2017 Studio50 Honorees Revealed

Randall P. Dark was chosen as FILMMAKER in the category of THE INDEPENDENTS. Here is his interview:

Randall Dark is a long-standing innovator in digital video, having founded HD Vision in New York City in 1992, becoming one of the first specialists in the technology behind HDTV. More recently, he has been executive producer on films including Angels Sing, featuring Harry Connick Jr., Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, and the documentaries Makarios: A Rising Tide and Seadrift vs. the Big Guy. He also produced the trailer for the Howard Lukk-directed SMPTE documentary Moving Images. He runs Randall Dark Productions out of Austin, TX. 

What will be the biggest challenge of 2017 for the media industry?

The biggest challenge is finding funding for projects. Ideas are a dime a dozen. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working? 

I have said during my entire career that I have never worked a day in life. I love what I do therefore it doesn’t feel like work to me. That being said, I do like to play a round of golf once in awhile.

What movie, TV show, book, music, or other media would you most recommend to your colleagues? 

I recommend seeing or reading or listening to whatever is hot. Keeping your finger on the pulse is important. 

What’s your best advice for others in this business? 

Go big or go home.

See the entire list of StudioDaily's 2017 honorees here.

Video Didn’t Kill the Radio Star, It Just Gave It a New Platform

Recently, Randall Dark participated on a panel of video production professionals to discuss video and how it relates to start ups.

Held at Impact Hub Austin, the panel talked about how startups can use video – where it can bring them the most value to finding the resources to produce it.

With that shift to smartphones and VR, audiences have become increasingly harder to attract and keep interested in companies and products.

When creating video, Dark noted, “Our attention span has shrunk dramatically. I need to be compelling in the first 15 seconds."

Along with Dark on the panel were Lyn Graft, Carlana Stone and Pat 'Shaggy' Welsh.

Read an article on the event on mediatech VENTURES.

High Definition Visionary

The University of Ottawa's monthly publication TABARET highlights the stories that have shaped and continue to shape the university's history. Along with discoveries by professors, they highlight outstanding alumni.

Recently, Mike Foster profiled high definition visionary and alumnus, Randall P. Dark. The following is an excerpt from the story:

Randall P. Dark (BA ʼ79, Honours), one of the pioneers of high definition television, says he embraced the technology because he believed sharper images had the power to change the world. But it wasn't easy convincing film industry bigwigs of the merits of HD.

"I was laughed at many, many times," says Dark. "After one demonstration of HD to some of the top cinematographers, directors and producers in New York City, I was viciously attacked. They were saying it looked like video, it was horrible, it was never going to happen. I remember one of my staff asking me, 'Randall, how do you feel? They tore you apart.' But I was elated. I said, 'Did you see how passionately vicious they were, how much they hated it? If it touched them that much, we're on to something.'"

Today, Dark is a producer, director, cinematographer, writer and media consultant who has shot some of the most famous personalities in high definition, including Julie Andrews, Willie Nelson, Harry Connick Jr., Lyle Lovett, Sting, Bill Clinton, Leonard Nimoy and Stephen Hawking. He is considered by the television industry to be a visionary guru who has played a key role in advancing the HD medium.

Dark compares the moment he first saw HD in Toronto in 1986 to someone seeing a Model T Ford during the days of horses and carriages.

"My brain fired and I thought this was going to be the future of so many things. I wanted to help bring it to the world and I was blessed enough to be involved in so much of the roll-out," says Dark.

"Because high definition was so real and so vivid — the colours were perfect, you could see the tiniest detail — I believed that if you had a 65-inch TV in your home and you watched a documentary about starving children, it would touch your heart in a way that you would have to react," says Dark. "I believed it was a technology that would have an impact on people and change their hearts. I honestly believed it would change humanity."

In the mid-1980s, he worked on the CBC's Chasing Rainbows, the first television mini-series to be recorded in HD. From there, he moved to New York City, working out of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, which was sometimes used in those days as a high definition sound stage for MTV's Unplugged series. He got to work with bands like Aerosmith and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In 1992, he founded HD Vision Inc., an HD production and post-production company in New York and Dallas, Texas.

