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The 8 AI Films Kicking of LA Tech Week

The 8 AI Films Kicking of LA Tech Week

Apple's Immersive Video Film, Playbook 3D Updates

October 12, 2024

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Welcome to VP Land!

All right, so we’re a little biased this week.

The main story is about the eight films AI films that are playing at the first Culver Cup AI Filmmaking Competition, hosted by FBRC.ai (the same group that puts on AI on the Lot) and AWS (Amazon’s cloud computing powerhouse).

However, we created one of the final eight films.

Reach out if you’ll be around at the screening on Monday. And let me know what process questions you have - we’ll be creating behind-the-scenes videos of various tools used.

Alright, let’s get into it!

Culver Cup to Play Top 8 Gen AI Films for LA Tech Week

The Culver Cup, a GenAI film competition hosted by FBRC.AI and Amazon Web Services (AWS), has announced its Elite Eight finalists.

These innovative films, created using cutting-edge AI tools, will be showcased at a red-carpet screening on October 14 at the historic Culver Theater, kicking off LA Tech Week.

The Elite Eight films were selected from a field of 50 projects created over a 3-week period.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

(Disclosure: Joey Daoud is the editor of VP Land)

The Tools and Rules

All 50 participants had a few ground rules and required tools to use when making their films:

The films had to follow a creative treatment by director David Slade to create unique shorts
They had to use a 3D diner asset provided by Global Objects.
They had to use Playbook, a diffusion-based engine for 3D scenes. (Check out our interview with Playbook's creators at AWE)
And they had to use Luma's Dream Machine to generate video outputs.

The tools had to be used in some fashion in the creation of the video, but they were allowed to use additional tools and techniques. The top two filmmakers will discuss their workflows and processes at the Culver Cup event.

This event, taking place in Hollywood and during LA Tech Week, highlights the growing interest in AI-driven storytelling and its ability to push the boundaries of traditional filmmaking.

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Playbook Expands Gen AI Tools to Blender & 3D Animation

Playbook is set to release a trio of major updates that will significantly enhance its platform's capabilities, combining the power of 3D and AI tooling.

What's New

Blender Add-on: Users will be able to leverage Playbook's diffusion-based renderer directly within Blender, eliminating the need to switch between programs and streamlining workflows.
3D Animation & Keyframing: Creators can now bring their scenes to life by animating cameras and 3D models, adding a new level of dynamism to their projects.
Video Rendering: The platform will now support rendering 3-second video clips, expanding the range of content that users can create.

Learn more about Playbook from our interview with the creators at AWE.

Behind the Scenes Roundup

🌆 IndieWire has a breakdown on the virtual production work on Coppola’s Megalopolis. In the video above, VFX supervisor Jesse Chisholm of Megalopolis shares their experience working on the Lux Stage at Trilith Studios in Atlanta.

🐺 Quick BTS video of the driving process shots from Wolfs on Apple TV+. The team utilized LED walls for car interior scenes, designed by the gaffer Matt Ardine and DP Larkin Seiple, with mobile walls offering more flexibility than a full LED volume.

🥗 BTS shot from Steve Giralt at The Garage showcasing the creative potential of combining a smaller virtual production LED wall with robotic camera moves and slow motion for a food spot.

Apple released a longer feature on the making of Submerged, their first short film shot for Apple Immersive Video for the Vision Pro. YM Cinema has some camera spec info from a patent filed in 2021.

⛈️ Unreal Engine's 3D xR visualization technology has been used by The Weather Channel to effectively communicate the severity of storm surges, demonstrating the power of special effects and motion graphics in storytelling

🎬 REALTIME launches virtual production division to support film and TV productions with real-time technologies from pre-production to post.

🏁 Porsche joins Lollipop Racing, a unique series combining episodic storytelling, interactive gaming, and virtual production, featuring the 911 GT3 RS and GT3 R.

💾 The Extinct Media Museum in Tokyo showcases a collection of obsolete media devices, serving as a reminder of the rapid evolution of technology in the media industry.