What is the Immersive Media Challenge?

• Come up with a concept for an engaging experience that should be buildable in 3-5 years
• Explain what needs to happen that will make building it possible
• Articulate why your assumptions are reasonable

We want you to think like a Futurist! Focus on the 3-5 year timeframe for your idea. Less than 3 years would be a hackathon deliverable, not a futurist idea. More than 5 years gets into Fantasyland rather than reasonable speculation.

Your idea should be related to any one of these four broadly stated topics:

• City Play – city as location-based entertainment, gov’t function better, retail, …
• For Good – social good, education, …
• For Fun – dramatic but with a twist that advances the art-form, plotless but engaging, …
• For Health – medical resource for doctor or patient, life-style improvement, …

The 5G Twist: we know 5G is coming.

How will constant connection to unlimited bandwidth and near-zero latency interactions (ex. avatars who respond with the timing of real people) impact your idea?

March 2^nd (Monday midnight) is the deadline to submit your final 6 answers and the 3-minute pitch video.  You can submit here.

Submission for the Immersive Media Challenge: answer All 6 questions and create a 3-min video

The questions:

1. Idea Title?
2. What is the experience? Describe it in detail. What is it like to engage in the experience? This can include memorable moments in the experience.
3. What are you trying to achieve, create, or build? Why is it a worthwhile thing to build? Where is the fun or social benefit? How does it address one or more of the challenge categories; City Play, For Fun, For Good, For Health?
4. Why will your intended audience love it? What about it will capture their imagination and hold their interest?
5. What is unique about it? Why is it different from other experiences that are available?
6. What about it is not practical to create today, but will likely be create-able in 3-5 years?
   6a.  What needs to happen in 3-5 years to make that possible? How will the 5G rollout, with constant connectivity and near-zero response time, impact your idea?
   6b.  Why do you think your assumptions are reasonable?Why is it Tomorrowland, and not Fantasyland?

The 3-minute pitch video:

This should be the last thing that you create, but you should be thinking about it from the beginning. It should contain the key points from your comments above.

• It must be 3 minutes or less.

We are looking for ‘a great idea well-told.’  Narrative excellence is valued in this challenge.

Timeline (Deadlines)

Jan 29^th (Wed) kick-off – start developing first-pass answers to the 6 questions

• The first-pass answers can be a few sentences.

Feb 5^th (Wed) – deadline for submitting your first-pass answers to the 6 questions and your signed Consent & Release Form.

• The first-pass answers can be a few sentences.
• You MUST submit the signed Consent & Release Form along with your answers.
• Download the Consent & Release form here. Sign it, then scan or photograph it with a clearly visible signature.
• Submit/Upload your first-pass answers and the Consent & Release Form here.

Executives will review all entries and mentor those that they find interesting

March 2^nd (Mon midnight) is the deadline to submit your final 6 answers and the 3-minute pitch video.  You can submit here.

March 5^th (Thu) – winners will present their ideas to the ETC@USC Board of Directors

Contact Phil Lelyveld, PLelyveld@ETCenter.org, if you have questions