Erik Weaver

iodyne, manufacturer of the blazing fast Pro Data SSD RAID storage solution, has recently released a short-form video series showcasing how top-tier Hollywood professionals integrate this data management device into their creative workflow. The first two episodes – featuring virtual production expert Sam Nicholson, ASC, and photographer Ger Ger – are now available to watch on YouTube. iodyne is an American company specializing in storage solutions that are specifically catered towards filmmaking applications. Released in 2022, their high-speed Pro Data SSD external drive still remains one of the most performing storage solutions on the market, offering 5GB/s Thunderbolt speeds and high capacities of 12TB, 24TB, or even 48TB. My colleague Johnnie had the chance to test out the massive 48TB version and really enjoyed working with it. So, in case you missed it, make sure to check out his review here. iodyne Pro Data SSD storage solution comes in 12, 24, and 48TB sizes. Image credit: CineD In this article, we will leave the fiddling technicalities of Pro Data aside (for that, you can refer to our previous extensive coverage). Instead, thanks to iodyne’s new Creator Series, we will take a look at how this product can provide peace of mind during the creative process in a scenario where technology works for you rather than the opposite. iodyne Creator Series – Ep.1 with Sam Nicholson, ASC Episode 1 of iodyne’s Creator Series brings you behind the scenes of a virtual production shoot with cinematographer and VFX supervisor Sam Nicholson, ASC. With over 4 decades of expertise in our industry, Sam is CEO and founder of Stargate Studios, an Award-winning production company and home to several VFX and virtual production experts. Sam Nicholson, ASC working on set. Image credit: iodyne As Sam puts it, camera technology advancement is a “geometric curve,” and we’re getting to a point where producing not terabytes but petabytes of data is becoming the standard for large productions. As a result, having a secure, fast, and reliable way to store and handle such data is essential unless you want data management to be an obstacle to a successful production. You can watch Episode 1 of the Creator Series below. <!-- wp:embed/video --> {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"iodyneu2019s Creator Series Released u2013 A Glimpse Into the Way an Artist Thinks","description":"iodyneu2019s Creator Series Released u2013 A Glimpse Into the Way an Artist Thinks","contentUrl":"https://lnkd.in/d4HuSz5X","thumbnailUrl":"https://lnkd.in/dQaZJzFC","uploadDate":"2024-07-05T16:00:30+02:00"}<!-- /wp:embed/video --> Episode 2 with artist and photographer Ger Ger Episode 2 of iodyne’s Creator Series follows Austrian artist and creative director Ger Ger, showcasing how Pro Data cannot only serve the needs of filmmakers but can meet the demands of still photography

1

Great breakdown on what's working and practical in today's AI landscape and a blueprint for the immediate impacts of AI on businesses. Great write-up Angela Strange and a16z

12

From algorithmic composition to AI-driven mastering the integration of artificial intelligence in music production is revolutionizing the way we create and experience music. AI algorithms analyze vast amounts of musical data to generate melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that push creative boundaries. With AI tools like virtual assistants and smart plugins, musicians can streamline workflows and explore new sonic possibilities. As technology continues to evolve, the future of music production holds exciting prospects for both creators and listeners alike. #AI #MusicProduction #musicindustry

6

1 Comment

🎬 How We Sync Audio with SndResolver 🎧 Syncing audio to picture can be a complex task, especially when dealing with non-standard recordings. I've developed a tool called SndResolver to streamline this process. 👉 What’s SndResolver? It's a tool we use to dynamically resample audio files that include a pilot tone, ensuring they align perfectly with picture content. This is especially useful for audio from sources that operated without standard sync or have pilot tone recorded as audio. You can choose the channel that has the tone and set the frequency target. 📲 Here’s a quick look at SndResolver in action

13

#GenerativeAI tools powered by Adobe Firefly video model are COMING SOON to #PremierePro! Take a sneak peek at Object Addition, Object Removal & Generative Extend. https://lnkd.in/e4W6t_hx

9

This could be a game changer for delivering remastered or restored content as the AV1 feature of grain reconstruction can be used with other modern codecs, even at higher resolutions.

