Creativity Conference 2014: Joe Biden, “Scandal’s” President Fitzgerald Grant, 3D Printing, and a Minion!

Posted on May 3, 2014 at 4:17 pm

If you get invited to a conference on creativity featuring Vice President Joe Biden, 3D printers, President Fitzgerald Grant from “Scandal” (that’s actor/director Tony Goldwyn), a minion, and a chance to sit on the Iron Throne from “Game of Thrones,” I’m sure you agree with me that the answer is “Yes!” The event was sponsored by the MPAA (the association of the movie studios) in partnership with Microsoft and ABC News. MPAA CEO Chris Dodd told us that movie studios are technology companies that produce content and we got to see some great examples, with glimpses of upcoming films from Warner’s and Disney.

It was tremendously exciting. I got to play with some cool new technology. The throne is more comfortable than it looks. The minion was very cute. The Vice President gave a stirring speech about the way that movies convey a sometimes raw but profound message to us and to the rest of the world. They are “the face of American culture,” and more powerful than diplomacy. He said that America’s unique and unprecedented renewal is due to our “overwhelming and constant stream of immigration” and the optimism and commitment to improving things that is a part of our culture.

The presentation by Avi Reichental of 3D systems was mind-blowing. He told us of the grandfather he never met, a cobbler who died in the Holocaust. He talked about what manufacturing was like in his grandfather’s time, the opportunity for individual creativity and innovation. With his company’s 3D printers, the forces that have made manufacturing large, institutional, and moved overseas will become less important. 3D printing “democratizes” manufacturing and creates opportunities for individuals to create (and sell) anything they can imagine. Reichental’s very colorful shoes and cool-looking watch were both made by 3D printers.

I especially enjoyed a panel discussion moderated by Juju Chang of “Nightline,” featuring Tony Goldwyn (who plays the President on “Scandal”), Kati London of Microsoft, Amy Powell of Paramount, and documentarian Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “Inside Man”). Goldwyn, also a producer and director, talked about how Twitter created an exceptionally close connection between “Scandal” and its fans and London told us how a multi-player online game was more effective than traditional PSAs in reaching middle schoolers. It was a lively and illuminating morning and I’m looking forward to next year already.

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Behind the Scenes

Conviction

Posted on February 1, 2011 at 8:00 am

Sam Rockwell gives one of the best performances of the year as Kenny Waters, a man wrongly convicted of murder for eighteen years until his sister was able to prove that he was innocent and get him released. Betty Ann (Hillary Swank) and Kenny were two of nine children from seven fathers raised in a succession of foster homes. She was a high school dropout and new mother when he went to prison. She went back to school, graduated from college and law school, passed the bar, and with the help of Cardozo Law School’s Innocence Project, was able to prove through DNA evidence that the blood found at the crime scene was not his.

Rockwell is mesmerizing as a man whose kind heart and family loyalty sometimes suffer from his impulsively confrontational behavior. He conveys at every stage the weight of his experience in prison as we see him over the 18-year period. His frustration, longing, despair, his fear of hoping too much mingled with his unquenchable pride in his sister are all heartbreakingly evident. He shows us why he was one of the local police department’s favorite “usual suspects” but he also shows us why someone would spend her life working on his behalf, even after everyone tells her to move on.

Director Tony Goldwyn and screenwriter Pamela Gray do a fine job of shaping the material, giving us a sense of the characters’ past experiences, the strength of their connection, and the press of time. The cast includes the reliable support of Minnie Driver as Betty Ann’s law school classmate and loyal friend and Juliette Lewis, outstanding as a recanting witness.

Swank, who co-produced, is sincere and dedicated if not ideal casting for this role. She has gravitated lately to a series of heroic characters, though her best work has been in more damaged or fragile roles. A high school dropout in real life, she is drawn to characters who exemplify education and achievement. But she gives us no sense of school as anything but an obstacle course. Her learning is not tied in any way to expanded understanding; she seems to have no curiosity about the law and no passion for anything but freeing her brother. We see the impact of her single-mindedness on her husband and sons but not how their reactions affect her. The story is one of triumph that cannot help but move us, but as a real-life character who gives everything, Swank does not give us enough.

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