Film, music and interactive join forces in Texas for the South by Southwest festival

The annual South by Southwest festival (SXSW) has kicked off in Austin, Texas.

Over the past 20 years it has grown to become one of the most influential events in the tech calendar, now attracting 30,000 attendees spanning the digital and creative industries.

As well as hosting lots of small panels and discussions, SXSW is a magnet for start-ups. Seven years ago it helped launch Twitter to global success.

That began a period of intense focus on the themes of social media and mobile. However, this year there is greater attention being paid to other issues of the day too, like privacy and surveillance, as well as on hardware like 3D printing and wearable technology.

The BBC's North America Technology Correspondent Richard Taylor soaks up the atmosphere.