The Vista Project - NextGen Cinema...Where Tech & Creative Converge!

**UPDATE: THE VISTA PROJECT STUDENT SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE IS NOW EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 15, 2016** *TIMEPLAY NEWLY ADDED AS PARTNER* TimePlay (www.timeplay.com) Adds Cutting-Edge Smartphone Technology to Facilitate Audience Interaction with Content on the Big Screen. Its proprietary mobile platform will support The Vista Project by assisting student applicants to use its technology for movie theater storytelling. TimePlay's technology transforms a smartphone into an input controller, which connects to the big screen and creates 2-way interactivity. Moviegoers can participate in a completely new entertainment experience, which connects family, friends and strangers in the theatre. The Vista Project is focused on fostering NextGen Cinema – Where Tech & Creative Converge! The Mission is to provide professional development resources for young visionaries who combine creativity with technology in motion imaging. Open exclusively to students enrolled in a two- or four-year accredited university-level undergraduate or graduate program, the competition will award five finalists with $5,000 to create a 10-minute short that could serve as a template for a long-form interactive cinema experience. The five finalists for The Vista Project competition will be chosen in conjunction with the SMPTE® (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers®) Centennial Gala Celebration in Hollywood, California, in October. The top two shorts will be screened at CinemaCon in March 2017, and the winner will get an additional $5,000 First Prize, with the runner-up receiving $2,500. Both shorts will be showcased in select theaters following the event. Student filmmakers may enter The Vista Project competition by first submitting a maximum 400-word executive summary of their planned projects and a detailed budget describing how they would disburse the $5,000 in award funds by the November 15, 2016 entry deadline. Complete instructions are available at http://www.thevistaproject.com. The Vista Project will enable SMPTE to build and sustain additional opportunities for students to interact, learn and grow with one another and, together with the support of industry leaders, to develop the next generation of cinema content. About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®): Winner of an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®) is a global leader in advancing the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem. A professional membership association that is internationally recognized and accredited, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Nearly 7,000 members — motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students — who meet in Sections worldwide, sustain the Society. Through the Society’s partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA®), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content.