Opening ceremonies Written by: Chris Cook Photos by: Nick Galante April 25, 1996 -- 9:39 a.m. PST Digital cameras provided by Kodak Digital Science

KALAPAKI BEACH, KAUAI, HAWAII - 2 p.m., Thursday April 26...Storytelling for the New Millennium, a cutting-edge new media conference focused on the application of digital technologies in the art of telling stories, is underway on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

The three-day conference is being attended by an international audience of new media experts, filmmakers, artists, musicians, photographers, and storytellers - all sharing a common interest in using digital tools to tell stories.

To open the conference an audience of over 400 was greeted by Judy Drosd, Director of the Kauai Institute of Communications Media; John McIntosh, the Associate Director of Education and Training at the Los Angeles-based American Film Institute (AFI); and Harry Marks, senior adviser for the AFI Advanced Technology Program. The two organizations are working together in staging the conference.

Drosd linked the ever evolving world of digital tools to storytelling, which she called "the oldest of the communications arts." "Storytelling for the New Millennium will focus on the role of the artist in new technology," she added.

McIntosh remarked on the "down to earth" collaboration occurring at Storytelling for the New Millennium by "an amazing group of people that have assembled here." "Storytelling always needed to be enhanced," Marks commented as he described the evolution of storytelling, from a strictly oral practice through the development of photography and the cinema, to today. "We now have the ability to record ourselves as we are...the digital revolution touches every aspect of storytelling."

The kick-off for the conference was presented by Peter Bergman, co-founder of the legendary Firesign Theater. Throughout the week speakers from film making, music and new media communities will discuss the impact of digital technology on their respective disciplines. Among the speakers are Dennis Muren, ASC, senior visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic; Rick Carter, film production designer for Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump; and director Penelope Spheris. Composer Hans Zimmer and leading-edge musicians and multimedia artists Graham Nash, Thomas Dolby and Todd Rundgren will showcase the fast-evolving world of digital music and sound design.

The gathering, which began with three days of workshops, including a variety of digital tool training sessions led by Adobe Systems Inc., concludes Saturday evening April 28. Storytelling for the New Millennium is the third conference held on Kauai by the Kauai Institute of Communications Media and the American Film Institute. The first conference, High Tech Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes of Jurassic Park, was held in 1993, and the second conference, Imaging the Future: The Effect of the Digital Revolution on Design, was held in 1994. Adobe Systems Incorporated and the County of Kauai are the co-sponsors of the event. Apple Computer and United Airlines are major sponsors.