The computing industry is not alone in this age of digital transformation. Beyond the expected enterprise users is the film industry, where modern computers and high-speed networks are revolutionizing how movies today are digitized, transmitted and even budgeted.

“We have seen a transformation from 100-percent film to 100-percent data,” said Tim Bicio (pictured), chief technical officer at Lightstorm Entertainment Inc. Lightstorm Entertainment is best known for producing the films “Terminator 2,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar.”

Bicio joined theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio, during the Dell EMC World conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week, to talk with co-hosts Rebecca Knight (@knightrm) and Paul Gillin (@pgillin) concerning new data management challenges in the film industry and the efforts to keep up with emerging technology. (* Disclosure below.)

Scaling infrastructure for the future

New technology has unleashed great power for film producers but likewise has demanded a high price. Resolutions have gone up, 3D filming is gaining interest and frame rates are improving for a more realistic viewing experience. However, that means data storage, networking and all other computing needs have blown up to match, according to Bicio.

Due to the speed of these changes, those film budget projections made five years ago are no longer accurate. This means companies have to be careful about their budget and expenses. To meet this rapid pace of change, systems must be scalable and easy to integrate with new technology, Bicio explained.

“Our future needs are much bigger than our past needs,” he said.

Keeping up with this new technology is a race, but also an opportunity. As technology goes forward, so does film, Bicio stated. “Avatar” wouldn’t have been possible 20 years ago, because they couldn’t make such a believable world without the power of modern computing. Technology allows films to explore deeper levels of imagination, he added.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial coverage of Dell EMC World 2017. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Dell EMC World. Neither Dell nor other sponsors have editorial influence on content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE