Amazon will become the newest member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), a move that is likely to have significant ramifications as the e-commerce giant throws its weight behind the global entertainment trade and lobbying organization. As the parent of both the Prime Video streaming service and MGM Studios, as well as the force behind Amazon Web Services, the company has clout across both entertainment and technology at a level that is unparalleled among MPA principals. At $2 trillion, it becomes the largest MPA member by market cap. Netflix, which joined in 2019, is capped at $300 billion. Continue reading Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video Latest to Join the MPA

The Entertainment Technology Center@USC has released the fourth and final installment of its case study, “Fathead: Virtual Production & Beyond.” Chapter 4 of the four-part white paper is titled “Key Contributors: Process Pipelines,” which summarizes key findings of the production and recommended best practices moving forward. “Fathead” — directed by c. Craig Patterson and produced by Erik Weaver, ETC’s director of adaptive production — was shot at Amazon Stage 15 in Culver City as an experiment in virtual production, in-camera VFX and collaborative, cloud-based workflows. Continue reading ETC Releases Final Section of Virtual Production White Paper

ETC@USC has posted a tutorial that offers best practices for white balancing during production on a curved wall LED volume stage. Due to the growing number of LED volume and backing wall applications emerging worldwide, many critical color calibration issues have resulted. The informative tutorial — authored by cinematographer Tim Kang from Quasar Science with support from producer Erik Weaver from ETC — provides cinematographers and production teams with a simple graphical guide that breaks down the problems between the camera and its LED wall perception, while specifying different means to implement solutions. The Virtual Production White Balancing Tutorial is now available on the ETC site. Continue reading ETC Releases White Balancing Tutorial for Virtual Production

Technology that empowers creators, a new generation of displays, and the promise and peril of artificial intelligence dominated CES 2024. After several years of incremental advances, market development built on maturing technology, and over-hyped trends, this year felt different with an energy that suggests the beginning of a new era. Among the highlights were next generation displays, including MicroLED and transparent technologies. If a consensus emerged, it is that AI may be everywhere but it isn’t everything. “People at the heart of creativity” was Sony’s CES slogan, yet its people-centered sentiment applied broadly across the show. Continue reading CES: AI Was Everywhere but Not the Only Thing in Las Vegas

Sony’s Crystal LED displays are designed to enable realistic backgrounds for virtual production. Now, after two years of research and development, Sony Electronics has unveiled its first line of Crystal LED Verona wall displays, purpose-built to meet the needs of virtual production. The result of a tight feedback loop between Hollywood end users and Sony engineers in Tokyo, Verona aimed to solve what were identified as the two biggest issues with virtual production backgrounds: a need for “deeper black-level expression” and “reduced contrast loss caused by light from adjacent LED panels and studio lighting equipment.” Continue reading Sony Unveils Its CLED Verona Displays for Virtual Production

ETC@USC is hosting its 9th vETC virtual conference at this year’s IBC in Amsterdam, September 15-18. The event — which highlights significant presentations of emerging technologies and their impact on the M&E industry — will explore how generative AI, machine learning, and other compelling new tools help simplify building 3D worlds and tackle today’s computer vision challenges. The sessions will be recorded and posted on ETC’s YouTube channel. For those attending IBC who may be interested in attending the sessions (located in Hall 7 at Booth C28), visit the program guide, which includes a full schedule and speaker bios. Continue reading vETC Coming to IBC 2023: The Path of Sustainable Innovation

Seattle-area startup Irreverent Labs has shifted its focus from blockchain-based video games and NFTs to artificial intelligence. Specifically, it wants to build foundation models for text-to-video generation and related content creation tools. Text-to-video is being explored by several companies but is still in development. Samsung Next was intrigued enough with the proposition to invest an undisclosed sum in Irreverent. While there are several apps that output cartoonish results, ambitious efforts are limited. Animations that aim for photorealism, such as Meta’s Make-a-Video and Runway’s Gen-2, can output only four or five seconds of video at a time. Continue reading Samsung Next Invests in Irreverent Labs’ Text-to-Video Tech

