Forward Motion Theater Brings Media-Rich Performances to Life With Aurora Video Systems' IgniterX

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- Aurora Video Systems today announced thatNew York City-based dance-theater-media company Forward Motion Theater(FMT) is using Aurora's IgniterX video capture and editing card in thecreation of live performances and digital media that explore andcombine movement and technology. The company's works center aroundthemes such as science fiction, spirituality, and the mutability of thehuman form, concepts realized through innovative stage and lightingeffects and formalized composition.

"Without the IgniterX's quality and especially Aurora's MJPEG codec,we simply wouldn't be able to do what we do in a live environment,"said Holly Daggers, media artist, designer, and founding member ofForward Motion Theater. "We combine live performance and dance withvideo projections and CG environments. Using the IgniterX card we canoutput video of higher quality that keeps renders clean, while savingspace on the hard drive. Aurora is a household word around here and anessential part of what we do."

The IgniterX family of video capture and editing cards is designedspecifically for QuickTime and Mac OS, integrating smoothly with FinalCut Pro to provide ease of use and tightly integrated control overdigitizing and playback drivers. With the help of the Aurora card, FMTis able to enhance each story it tells by integrating high-qualitygraphics into the performance.

"Everyone always says you can't do blue-screen without a hugeinvestment in an uncompressed system and RAID drives, but I'm happy toprove them wrong," added Daggers. "When I was researching video cardsfor an affordable solution, Aurora was the only company that had actualsamples of their MJPEG quality at different bit rates. The IgniterX andAurora's MJPEG codec allow us to create our art in-house withoutresorting to expensive studio rentals, buying twice as many storagehard drives, or compromising our time with commercial work to pay foradditional hardware."

"I can edit the dance on video in Final Cut as easily as I can editin the studio with my dancers, and the video becomes a counterpoint tothe live movement," said Eric Dunlap, FMT cofounder and performer. "Byexperimenting in this way, I can create an effective and harmoniousblend of the movement and the video and explore ways to present theselive choreographic works in video for preservation, or ultimately forrelease on DVD."

In addition to live stage performances, FMT also produces Eye Wash,a biweekly event in New York City that brings VJs and other videoartists together to mix video in a live setting. Eye Wash is designedto foster and help build the video scene, and it allows Daggers,Dunlap, and others to develop their video composition skills, much asthey have developed skill in choreography and theatrics. The Auroracard also has been instrumental in the creation of a DVD compilationhighlighting artists produced by FMT.

"It's funny," concluded Dunlap. "We entered this scene as artists,and now we are producers - thanks in part to the quality and control wemuster from the Aurora card."

For more information about Aurora products, visit www.auroravideosys.com.

About Forward Motion Theater

Forward Motion Theater (FMT) is a New York City-baseddance-theater-media company founded in 1995 by choreographer EricDunlap and media artist Holly Daggers. The mission of FMT is to explorethe combination of MOVEMENT and TECHNOLOGY through both liveperformance and digital media. Works with themes ranging from sciencefiction, spirituality, and the mutability of the human form arerealized through innovative stage and lighting effects and formalizedcomposition. Forward Motion Theater is dedicated to exploring forms ofcommunication that resonate regardless of social or cultural heritage,and believes this approach will open the door to a future full ofdiversity and understanding.

About Aurora Video Systems

Aurora Video Systems builds comprehensive video editing systems forthe Macintosh, leading the post-production industry in product quality,affordability, ease of use, and client support. Aurora has beenrecognized worldwide as the industry leader in the development andsupport of video editing systems since 1997. The company'sindustry-first achievements include development of the first trueMac-only Betacam- compatible card that works without converters, thefirst true real-time 24fps capture card for Final Cut Pro, and thefirst true offline video capture card for OSX. The company's successand outstanding reputation is based on its proactive developmentapproach, speed, and flexibility in responding to industry change, andrespect for clients and their needs.