Taryn Southern: AI Is Your Full Stack Creative Team and You’re the Director
Registration Opens for 2024 NAB Show, Held April 13-17 in Las Vegas
Registration is open for NAB Show, April 13-17, 2024, with a focus on AI, streaming universes, virtual production, and the creator economy.
AI for M&E: Things Are Going to Get Complicated
Across M&E, battle lines over generative AI will be drawn in case law, proprietary versus open source technology, and Hollywood studios.
It’s Been a Year of ChatGPT. What Just Happened?
ChatGPT had one hell of a year, notching more milestones than some startups achieve in the entirety of their existence. The app also generated some dustups.
ChatGPT Turns 1: The AI Chatbot’s Success Says as Much About Humans as Technology
Throughout this breakout year, ChatGPT has revealed the power of a good interface and the perils of hype, and it has sown the seeds of a new set of human behaviors.
Evan Shapiro: “What’s Next” for Media in the User-Centric Era — Part 1
Media universe cartographer Evan Shapiro examines the pivotal shift to a user-centric era of media, supported by new consumer research.
Evan Shapiro: “What’s Next” for Media in the User-Centric Era — Part 2
Evan Shapiro presents his “7 Rules of Gravity” with actionable steps for building a sustainable media business and thriving in this new era.
“Saltburn” Is Debauched and Depraved But It Looks Like a Caravaggio Painting. So Let’s Start There.
Director Emerald Fennell’s film is part queasy satire, part gothic horror… and Linus Sandgren shoots it like a dream.
“A Murder at the End of the World” — This Show Has Everything: True Crime, Tech Paranoia and Possibly a Climate Catastrophe
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen approached the FX series “like a seven-hour movie, as one story and one journey in terms of lighting.”
Survey Says: In 2024, Gen AI Will Aid Creativity, Hurt Authenticity
An increase in creativity will be AI’s biggest impact on the creator economy, say 30% of content creators polled by video platform Artlist.
What Comes Next for the Creator Economy? (Um, Apart from That $480 Billion)
Continued growth will be driven by marketing through short-form videos on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
The Precision Editing Required for David Fincher’s Assassin in “The Killer”
David Fincher’s go-to editor Kirk Baxter helps achieve a new kind of subjective cinema with Michael Fassbender’s character in “The Killer.”
“The Holdovers:” Alexander Payne and Kevin Tent on the Director-Editor Collaboration (and They Should Know)
Longtime friends and collaborators, director-screenwriter-producer Alexander Payne and editor Kevin Tent, ACE reunite for their eighth film.
How Influencer-Generated Content Has Become Core to Brand Strategies
The creator economy emerges as a powerful force in the digital marketing landscape, reshaping the way brands connect with consumers.
Gavin Guidry: How to Get Great Content From/With/By Creators
Brands that “prioritize community and build authentic creator relationships” will benefit from influencer marketing, says Gavin Guidry.
Deloitte Anticipates 2024 Will Be a “Transitional” Year for Generative AI
Deloitte’s annual Technology, Media and Telecoms report highlights generative AI, sustainability and monetization in its preview of 2024.
Bring Your Own AI (BYOA) If You’re Planning to Transform the Workplace
Industry analyst Forrester predicts wide adoption of bring-your-own-AI (BYOAI) tools, with organizations struggling to manage the impact.
From Pixels to Profits: How Virtual Influencers are Rewriting the Rules of Fame, Commerce and Authenticity, Part 1
As digital screens become more embedded in our daily lives, the line between the virtual and the tangible is becoming increasingly blurred.
From Pixels to Profits: How Virtual Influencers are Rewriting the Rules of Fame, Commerce and Authenticity, Part 2
Disrupting industries from e-commerce to marketing to pop music, virtual influencers continue to rake in followers and profits.
What ABC News Means About Its Media (Technology) Trifecta
ABC News executive director of media & technology Fabian Westerwelle and LTN CTO Brad Wall compare approaches to technology decision-making.
As Broadcast and Cinema Workflows Converge, Everyone (Everyone!) Has Something to Learn
Surella CEO Mike Nichols compares broadcast and cinema workflows — how they differ (or the same) and how productions can benefit from each.
Social Commentary But Make it Cinematic: Production for “In a State of Change”
Filmmakers Donal Boyd and Frank Nieuwenhuis sought to help people understand the impact of climate change on Iceland’s glaciers and on Icelanders.
“The Africas:” How Do You Capture “the Soul” of a Place?
The latest travel film by Grafton Create utilized the Sony FX6, “the obvious choice” for the low-light imagery they wanted.
Rewriting the Visual Rules for “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
The Hunger Games are back with director Francis Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems, this time as a prequel.
How the Team From “The Killer” Sustains Its Style and Structure
Says DP Erik Messerschmidt: “It was all about how you bring the audience to a place they are not used to being, close to this assassin.”
What Do AI and the 15th-Century Printing Press Have in Common? Actually, A Lot
The disruptive force of AI could be as transformative to democratic institutions as the printing press, argues policy expert Samuel Hammond.