"I was one of the first in the world to build multi-camera, high-definition production trucks. I got to shoot Victor-Victoria on Broadway with Julie Andrews. I got to shoot Super Bowl XXX. We got to shoot the NBA All-Star game. I was the first to broadcast in high definition a live sporting event to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. where members of the (U.S.) Congress and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) analyzed the images to determine if high definition was a viable new TV standard for the United States. I ended up doing a lot of the very first events because I was one of the only people in the world to own HD trucks," says Dark.

He later co-founded HD Vision Studios in 2002 in Los Angeles and, in 2007, Randall Dark Productions LP. Over the years, he has been involved in around 2,000 feature films, documentaries, music videos, commercials and corporate presentations.

"My life is so amazing"

One of his latest projects is the film Angels Sing. Released in 2013, it features Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Connick Jr., Connie Britten and Lyle Lovett. As one of the executive producers, he got to watch Nelson and Connick Jr. create a new song, which plays during the film's credits.

"I got to watch these two geniuses at work. My life is so amazing," says Dark. "I have never been star-struck working with celebrities because people are just people. I think what happens is so many big name stars get worshipped and people go 'I'm a big fan' and it gets tiring after a while. I think, because I am an expert in my field I can sit down and say, 'Hey, I know nothing about what you do but do you want to know about high definition?'"

Dark is also known for taking an experimental approach and mixing a variety of digital technologies. In his documentary Seadrift vs The Big Guy (2012), which follows contestants in the 260-mile Texas Water Safari canoe race, he used everything from an Apple iPhone to a 4K camera, which yields a resolution four times higher than standard HD.

"I used 20 different types of camera technology to do that documentary, everything from cutting-edge 4K to high-definition sunglasses to shoot it. I think I used a total of 40 cameras," says Dark.

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The full article may be read in its entirety in both English and French by clicking the proper link below:

High Definition Visionary        Visionnaire Haute Définition

Spend the Evening with Producer, Director, and Cinematographer Randall P Dark

On Thursday, March 10 at 11 pm ET / 10 pm CT,  join the conversation with Randall P. Dark on Deadly Reads Radio.

Randall will be talking about HDTV, of course, and loads of other fascinating topics... like his play and children's app Tale of Sasquatch, and his brand new play and children's app Easter Frog: The Brains Behind the Bunny.

Click here to listen to the interview. Call in live to talk with Randall at 646-668-2716.

Producer Randall Dark and Director Howard Lukk on "Moving Images"

Producer Randall Dark and Director Howard Lukk discuss the forthcoming SMPTE documentary "Moving Images" at NAB 2015.

Featured Playwright Q & A with Randall Dark

Playwrights Guild of Canada recently talked to Randall Dark about his love for theatre and technology, turning a play into a mobile app, and finding new ways to reach a broader audience. His "Tale of Sasquatch" is now available in the iTunes store and for Android in the Google Store.

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tale-of-sasquatch/id976735663?mt=8 

Android / Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.everaftertales.sasquatch

Q: Your play "The Tale of Sasquatch" is now available on the Apple Appstore and Googlestore. What was it about this particular play that made you think it would lend itself to being transformed into an interactive ebook?

A: During the 80's "Tale of Sasquatch" was produced many times throughout Canada both as a stage play and a touring play that was performed in city parks and schools. I found that the interaction between the audience and actors enhanced the play and I saw how the children became more animated. A few years ago, I did a major re-write and added an additional character to the the play that would further increase the interaction. When Hal Waite told me about his interactive ebook initiative I immediately saw the potential for this play to be a great fit.

Q: You are recognized for your work as a technological visionary. Your work in High Definition projects have included feature films, documentaries, music videos and corporate presentations. Additionally, you have also been the recipient of the International Electronic Cinema Festival's Pioneer Award and are a member of the Television Arts and Sciences Academy and the Consumer Electronics Association's Academy of Digital Pioneers. It's safe to say that you are very tech-savvy. How did you come up with the idea to create an app from one of your plays? How involved were you in the design process?

