assistant, part friend, part sage- almost human. He's a know-it-all and yet Riya is in charge. The preparations for the assignment happen on a virtual desktop that floats 3 feet ahead of Riya's eyes. Jesh can be summoned by simply speaking into the air or using the gesture of a hand. Riya can take her work anywhere because it's all sitting on her head. A pair of Mixed Reality Glasses her father gifted her last year. He lovingly named them RiyAction.
It is imperative for students who want to pursue careers in the Media & Entertainment industry to try and gather as much information as possible about what current industry trends are and how they may get affected by emerging technology trends.
If you're reading this in 2018, you may file the above piece in the Science Fiction category and yet this is already happening in some parts of the Globe. These experiences are known as Mixed Reality experiences. In 2022 things would have gotten better, much better and you'll be in Riya's place instead!
Technology has permeated every career choice you can make. Creative careers are no different. In fact advances in technology have impacted the Creative industry the most. Just head to your local multiplex and sit in on your favorite superhero movie- perfect blend of Art & Technology.
Outdated Choices
It is imperative for students who want to pursue careers in the Media & Entertainment industry to try and gather as much information as possible about what current industry trends are and how they may get affected by emerging technology trends. Some job roles may not even exist 5 - 7 years ahead.
Where are things headed?
If you read the opening paragraph, you'd have gotten an idea of two major themes supporting the Digital Content Creation process:
1. Real-Time Technology
2. Artificial Intelligence
The future of Communication & content creation cannot escape the Medium of VR | AR (Virtual & Augmented Reality) and AI. Whether you opt for a career in Communication Design, Interaction Design, Film Making & Animation, Visual Effects, Sound design or Audio Engineering, you should be prepared to know how to harness the power of VR and AI in your work.
The budding techies & Artists should opt to the Real � Time world. Real-Time experiences exist on all major digital mediums of today. The PC, the Smartphone, and the World Wide Web are all platforms that enable millions of users to experience the extraordinary. Games are a primary example of a market that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Careers in Interactive Design & Development (including Game Development) will be HOT!
What if you are not technically bent?
No worries! A good institute and a motivated teacher should be able to convey technical information that is easily digestible to the artistically inclined learner. Game engines have come a long way and allow you to make games without writing code. The Unreal Game Engine uses visual logic building so you never have to write a single line of code to bring your vision to life. Artists can elect to focus on the creative areas of the development process.
What about AI?
AI is being included in Game Engines as of today! You can build conversational abilities into your characters or even Image & Object detection. The technology that enables a Virtual Character to converse with you is known as NLP � Neuro-linguistic Programming and is similar to what Microsoft, Apple, Google & Amazon use (Cortana, Siri, Google Assistant, Siri). Your interactive experiences can detect objects and faces in Real-Time via the use of Deep Learning, a subset of Machine learning. Don't worry if you find these terms verbose or confusing. What's important is that you as an artist will be able to use these services via game engines without much fuss.
Careers in the Media & Entertainment industry are vast. They welcome all kinds of creators- Technical, artistic and somewhere in between too. Find out what kind of creator you are and follow your dreams. When the student is ready, the teacher appears!
Behram Patel
Behram Patel is a VFX, virtual and augmented reality educator with over 16 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. He has been associated with some of the most prestigious commercial and educational brands in the country. He has a unique ability to convey technically dense material in an understandable, informative and engaging manner. Behram is currently the head of Academics & Innovation at School Of Media Design, Pune.
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