How AI Reunited The Beatles for “Now and Then”
The “new” Beatles song “Now and Then” utilized the same AI technology that director Peter Jackson employed for documentary “Get Back.”
Jaron Lanier: We Need AI Regulation and Data Provenance (ASAP)
Tech guru and Microsoft scientist Jaron Lanier adds his voice to those calling for regulation of AI and advocating for data provenance.
AI Will Be the Most Impactful Technology in 2024, Say Global CTOs (and Pretty Much Everyone Else)
In 2024, AI applications and algorithms that can optimize data, perform complex tasks, and make decisions with human-like accuracy will be used in diverse ways, the study finds.
Consider Creators As You Would Any Other Media Entrepreneur, Say Gary Vee and Taylor Lorenz
While this job “has the worst reputation,” Lorenz says, “It’s actually incredibly, incredibly hard. You [have] to be a great storyteller.”
Taylor Lorenz: How the Creator Economy Became… an Economy
“Extremely Online” is WaPo columnist Taylor Lorenz’s creator-centric chronicle of social media and the birth of the creator economy.
Casey Neistat: Create First and the Money Will Follow
Casey Neistat is most famous as a YouTuber, but that wasn’t his goal… his career “wasn’t an option” when he started creating videos.
“My Ken’s Job Is Camera:” Adrian Per’s Perspectives on Storytelling
Even in short-form video, explains filmmaker and content creator Adrian Per, “You still want to keep the basic principles of storytelling.”
Scott Belsky: How AI Will Impact Media’s “Core and Periphery”
Whether you’re excited by or wary of the potential for AI, you’re trying to parse how it will change work. Adobe’s Scott Belsky takes that on.
AI Is “Dumb” and Humans Wield the Worrying Power (Say MIT and Stanford Researchers)
MIT’s Daniela Rus explains, “AI can give us a lot of benefits, but the same benefits can empower supervillains.”
Will AI Kill Our Creativity? It Could — If We Don’t Start to Value and Protect the Traits That Make Us Human
Will GenAI tools like DALL-E help us survive and thrive as a creative species, or are they the death knell of creativity as we know it?
A Cyborg and a Centaur Walk Into an Office…
The most effective AI users fall into two camps: cyborgs and centaurs, navigating “the jagged frontier of AI,” according to a study from HBR and BCG.
Understanding Why (Many) Humans Won’t Trust AI
The inner workings of AI systems are impenetrable, Mark Bailey argues, making them fundamentally unexplainable and unpredictable.
Should We Learn to Stop Worrying and Love AI? Ummm, Actually… Experts Say No.
AI experts have concerns about people’s and society’s well-being but also expect benefits in health care, scientific advances and education.
AI Scores in the Top Percentile of Creative Thinking (No, Seriously)
Blending novelty and utility, generative AI is closer to human creativity than you think, argues University of Montana professor Erik Guzik.
With Documentaries, Deepfakes Can Be Used for… Good?
Deepfake technologies are starting to be used for documentaries and advocacy work, presenting filmmakers both opportunities and challenges.
Russell Wald: Why It’s So Hard to Have a Balanced Discussion About Deepfakes
Calls for national regulation of AI is growing amid a looming Presidential election and fears that more deepfake videos will be unleashed.
Virtual Production Isn’t Just a Technology, It’s Now a New Way of Thinking
Virtual production experts illuminate how this rapidly-advancing field is reshaping collaboration and creative workflows.
In-Flight Entertainment: Virtual Production in the Skies and in Front of the Screens for “Hijack”
With 75% of the action taking place in midair, production for Apple TV+ limited series “Hijack” made extensive use of virtual production.
Lia Haberman: When Working With Creators, It’s All About Alignment
When working with a creator, Lia Haberman emphasizes, “It’s not a one size fits all solution” for businesses.
Power to the People: A Social History of the Internet
A new book by Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz rewrites the history of social media from the point of view of content creators.
Registration Opens for 2024 NAB Show, Held April 13-17 in Las Vegas
Registration is open for NAB Show, April 13-17, 2024, with a focus on AI, streaming universes, virtual production, and the creator economy.
Martin Scorsese: “Killers of the Flower Moon” and American Mythology
“I grew up watching westerns,” says Scorsese. ”So for me to see [this film] on the screen — beautiful palomino horses — was heaven for me.”
“Saltburn” Is Debauched and Depraved But It Looks Like a Caravaggio Painting. So Let’s Start There.
Director Emerald Fennell’s film is part queasy satire, part gothic horror… and Linus Sandgren shoots it like a dream.
Virtual Production Isn’t Just a Technology, It’s Now a New Way of Thinking
Virtual production experts illuminate how this rapidly-advancing field is reshaping collaboration and creative workflows.
How the Team From “The Killer” Sustains Its Style and Structure
Says DP Erik Messerschmidt: “It was all about how you bring the audience to a place they are not used to being, close to this assassin.”
