The NFB and Mozilla to undertake joint exploration of HTML5
The NFB is internationally recognized for its technical innovations in animation, as well as for pushing the boundaries in its experimentation with new technologies and new media. In the past year alone, for example, the NFB has produced a dozen interactive projects, launched iPhone and iPad apps and established itself at the forefront of social network management. It goes without saying that we love to create in digital space.
And the surprises don’t stop there. This year, we are embarking on an adventure with a new partner, Mozilla, with the intent of exploring the many possibilities offered by HTML5.
Joël Pomerleau, Director, Platform Development at the NFB, explains:
“This project is international in scope. It unites the strengths of Mozilla; Brett Gaylor, producer and director (RiP: A Remix Manifesto) and his project Web Made Movies; students of Toronto’s Seneca College; developers of Bocoup; developers of the Spanish company A navalla suiza and, of course, the NFB’s development team.”
What is Brett Gaylor’s Web Made Movies project all about?
With this project, Gaylor is aiming for increased cooperation among Web film directors and developers in an effort to rethink the creation and distribution process of movies. He and his team have since created Popcorn.js, the JavaScript library which allows metadata to be embedded into tagged HTML5 video pages. The partners have subsequently created Butter, an interface which simplifies metadata integration.
How can we make concrete use of this new technology at the NFB?
We want to plug in the NFB’s film collection using the Butter tool so that educators can use chapters of our films in context by accessing information available on the Web. We hope that this will enrich film viewing experiences and lead to increased use of our works in schools and universities.
When do you foresee offering this new tool to educational institutions?
We foresee beginning testing by launching Beta versions in the spring.
In the meantime, please go the following websites to discover the NFB’s latest innovations:
– Interactive sites and Web documentaries
– NFB’s iPhone app
– NFB’s iPad app
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