Electric Monk Media is a manitoba based company that focuses on virtual reality and motion picture experiences. Some of their works include the documentary Men with beards, The Private Lives Of Wild Creatures featuring master photographer Robert Taylor, and Phantom of the Forest which we at Sisler High School were privileged to test out using VR. Electric Monk Media's team is made up by Michael Sanders, Dylan Fries, and John Toone. Michael has more then ten years experience as a director, cinematographer, editor, and photographer. He also is a member of Onscreen Manitoba and the Documentary Organization of Canada, and is also a board member of Theatre by the River. Dylan graduated the University of Manitoba’s computer science program and also has experience as a web developer and programmer. He speaks on panels for VR and is an organizer of the Winnipeg Game Jam and the Winnipeg Game Collective. John acts as the business side of Electric Monk where he puts his majors and over ten years of experience in marketing and finance to good use. He also has published books ranging from poetry, noon-fiction, and even graphic novels.
Links to their works:
-Official Website (http://www.electricmonkmedia.com/)
-New Media Manitoba (https://newmediamanitoba.com/directory/companies/electric-monk-media)
-Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/electricmonkmedia)
-On Screen Manitoba (http://onscreenmanitoba.com/profiles/infoelectricmonkmedia-com/?doing_wp_cron=1477854944.0753829479217529296875)
Workshop Questions:
1.Develop a well-rounded open question about the presenter’s portfolio.
There seems to be an overarching theme of nature in your pervious works, is this an intentional action or just a
2.Develop a well-rounded open question about the presenter's industry pathway.
What made you as a company decide to invest time and money into virtual reality when it was just starting up?
3.Develop a well-rounded open question about the presenter's future/goals/dreams.
Is there any limitation you are experiencing now with VR that you hope will be revised in the near future?
Reflection: I found this workshop to be much more relatable because we were allowed to demo their work which directly corresponded to the questions we had about the VR industry. Being able to play the game and ask about the specific use of particle effects to render the environment in this game was much easier to grasp as we could see the result it had on the project overall. I also appreciated that so many people came to speak with us, as it was convenient to have varying opinions on such subjects as business and gameplay. Since each person had a different area of expertise I found it to be easier to get a sense of interaction between the departments. If someone felt another member of Electric Monk Media was more qualified to answer my question, they could then direct me to them directly instead of having to render their broad understanding. From the business side of things, I learned just how important legal guidance truly is and that every possibility the future my present should be written in pen, such as buying a comrade out.