A: A few years ago, I had a conversation with Hal Waite, who is an extremely talented filmmaker with a stellar resume in the world of children's content. Hal told me about Ever After Tales and his plan to create this cool app for kids. He was looking for stories and invited me to share my work with him. Although I've written a number of children's plays over the years, I thought "Tale of Sasquatch" had the most potential for fun images and unique interaction. Panagiotis Rappas created the illustrations and I'm so pleased with his vision. He was very generous, seeking my feedback along the way, but it was largely unnecessary since he brilliantly interpreted my characters.

Q: For other playwrights who might be interested in making their plays into apps, where should they begin? What suggestions do you have for those who might not be as tech-savvy and are making their first foray into new media?

A: Although I have a reputation of being "tech-savvy" in the world of high definition, in this instance I was able to enjoy being the writer while the Ever After Tales team forged the technology journey.
(Hal White, Executive Producer of "Tale of Sasquatch" adds): Obviously a playwright must start with a great story. A story with a message that makes children laugh, has the potential to give them an interactive experience and will stimulate a child's imagination. A writer doesn't need to be tech savvy, however it helps to understand who the audience is they are talking to. Look at what apps are out there, understand the app market and learn to write succinctly.

Q: What have you learned from the experience of turning your play into an app? Do you think that by doing so, "The Tale of Sasquatch" can still be considered a play?

A: The most important lesson was staying true to what originally worked as a play. I didn't try to re-invent the story or alter the characters. I believed that what made my story unique in the world of theatre would carry over into the world of app technology.
Hal and Panagiotis kept the play format when they created the app and in the "About / Info" section, I describe a Three Act play and created "Rupert's Ten Acting Words Of Wisdom" as well as "Rupert Dictionary of Theatrical Terms From A to Z". I thought a young reader would find it interesting.
I think a good story crosses over the boundaries of technology and as writers we owe it to ourselves to push not only the traditional writer/audience theatrical relationship but also embrace new ways of getting our plays to a broader audience. I honestly don't care if my plays are seen in a theatre or on a iPad, iPhone or Tablet. I just want to share the world I created with as large an audience as possible.

Q: Is integrating your theatrical work with new media a priority for you? Has it changed your writing process in any way? How important is it for you to find new ways for audiences to interact with your work?

A: My career has be defined by being on the bleeding edge of technology (especially in the early years of high definition), so it seemed only natural to combine my love of theatre and my fascination with technology. My writing process hasn't changed, but my writing has. Understanding the technology allowed me to write scenes that are enhanced by these new tools. It has allowed me to find exciting new ways to interact with the audience.

Q: Now that you have an interactive ebook under your belt, what can we expect next from you?

A: I'm currently producing a documentary feature titled, "Moving Images" which will explore the contributions of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) to the last 100 years of film and television. I'm also working on two new children's plays that are intended exclusively for app distribution. One of the two is being co-authored by William Lucas and will include original songs full of fun, clever lyrics.

courtesy Playwrights Guild of Canada

A First Look

A proposal for Rupert in the interactive ebook "Tale of Sasquatch" written by Randall P. Dark. Soon to be available from Ever After Tales as an app in Applestore and Googlestore.

"Tale of Sasquatch" to Become an Interactive E-Book

Stage design of "Tale of Sasquatch" from Ever After Tales

Ever After Tales is also delighted to present: "Tale of Sasquatch", by Randall Dark, acclaimed Canadian theater and film director and high definition TV pioneer. This great story, which has been very popular in Canada as a theater play, is published for the first time worldwide in interactive e-book format. "Tale of Sasquatch" will soon be available in English, Spanish and Greek via Applestore and Googlestore.

 “Tale of Sasquatch” follows the misadventures of Rupert (or Woopert, as he would say) and his best friend Mr. Stinky the sock, as they search the woods for food. Faced with wacky challenges and hilarious encounters with quirky characters, the story is really about feeling like there’s something “wrong” with you — and discovering that it’s okay to be different. During their quest, they wrestle with good vs. bad and ultimately stumble upon the origin of Sasquatch!

