IBM’s Watson cognitive computing system is one of the best-known examples of cognitive system in the world. It has already been used to create new recipes and create new clothing designs and now the organisers behind the Tribeca Film Festival are challenging the creative industry to come up with ideas about how Watson can be used to create new stories.
The Storytellers with Watson competition is open to the public as well as the many directors, writers and artists who form part of Tribeca’s network or industry professionals. Participants can submit their ideas on how IBM Watson can be used to create stories in any storytelling medium, film and video, videogames, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
The organisers have worked together with IBM to produce use-case guidelines and examples to help inform contributors on how Watson can help with realising their creation. Guiding categories include development, pre-production, production and post-production, marketing and distribution.
“The Tribeca Film Festival has always been a celebration of innovation and cutting-edge ideas,” said Andrew Essex, CEO at Tribeca Film Festival. “Since IBM Watson has been a big influence across many industries, we’re eager to see how our creative community will apply this technology to inspiring their own creative potential. Our collaboration with IBM is important to our mission because it spurs our community to push the limits of what they think is possible and find new inspiration that can redefine their approaches to art and storytelling.”
“Cognitive computing is driving incredible advancements in what humans and machines can do together, and one of the areas where we’re seeing this accelerate is within media and entertainment,” said David Kenny, Senior Vice President of IBM Watson and Cloud Platform. “Some of the best ideas come from our developer partners, and the Tribeca Film Festival community represents a wellspring of creativity and imagination. Through this competition, we’re eager to engage this dynamic group to see how they apply Watson to solve challenges and enhance the stories they tell.”
Submissions to the contest are open now and will be accepted up until 18th May 2017. Ideas can be submitted through the submission form on the IBM website. The creator who submits the winning entry will receive a trip for two to the Tribeca Film Festival 2018, including airfare, hotel and two festival passes.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on competitions and projects involving VR and AR.