Summer DeRoche at SXSW – last day
SceneOn, Melbourne filmmaker Summer deRoche, who uses modern media platforms to engage with audiences, is covering SXSW exclusively for Campaign Brief
The film conference part of SXSW has officially ended, so I’m feeling a little reflective. Whilst I came here to explore how new technology is changing the way we tell stories, I’ve actually found myself excited by the popularity of older mediums and devices. Records, posters, old movies. The cinemas here are some of the best in the world, and have famously strict anti-smartphone rules. They’re a celebration of what going to the movies is all about – sitting in the dark and escaping into a movie.
I’ve been so carried away with eating BBQ and watching films that I never got around to purchasing a US SIM card. My (now bruised and battered) SXSW pocket-guide fast became my best friend, and without the mindless reflex of burying myself in my smartphone, I have rediscovered the joys of not having one.
One of my favourite conference sessions was “Creator Activism: Discussion with Robert Kirkman“. Kirkman’s writing career reads like a filmmaker’s wet dream. He wrote and created “The Walking Dead” comic book series, which was then adapted into the vastly popular AMC show. When asked if he thinks any story can be told in any medium, Kirkman explained that some things simply don’t translate.
That’s a valuable lesson. In a world where Virtual Reality makes anything seem possible, there are still limitations to storytelling, and we need to be aware of them. And hell, limitations are good. They force us to question our stories, to make hard choices based on plot and character. Embracing new tech is fine, so long as we embrace its limitations too.
Dr. Ian Malcolm once said, “your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Sure, he was talking about making dinosaurs, but I think the advice is universal.