More at Ever After Tales here.

SMPTE Producing Documentary on the Story of Imaging for Its 100th Birthday

For its centennial celebration next year, SMPTE is producing a historical documentary on the human stories behind motion-imaging technology.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will be 100 years old in 2016. To commemorate the event, SMPTE has chosen Randall Dark, a Texas-based motion-imaging technology specialist, as producer of the film. Howard Lukk, former vice president of production technology at The Walt Disney Studios, is directing.

The documentary, which has the working title “Moving Images,” will embrace the excitement and human stories surrounding the development of motion-imaging technology from the turn of the 20th century through the present.

“What makes documentaries compelling are not just fact after fact after fact, but the stories of the compelling people involved that maybe we don’t know about,” said Dark. “We will tell the story of SMPTE even before it was founded. The group came about due to what was happening with early inventions prior to 1916. We want tell the story of the people who made this all happen.”

Among the topics in the film will be the development of color bars, time code, digital cinema standards, timed text and the transport of high bit rate media signals over IP networks. There are plenty of other topics to choose from, since SMPTE has developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices and engineering guidelines over its lifetime.

For Dark, it’s the human side of technology that’s most important to the success of the documentary. “A lot of very talented people are telling incredible stories because of SMPTE. We are in pre-production and meetings and calling people over the next few weeks to determine the actual structure of what we want to do. We are determining who we want to talk to. This project will take a considerable amount of time based on the complexity of the story. It is not a simple story to tell. There are so many moving parts.”

Most of the shooting will take place in the United States, Canada and Europe, Dark said. “To keep the look consistent, there will be a small core crew, though we will hire some freelancers in some cities.”

Dark said many great documentaries are made that shine light on important subjects like poverty and other human plights. But this one, he said, will be different.

“This film is important because it will show how we view our world,” he said. “We have high definition television and cinema and each day our lives are greatly influenced by these technologies. SMPTE helped bring them to the table. At the end of the day, I think this documentary will be important because it shows how we got where we are and the people who made it possible.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this past, present and future story without an organization like SMPTE. These are the stories of the people who made my own career happen. If it wasn’t for this group, I would never have discovered HD in the mid-80s. How cool is that? I’m blown away having the opportunity to work on this film.”

Dark and his team are plowing ahead with the production. The group will produce a trailer to show at NAB 2015. It is his goal to have the film finished by late this year, in time to enter into competition for various film festivals. “We’ll begin shooting as early as mid-January,” he said. “But the full project will take months and months to shoot and edit.”

Read the full article by Frank Beacham at The Broadcasting Bridge.

HD and Beyond: A Conversation with Randall Dark

Recently Broadcast Engineering Extra's Bob Kovacs sat down with HDTV pioneer Randall Dark to discuss the state of television production, as well as what to expect from the upcoming SMPTE production of "Moving Images," which looks at the history of cinema and television.

BE Extra: What is it about motion pictures and television that has made them lasting forms of communication and art?

Dark: The traditional motion picture in a cinema is an immersive experience allowing an intense relationship between the story teller and the audience. Television also has this influence to a somewhat lesser degree, while having the advantage of allowing this communication to be immediate. Both art forms are powerful tools in the hands of creative people, and the evolving technology has allowed us to advance the art forms in many different ways that include sound and image quality, ultimately enhancing the viewing experience.

BE Extra: Tell us a little about the film that's tentatively titled Moving Images. What do you plan for it to contain? What is the intended audience?

Dark: Moving Images is the story of the people behind moving-picture technology. It focuses on the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, which was founded in 1916, and will also look into the future. Filmmakers like Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are household names because of the way they managed to bring our imagination to life on screen. There are epic stories of triumph and tragedy amidst the engineers who painstakingly developed the technology and standards that ended up in the hands of creative filmmakers. This documentary will shine the spotlight on the unsung heroes who are the inventors and perfecters of what is arguably the most important communication tool in the history of the industrial age. There are many fascinating stories out there about how some amazing moments came to be, and we're going to pull back the curtain and show viewers how it all happens.

