First 8K

Come see the “first” 8k cinema!

First 8k refers to the first 8K cinema work produced by freshmen and sophomores anywhere in the world. The work was created as an assignment in the VIS 40/ICAM 40 Introduction to Computing in the Arts class taught at UCSD by Associate Teaching Professor Brett Stalbaum during the winter quarter of 2015. This unique class assignment challenged undergraduates to use their new and hard won knowledge of computer programming to produce 300 frames each (10 seconds) of abstract, graphical cinema inspired by the traditions of the animators and computer artists they have studied, including Hans Richter, John Whitney, Freider Nake, Ben Lapowsky, Edward Zajec, Charles Csuri, Larry Cuba, RuthLeavitt, Vicky Cheat, Manfred Mohr, Lia, Casey Reas, and many others. The 5.1 surround music track was also produced by the class, led by composer Mark Matamoros.

First 8k is a first of its kind cinema piece for the emerging 8K video standard. (8K is the successor to 4K/UHD, now increased to an incredible 8192×4800 pixel screen resolution.) Very little content has yet been produced in 8K (let alone the newly available 4K standard just reaching consumer markets) and the small amount that has been produced has for the most part only been screened inside of laboratories or at specialist conferences such as CINEGRID, for mostly technical audiences. First 8K is actually the second 8K work to ever be screened at a major media festival, the first happening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.

This work would not have been possible without the support of a large team. The TAs for the class, Erika Ostrander, Trevor Amery and Patrick Shields oversaw student work in their respective class sections, and Visual Arts Department staff Yuka Nakanishi helped manage the financials. The support of Qualcomm Institute is especially appreciated, with special thanks to its leaders Larry Smarr and Ramesh Rao, QI researcher Thomas DeFanti who championed the project, and the excellent technical support from Hector Bracho and Sam Dosier. QI is a major research institution without any direct responsibility for teaching, and thus they deserve great credit for their long term willingness to include undergraduates in their opportunities, occasional special uses of their gear such as this, and in affording professional research experience for undergraduates as assistants in QIs various engineering and art labs. VIS 40/ICAM 40 certainly says thank you to all of the above, and is proud to be included in the Filmatic Festival directed by Rebecca WebbThanks to John Young of the Fleet Center for his enabling help on past class projects as well.

A work titled First 4k that was produced by the same course in the Fall of 2014 will also be screened so that audiences can compare the state of the technology.

Image by Aleena Nie