“A Murder at the End of the World” — This Show Has Everything: True Crime, Tech Paranoia and Possibly a Climate Catastrophe
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen approached the FX series “like a seven-hour movie, as one story and one journey in terms of lighting.”
“The Holdovers:” Alexander Payne and Kevin Tent on the Director-Editor Collaboration (and They Should Know)
Longtime friends and collaborators, director-screenwriter-producer Alexander Payne and editor Kevin Tent, ACE reunite for their eighth film.
“Fair Play:” How to Throw Your Audience Off Balance
“Talking to Menno [Mans], my DP, we were constantly reminding each other, ‘Pressure cooker, pressure cooker,’” says director Chloe Domont
Viva “Cassandro”! Cinematographer Matias Penachino Steps Into the Ring
“With Roger [Ross Williams] being a documentary maker and this being a biopic, it was clear that the film should resemble a portrait.”
Nahnatcka Khan’s ”Totally Killer” Has Everything: Horror, Comedy, Time Travel, and True Crime
“It’s the idea of keeping the audience off balance,” says Khan. “Oh, is this a comedic scene or is this person actually going to get killed?”
How These YouTube Creators Directed the Breakout Horror Feature “Talk To Me”
YouTube creators Michael and Danny Philippou shot “Talk To Me” using all the DIY skills they had learned producing shorts for streaming.
“The Creator:” Making a Sci-Fi Epic Like an Independent Film
Gareth Edwards’ film was shot on a relatively small budget of $80 million, yet looks like a blockbuster that cost significantly more.
The World Is a Vampire: “El Conde” and Pablo Larraín’s Monochrome Madness
In ‟El Conde,” Chilean director Pablo Larraín turns the story of General Augusto Pinochet into a stomach-turning tragicomic melodrama-horror movie.
Where Fantasy Meets Reality: Producing the Mount Doom Sequence for ‟The Rings of Power”
‟The Rings of Power” production team wanted to accurately re-create natural phenomena for the series, including the implosion of Mount Doom.
Family Dynamics: Cinematographer Paul Daley Gets Into It for “The Righteous Gemstones”
DP Paul Daley breaks down his visual approach to Season 3 of “The Righteous Gemstones,” HBO’s dark comedy series created by Danny McBride.
How Steven Soderbergh Brings It All Together for “Full Circle”
Director Steven Soderbergh discusses the production of and technologies used for Max’s limited series, “Full Circle.”
The Medium, the Movie, the Message: IMAX for “Oppenheimer”
To create what he considers a true cinematic experience, Christopher Nolan shot “Oppenheimer” in 65mm, 15-perf IMAX format.
The Cinematic Complexity of/for “Asteroid City”
DP Robert Yeoman faced harsh sunlight, windy exteriors, and the idiosyncratic vision of the director for Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City”
How the Cinematography of “Succession” Takes You Inside
Cinematographer Patrick Capone, ASC, director Mark Mylod and senior colorist Sam Daley consider what made the series look and feel like that.
Your Eyes vs. Frame Rates: What You Can (and Can’t) See
Frame rates have become a hotly contested issue, challenging the nearly century-old standard of 24fps for films or up to 60fps for TV.
Get It To Go: What to Pack for Production on a Glacier
Aidin Robbins and Eric Matt shot a documentary in the Alps and across glaciers. Learn how they managed both mountaineering and filmmaking.
In-Flight Entertainment: Virtual Production in the Skies and in Front of the Screens for “Hijack”
With 75% of the action taking place in midair, production for Apple TV+ limited series “Hijack” made extensive use of virtual production.
Pretty/Scary: Cinematographer Aaron Morton on “No One Will Save You”
“One phrase we had was that horror can be beautiful,” says cinematographer Aaron Morton. “We tried to make a beautiful film that was scary.”
Ah, Youth: How Oliver Curtis Captures That Exuberance for “The Buccaneers”
Curtis used no-cut “oners,” swirling camera moves, a contrasted lighting pattern, and a large format sensor combined with portrait lenses.
“Special Ops: Lioness” Director/Cinematographer Paul Cameron Aims for Action and Emotion
“Sometimes you need to be a bit bold and break the ‘Five Cs of Cinematography’” says Cameron, “and deconstruct them.”
Rewriting the Visual Rules for “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
The Hunger Games are back with director Francis Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems, this time as a prequel.
Social Commentary But Make it Cinematic: Production for “In a State of Change”
Filmmakers Donal Boyd and Frank Nieuwenhuis sought to help people understand the impact of climate change on Iceland’s glaciers and on Icelanders.
The Precision Editing Required for David Fincher’s Assassin in “The Killer”
David Fincher’s go-to editor Kirk Baxter helps achieve a new kind of subjective cinema with Michael Fassbender’s character in “The Killer.”
“The Africas:” How Do You Capture “the Soul” of a Place?
The latest travel film by Grafton Create utilized the Sony FX6, “the obvious choice” for the low-light imagery they wanted.
AI for M&E