Other highlights include:

   - If HDTV has lived up to its potential
   - The "democratization" of video production
   - Dark's thoughts on Ultra HD/4K
   - Breaking into the business today in the midst of disruption

Read the entire interview on TV Technology.

SMPTE Taps Dark to Produce "Moving Images" Documentary

The Oscar and Emmy Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has named motion imaging technology and creative visionary Randall Dark as producer of the feature length documentary, "Moving Images." Howard Lukk, former vice president of production technology at The Walt Disney Studios will direct from an initial treatment written by Chris Kenneally.

"Moving Images" will explore excitement surrounding the development of motion imaging technology from the turn of the twentieth century through the present while inquiring what the future has in store. Featuring interviews with top filmmakers, historians, entrepreneurs and engineers, the documentary will investigate the influence art and science have on each other.

"SMPTE has played a vital role in the advancement of movies and television for nearly 100 years. I'm so honored that I get to help tell the story of the people who literally invented the technology that I've built my entire career on," said Dark.

The SMPTE Board of Governors authorized the initial funding for the project for a 90-minute theatrical feature, as well as an abbreviated television version. In order to continue with the production work required, SMPTE is now seeking supporters to underwrite the project through an Indiegogo campaign. Supporters will become part of the SMPTE legacy of setting the standard for motion imaging.

For more information on the "Moving Images" documentary, visit the project's Indiegogo page.

University of Ottawa Feature Story on Randall P. Dark

High Definition Visionary

Years before TV went digital, theatre grad Randall Dark was well ahead of the curve when it came to exploiting the revolutionary potential of HD.

The University of Ottawa's online magazine, Tabaret, is a digital publication highlighting the stories that have shaped and continue to shape the university's history. The June 2014 issue features an in-depth story on alum Randall P. Dark.

"Because high definition was so real and so vivid, I believed that if you watched a documentary about starving children, it would touch your heart in a way that you would have to react." ~ Randall P. Dark

Randall Dark using a 3D camera to film penguins for the film 3 Cities in 3D, which featured images from Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, all in Tennessee.

Randall P. Dark (BA ʼ79, Honours), one of the pioneers of high definition television, says he embraced the technology because he believed sharper images had the power to change the world. But it wasn't easy convincing film industry bigwigs of the merits of HD.

"I was laughed at many, many times," says Dark. "After one demonstration of HD to some of the top cinematographers, directors and producers in New York City, I was viciously attacked. They were saying it looked like video, it was horrible, it was never going to happen. I remember one of my staff asking me, 'Randall, how do you feel? They tore you apart.' But I was elated. I said, 'Did you see how passionately vicious they were, how much they hated it? If it touched them that much, we're on to something.'"

Today, Dark is a producer, director, cinematographer, writer and media consultant who has shot some of the most famous personalities in high definition, including Julie Andrews, Willie Nelson, Harry Connick Jr., Lyle Lovett, Sting, Bill Clinton, Leonard Nimoy and Stephen Hawking. He is considered by the television industry to be a visionary guru who has played a key role in advancing the HD medium.

Dark compares the moment he first saw HD in Toronto in 1986 to someone seeing a Model T Ford during the days of horses and carriages.

"My brain fired and I thought this was going to be the future of so many things. I wanted to help bring it to the world and I was blessed enough to be involved in so much of the roll-out," says Dark.

"Because high definition was so real and so vivid — the colors were perfect, you could see the tiniest detail — I believed that if you had a 65-inch TV in your home and you watched a documentary about starving children, it would touch your heart in a way that you would have to react," says Dark. "I believed it was a technology that would have an impact on people and change their hearts. I honestly believed it would change humanity."

Read the full story by Mike Foster online here

Behind the Camera: Randall Dark

Randall P. Dark was interviewed for Randi Altman's postPerspective about choosing the right tools for the right job. Read the article in its entirety at postPerspective.