International Center for Research and Education in Innovative and Creative Technologies

CINETic is a research department of the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, Romania.

CINETic develops technological research and innovation in the fields of digital interaction and applied neuroscience to performing arts.

The International Center for Research and Education in Innovative Creative Technologies was founded as a department of the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, in 2015. The establishment of CINETic was financed through a POSCCE grant of € 8 million, having as objective the opening of new research centers and developing already existing ones. The grant allowed UNATC to acquire a building for CINETic and provide its six laboratories with state‑of‑the‑art equipment for digital interaction, worth more than € 3.5 million. CINETic’s mission is to develop knowledge and innovate at an international level in the fields of performing arts and film, as well as in the fields that lead to their growth and transformation.

The knowledge acquired in theatre and film is expanded through research and innovation, within interdisciplinary projects that bring together art, science and technology.

CINETic has 6 Laboratories

Creative Digital Techniques for Film (LIC)
Digital Light‑Sound Interaction (LIS)
Digital Animation (LAD)
Virtual Set Design and Augmented Reality (LAR)
Digital Interaction (LID)
Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences (LDCAPEI)

Some of the most significant tech systems at CINETic include

CAVE‑CIN—an automatic virtual environment with immersive stereoscopy projection system on four screens and multiple interaction tools;
motion capture system with infrared cameras and facial motion capture system;
motion analysis system with high speed video cameras;
motion control systems for the control of camera movements in robotic regime;
full 3D production flow for cinematography, animation and sets, with Alexa SXT, Red Dragon, with spherical and anamorphic optics;
production tools including 3D printing and CNC router;
various physiological data collection systems (eye‑tracking, GSR, ECG, EMG etc.) and high‑density electroencephalography (EEG) with 256 channels.

CINETic hosts 4 Master’s programs

Interactive Technologies for Performing and Media Arts
Art of Game Design
New Media Design
Animation Film

Scientific context and relevance

Performing arts represent a fundamental area of human expression, but also a field of knowledge through practice. The unprecedented increase of digitization and data transmission is changing and continually diversifying human experience, adjusting the ways humans express themselves. Digital devices augment our reality and bring new challenges at technological and socio‑human levels. The insertion of new technologies in everyday life is taking place at an extremely fast pace.

The scientific study of immersive environments like theater and film, and more novel ones, such as virtual reality or video gaming—brings a holistic perspective on human interaction.

The representation of human actions in fictional environments contributes to the shaping of human behavior, but the complexity of the artistic phenomenon seems to escape science, which until now, never thoroughly evaluated the mechanisms involved in artistic representations or the effects art has on people.

At CINETic, with the aid of technological tools, we create innovative digital immersive environments and enhance performance with digital layers. Moreover, through psycho‑neuro‑cognitive assessment, we investigate mechanisms underlying creative processes, as well as the reception of performing arts.

The performing arts have been used as “emotional regulators” both at the individual and societal level, ever since the dawn of time. The further scientific evaluation of the role that art has, as an emotional and cognitive enhancer, will increase the possibility of more effective use of art for harmonious social development. The means by which this could be achieved entail the development of new methods of intervention through art as well as novel teaching methods.

The beneficial effects of theatre therapies have been well documented and used in therapeutic practice, psychodrama being one of the most influential experience‑driven psychotherapies. Embodied cognition and play are at the foundation of performing arts and of human learning. The development of knowledge about human interaction in theatrical environments is necessary for developing an emotionally harmonious contemporary self. By understanding the deep aspects of direct interaction, we can develop more human‑oriented digital interactions. 008

Implementation stage

CINETic is a research infrastructure created through the Sectorial Operational Program—Increasing the Economic Competitiveness and an investment of € 8 million, in the form of a grant, implemented in the interval 2014–2016. Currently, the project is in the sustainability phase, at the end of which 10 new research jobs will be created. At the present moment, CINETic has 7 employed researchers, as well as technical and administrative staff.

Presently, CINETic is developing the project entitled MET—Developing a theatre therapy method with impact at the neurochemical and neurocognitive level, where over 14 researchers are employed. The project is to be implemented over a period of 4 years and it is valued at € 2 million.

At the same time, CINETic develops its human and technological resources in the field of VR, as well as opportunities for national and international cooperation, aiming to become a pillar of regional expertise in this field.

As a recognition of its importance, CINETic was ranked as a center of national importance in the field of Social and Cultural Heritage by the Romanian Committee for Research Infrastructures (CRIC) alongside 3 other entities in the 2017 report.

Socio‑economic impact

VR (virtual reality) and gaming are two of the most dynamic sectors in technological and artistic innovation with major potential for economic growth. The increase in production capabilities and the study of the effects of these media on human development are essential for their integration in a harmonious and valuable way in society.

CINETic is at the forefront of development and research in the field of digital interaction, seeking not only to advance knowledge, but also to make a beneficial impact for both individuals and communities.

As part of UNATC, CINETic is dedicated to growing the impact of theatre and film in society through research in applied and artistic forms.

CINETic — a Space for Experiments and Interdisciplinary Innovation

The International Center for Research and Education in Innovative Creative Technologies is a long‑term ambitious project of UNATC “I.L. Caragiale”, geared towards increasing the role of art in society, through the development of research and innovation. CINETic intends to be an international center of excellence in the field of digital interaction, with high impact on the development of art innovation in Romania.

Artists are natural-born researchers. There would be no art without research. Whether it was research for new pigments, better mastery of the body or stronger ways of rendering emotions through stories, artists have always been in search of new tools and knowledge. While science shows its results in theory and in technical innovation, the results of research in the art can be found in artistic products: films, plays, digital content and sometimes in theories. The awaited feeling of magic which surrounds the work of art can be so hard to overcome for spectators that sometimes the powers of artists, acquired through practice and research, were attributed to the devil.

I hope that CINETic is charting an area of experiment and interdisciplinary innovation that I have always desired during my student years, as well as in my work as a director.