ETC@USC will host its 8th vETC virtual conference at SIGGRAPH 2023 in Los Angeles, August 8-10. The event – which highlights significant presentations of emerging technologies and their impact on the M&E industry – will explore how generative AI, machine learning, and other compelling new tools help simplify building 3D worlds and tackle today’s computer vision challenges. Three days of sessions will be recorded and posted on ETC’s YouTube channel. For those attending SIGGRAPH who may be interested in attending the sessions (located at Z by HP Booth 215), visit the program guide, which includes a full schedule and speaker bios. Continue reading ETC Will Host Sessions at SIGGRAPH Conference This Week

ETC@USC will host its 8th vETC virtual conference at SIGGRAPH 2023 in Los Angeles, August 8-10. The event – which highlights significant presentations of emerging technologies and their impact on the M&E industry – will explore how generative AI, machine learning, and other compelling new tools help simplify building 3D worlds and tackle today’s computer vision challenges. Three days of sessions will be recorded and posted on ETC’s YouTube channel. For those attending SIGGRAPH who may be interested in attending the sessions (located at Z by HP Booth 215), visit the program guide, which includes a full schedule and speaker bios. Continue reading ETC Will Host Sessions at SIGGRAPH Conference Next Week

The Entertainment Technology Center@USC has released the third installment of its case study, “Fathead: Virtual Production & Beyond.” Section 3 of the four-part white paper is “State of the Industry: Beyond Trends,” which discusses “where we’re at, and where we’re going” and features compelling interviews with thought leaders from companies including The Third Floor, Stargate Studios, Orbital Virtual Studios, Vū Technologies, Lux Machina, nDisplay, Epic Games and Unity Technologies. Click here to access Section 3 and we’ll post announcements when the final section — “Fathead: A Proof-of-Concept Short Film” — becomes available. Continue reading ETC Releases Section 3 of Its Virtual Production White Paper

The new Catalyst Stage at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut blends physical space with virtual production and an LED wall. The facility “opens new possibilities in the future of content customization and scalability” for live, multi-camera shooting that includes augmented reality and extended reality in 1080p or UHD, with 4K available for specialty work, including advertising. ESPN calls Catalyst “the first studio of its kind to support both live multi-camera productions and cinematic-quality projects. GhostFrame, Unreal Engine, Disguise XR, Pixotope and Mark Roberts Motion Control cameras are among Catalyst’s tools. Continue reading New Catalyst Stage Brings Virtual Production to ESPN Studio

Entertainment and communications leaders explored the impact of artificial intelligence and anticipated the larger changes ahead at the inaugural Synthetic Media Summit, presented by the Entertainment Technology Center at USC in partnership with NAB Amplify, SMPTE and sponsor Wizeline, in conjunction with the USC School of Cinematic Arts and USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Speakers addressed how new technology will make VFX cheaper and faster for studios, while for indies it will open new frontiers. Teaming AI with tools such as Unreal Engine is expected to level the playing field and launch a new era of virtual production. Continue reading Thought Leaders Analyze AI at ETC Synthetic Media Summit

The film “Fathead,” produced by the Entertainment Technology Center@USC, continues to garner recognition. Nominated earlier this year for a NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Short Film (Live Action) category, the film was most recently included in The American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival. “Fathead” — directed by c. Craig Patterson and produced by Erik Weaver, ETC’s director of adaptive production — was featured among 38 short films in the Showcase at Cannes and was announced winner in the Student Short Film category. Continue reading ETC’s ‘Fathead’ Receives Honors at the Cannes Film Festival

The Entertainment Technology Center@USC will host its 7th vETC virtual conference at NAB Show 2023, April 16-18 in Las Vegas. Highlighting significant presentations of emerging technologies and their impact on the M&E industry, at the HP booth (N2826) with key partner FUSE Technical Group, vETC speakers will present concepts, workflows, business models, case studies and more. This year’s vETC looks to keep pace with the quickly emerging trends in virtual production. The presentations will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel. The 3-day program with a full list of speakers is available on the ETC site. Continue reading vETC at NAB 2023: Democratizing Onset Virtual Productions

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has formed a Production and Technology Branch to include about 400 individuals previously classified as members-at-large. The branch “represents members working in key technical and production positions in all phases of filmmaking, from pre- to post-production,” AMPAS says, listing chief technology officers, senior department heads in tech and creative services, and preservation and restoration specialists as among the inductees. In addition, credited production roles — including stunt coordinators, script supervisors, choreographers, music supervisors, colorists, line producers and associate producers — will be part of the branch. Continue reading AMPAS Diversifies with a Production and Technology Branch