Runway looks to push AI into documentary filmmaking
🌐 OpenAI's new GPT updates, AI film fest winners
Joey Daoud
November 07, 2023
Powered by
Welcome to another edition of VP Land.
Did OpenAI just announce the next big app store?
And does AI have a place in documentary filmmaking?
Let’s explore.
2 quick asides
We’re rebooting our podcast - for interviews with creators on the leading edge of tech and media, be sure to subscribe.
And shoutout to my alma mater FSU for opening up a virtual production studio.
STUDIO AI
Artificially Generated Videos Meet Non-Fiction Storytelling
Right off the heels of their GEN48 short film contest, Runway Studios announced a new program: OpenDocs.
OpenDocs was launched to help support short non-fiction films focused on exploring contemporary global issues, leveraging generative AI as a core storytelling component.
Unlike the GEN48 film contest, this program offers financial support and guidance from Artefacto to help create non-fiction projects.
Selected projects get $2500 and an Unlimited Runway plan to help produce the short (up to 7 minutes) film.
Somewhere between animation and recreation
Figuring out a way to visually tell a story comprised of interviews has always been a challenge, especially when there isn’t much archival material available.
Documentaries have used everything from animation to recreations with sets and actors.
Some docs have been completely animated (I thought Waltz with Bashir was the first but PBS has a list of animated docs going all the way back to a Disney WWII film in the 1940s).
AI-generated videos are looking like one more tool to help visually illustrate spoken word stories.
You can learn more and apply for the OpenDocs program here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Looking to revolutionize your advertising strategy? Discover Adspective, the innovative solution that automatically adds advertising content to your existing photos and videos.
With Adspective, you can breathe new life into your visual content, making your ads more engaging and effective than ever before.
But that's not all. Adspective also offers new cost-effective ways to publish ads, making it a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're a startup on a tight budget or a large corporation looking to maximize your advertising ROI, Adspective is the solution you've been waiting for.
SECOND UNIT
We’re about to enter the GPTverse
OpenAI’s first developer conference was yesterday. Here are some of the highlights.
Make Your Own GPT
Rolling out next month, GPTs are a way to build a custom version of ChatGPT for a specific function.
The best part - to make one you don’t need any coding knowledge.
Creating one is as easy as starting a conversation, giving it instructions and extra knowledge, and picking what it can do, like searching the web, making images or analyzing data.
There will also be an ‘app’ store where creators can sell their GPTs. Late Checkout CEO Greg Isenberg is calling this a paradigm shift similar to the release of Apple’s App Store or Shopify Apps.
It’s Turbo Time
GPT-4 Turbo is rolling out, an improved model trained on data up to April 2023 and with a 128K context window (vs GPT-4’s previous max input of 32K).
The new turbo model also includes vision, meaning it can accept images as inputs.
VIDEO VILLAGE
Congrats to Dan Hammill and Jeff Wood on winning Runway’s first AI film competition. You can view all the finalist films here.
AKS
🌐 Around the Web
🎓 FSU Film School is opening up its own virtual production stage, running a disguise system with Stype tracking.
📷 FilmaticAI introduces DaVinci and Premiere Pro AI-powered plugin that can match footage from multiple camera platforms
🎬 Fuse Technical Group launches new studio in New York
🗓 Schedule posts and track your social media with Metricool*
💬 Elon Musk teases Grok, an AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT
☁️ Blackmagic dropped the price across all their Cloud Store products (check out our writeup of PostHero using the BMD cloud system)
🌆 Kitbashing 3D scenes + AI to create amazing animations
* Sponsored Link
CALL SHEET
📆 Upcoming Events
November 11 and 12
Motion Capture & ICVFX Virtual Production Masterclass - Final Pixel
The Yard @ NYU Tandon, New York
This Masterclass will provide you with the practical skills and technical knowledge to use a range of motion-capture systems successfully on productions and understand the creative possibilities afforded by the technology.
November 16
Introduction to Virtual Production - disguise Training
Film Academy Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Germany
Explore the fascinating world of virtual production techniques and technologies
November 29
Virtual Production Showcase - Expressway Cinema Rentals
Mantua Township, New Jersey
Showcasing emerging and advanced filmmaking solutions available to the Greater Philadelphia community.
Istituto Marangoni Visual Design Courses
Visual Design
Multimedia design for integrated communication
Milano - Sept 2023 to Jul 2024
London - Oct 2023 to Jun 2024
Digital Design for Immersive Experiences
Bridging physical and digital worlds and leveraging the power of immersive installations
Milano - Sep 2023 to Dec 2024
Have a film-related event to share? Just reply back to this email and let us know the details.
ABBY SINGER
Thanks for reading VP Land!
Have a link to share or a story idea? Send it here.
Interested in reaching media industry professionals? Advertise with us.