AI: Friend or Foe
Presented By Screen Queensland
Friday 9 February
12pm AEST
This session tackles one of the most exciting, and contentious, technological advancements to affect the screen and creative industries – AI. Unpacking the positives and negatives, this panel will discuss how best to utilise current technologies and what the future potentially holds for the industry.
Join experts in the screen industry and gain valuable insights into the application of AI, and what this could mean for filmmakers, content creators, and industry professionals.
Featuring
Sue Cake
Dr Sue Cake is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Study Area Coordinator for Film, Screen and Animation at QUT where she teaches Screenwriting. Sue has taught screen production in the vocational and higher education sectors in the UK and Australia. Her creative practice research, focusing on narrative comedy script development, has been published in national and international journals and the Palgrave Handbook of Script Development. She was the curriculum lead for an ABC Development project aimed at increasing media production in the South Pacific and a chief investigator examining studio capacity and screen production on the Gold Coast. Her latest research examines the role of artificial intelligence in script development.
Claire Pullen
Claire is the Executive Director of the Australian Writers’ Guild and the Group CEO of the Guild’s group of companies, including AWGACS. AWGACS is the collecting society for royalties for Australian and New Zealand Screenwriters, which distributes millions every year to writers.
Prior to working at the Guild, Claire was a Director at several large trade unions, both private and public sector. She began her career as a union organiser, becoming an Industrial Officer and senior Industrial Officer ensuring fair treatment for workers inculding paramedics, teachers aides, waitresses, train drivers, public servants, and firefighters.
During her time in the union movement Claire drafted the landmark firefighter occupational cancer list now in place in every state and territory in the country, and completed her Masters of Labour Law from Sydney University.
Claire has begun her Masters of Copywright Law, but as yet there are no signs of her finishing it.
Dr. Belinda Burns
Belinda is a passionate advocate for the screen industry and the arts with a strong background in strategy development, marketing and communications, and leading creative teams. Prior to her appointment as Screen Queensland’s Chief Creative Officer in 2022, Belinda held the position of Head of Marketing and Communications since September 2020.
As Director with the global PR network Citigate in London, Belinda spearheaded creative accounts for blue-chip financial corporations, and as General Manager for a social marketing consultancy within the Ogilvy Group she led numerous award-winning federal and state government behaviour change campaigns. Prior to joining Screen Queensland, Belinda was Director of Communications and Engagement at Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
Belinda holds an MA degree in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University in the UK, and a PhD in Writing from The University of Queensland, where she has lectured extensively and convened courses in creative writing (including screenwriting), literature and film studies. She is a published novelist and short fiction writer.
Phil Berenger
As head of operations, Phil oversees the artist and technological aspects of the business. He joined RSP after an impressive tenure of almost 13 years at WetaFX. During his time, he performed roles including Lighting TD, CG Supervisor, Environments Supervisor, Head of Department (Lighting) and Senior Head of Department (Shots) where he led a team of HODs for the Matte Painting, FX, Lighting, Compositing, ATD and Shots RND teams. Phil’s success has been built from a foundation of creative problems solving and a clear and inclusive communication style that builds trusting, friendly working relationships. Phil’s commitment to upholding RSP's reputation as a trusted partner to our clients and staff, coupled with his leadership style characterised by empathy, understanding and kindness, makes him an invaluable member of the executive team.
Ruari Elkington - Moderator
Dr Ruari Elkington’s industry engagement and academic research has been driven by questions about how screen content connects with discrete audiences in markets increasingly under pressure through creative and commercial tensions. His screen industry experience centred on the acquisition, marketing and distribution of documentary, feature film and innovative digital content to theatrical and online audiences. In 2018 Dr Elkington was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate new initiatives connecting Creative Industries students and online video creators in collaborative work. His real-world engagement is evidenced in his 2019 peer reviewed appointment to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network (Future of Information and Entertainment) building on his AMP “Tomorrow Maker” award and funding. In 2023 he was awarded a Queensland Smithsonian Fellowship to work with social video creators to communicate cultural heritage collections to new audiences.
He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty and a Chief Investigator within QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC). In 2022, alongside his Resilient Screen research colleague Dr Tess Van Hemert, Dr Elkington co-designed and led the largest recent national audience survey of Australian cinemagoing in partnership with Palace Cinemas.