Top 5 in Tech: Rise of Creator Soundstages, 100% IMAX, Better AI Image Control
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Here's a quick roundup of the most significant developments in media and entertainment technology this week:
🎬 Creator-Owned Studios Surge
A new wave of creator-owned movie studios is offering an alternative to the traditional Hollywood model by enabling filmmakers and digital creators to control their own production pipelines, leveraging direct audience relationships, crowdfunding, and digital distribution.
Notable examples include Dhar Mann Studios, which has grown from apartment shoots to a sprawling Burbank campus with elaborate permanent sets; Dude Perfect’s $5 million headquarters in Texas, featuring specialized sports production areas and plans for a virtual stage; MrBeast’s massive studio complex in North Carolina, decentralizing content production; and Alan Chikin Chow’s upgraded studio for high-quality, narrative-driven YouTube content.
🤖 GenAI Meets Live Action: NinjaPunk’s Bold New Workflow
AI startup Promise AI is demoing a hybrid live action / AI workflow in their upcoming sci-fi thriller NinjaPunk. The team uses AI for everything from concept art and storyboarding to real-time visual effects, blending live-action footage with AI-generated imagery.
🎥 Nolan’s “Odyssey” Breaks Ground with All-IMAX Shoot
Christopher Nolan is making cinematic history by shooting his latest film, The Odyssey entirely on IMAX cameras, the first major feature to do so, a feat made possible by significant technical advancements prompted by Nolan’s insistence on overcoming the format’s traditional limitations. IMAX responded by developing a new generation of cameras that are 30% quieter and substantially lighter, thanks to innovations like carbon fiber construction. Additionally, advanced film scanning and processing techniques now enable faster turnaround for daily footage, streamlining the production workflow.
🛠️ Luma AI Unveils Reframe Tool for Expanding Video Outside the Frame
Luma AI has launched its new Reframe tool, a new feature that allows users to expand, resize, and adapt videos or images, into any format without cropping or losing key content. Users can upload media, reposition and scale it on a canvas, and then instantly reformat their content to six specific aspect ratios: Square (1:1), Portrait (9:16 and 3:4), Landscape (16:9 and 4:3), and Cinematic Widescreen (21:9). The AI intelligently fills in the extended edges to preserve visual continuity and the main subject.
🖼️ Runway References & ChatGPT Images: New Control Methods for AI Image Creation
The latest updates from Runway and ChatGPT offer greater control over AI image outputs by combining a variety of visuals or reference images to better steer outputs. Here are some tips and tricks on using photos from the real world to control your framing - great for pre-viz and storyboards.
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Comments
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I didn't know there hasn't been a film shot entirely using IMAX cameras before. Definitely interested to see how big of a draw that will be at the box office.
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