8

This is the FUTURE of live music performance. Probably. TLDR: Live instrument + reactive visuals + full performance capture + remote audience. All in real-time in UE5. BOOM. The recipe: Mocap: Vicon+ Faceware AND (most importantly) RADiCAL Audio: Korus via PIXELYNX Before I was an amateur dolphin trainer I was a musician. And I've wanted to try and combine everything we do in performance capture into a live music proof of concept. We're not the first to try this obviously. Samantha Tauber is breaking new ground constantly. But I wanted to really push the system to breaking point and see whether we could make it all work. Could we: - Track a performer - Playing a live instrument 1:1 (in this case a Keytar) - Covered by a handheld camera + multiple 'go pros' - While DJ'ing - with the audio powering visuals responsively AND... this is the really important bit... - Bring the audience into the same digital space with us, dancing in there using ONLY a webcam? Yes. Here it is. We did it. I'm palpably playing the instrument live. It's really there with me. The visuals, while lame, are powered by the music, I'm DJ'ing using Korus and the audience is in there with us thanks to Radical Motion. This was amazing. It's just the first step in a live music performance product - think Cercle but in a full digital environment. Hybrid DJ sets can be transported anywhere and everywhere. Caveat - the suits are a major bummer at this point in time. If anyone can create a high performance, sweat wicking markered suit that doesn't turn into a bio-hazard within 5 mins... that would be amazing. Major props to RADiCAL this is so fun to see working. Hit me up if you want to learn more. Peas. #vicon #motioncapture #livemusic #unrealengine #keytar #electronicmusic #cercle #vicon #radicalmotion #faceware

135

24 Comments

Great read on the concept and practical examples of "Synth.AI" or synthesizing information into AI workflows. As we move forward with building experiences and solutions on top of these LLM's the concept of synthesizing information to feed into LLM's for robust outputs that can be immediately actioned is game changing #AI #GenAI #Innovate https://lnkd.in/g_ttCnu8

13

Markerless capture is a here! Saves a huge amount of time on set, as it removes the need to put tracking dots on your actors face. Digital Domain’s proprietry Masquerade3 system also saves time in post, as you don’t have to clean up any misplaced or smudged dots to capture that great performance. Please DM me if you have a project that you see this could be helpful for? #vfx

11

2 Comments

EdMon.ai: The only professional tool that reads Avid and Premiere project files and batch transcribes mxf-media - and roundtrips an AAF or XML (drag and drop in your MC project) https://www.edmon.ai

3

1 Comment

Surprised? CONCERNED?? Although no surprises, as production is down everywhere (although it seems to be rebounding more outside of the U.S., e.g., Canada, the UK and Australia. Acknowledging Governor Newsom is doing all he can (given the political climate, and budgetary issues & concerns) Los Angeles and California will face further competition from Illinois (as announced last week, Illinois now allows National Talk Shows, (‘Jimmy Kimmel’ Live – note, ‘The Tonight Show’, ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” – have already moved to NY because of incentives), Game Shows (e.g., ‘Jeopardy’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’) and Contest Shows (e.g., “American Idol” and ‘America’s Got Talent’). Talk Shows, Game Shows and Contest Shows do not qualify for the California incentive. Also, NJ Governor just signed a new bill, further enhancing the NJ incentive – reviewing the Bill now and will summarize and share ASAP.  Also noting, there was pending legislation in other states (e.g., Oklahoma - while it didn’t pass in Oklahoma this year, Oklahoma will try again to incentivize live tv/episodic television (still LA/CA’s bread & butter!!! Entertainment Partners https://lnkd.in/gwfW572T https://lnkd.in/gB7_AjPq

7

3 Comments

Move over, ElevenLabs. Dubai-based Camb AI claims to have surpassed the presumptive AI audio leader with a model that can capture even more diverse emotional tones and pitches, covering all sorts of complex speech scenarios, such as when a person is frustrated, commanding, calm, or even spirited. It also supports over 140 languages, compared to ElevenLabs’ 36. Normally, voice cloning and text-to-speech conversion are two separate offerings. With its new model, Camb AI is taking the work ahead by mixing both capabilities into a unified platform. All a user has to do is upload an audio file, ranging between a few seconds to a minute, and provide the text content. The model will then use the speaker’s voice in the audio file as a reference, capture the relevant details – including the original voice, speaking style, emotion, enunciation and meaning – and synthesize the provided text as speech using it. No doubt ElevenLabs is already working on improvements to its model, so I’m sure we’ll see new functionality from them soon. The only constant is change, and rapid change at that.

1

Storyboards to final product comparisons are some of my favorite behind the scenes footage. Check this one out (I’d never seen it before!) #animationstudio #creativedirector #commercialagent #indiegamedev #videoproduction #mediaproducer #voiceovertalentagent

2

📺 **Battle for the Living Room**   The race to dominate the smart TV operating system (TV OS) market is heating up, with major players like Roku, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and LG vying to enhance user experience and capitalize on new business opportunities through data and advertising. Despite this fierce competition, a key question emerges: do consumers actually care about which OS their TV uses? 📊 **Market Potential**   At the StreamTV Show in Denver, experts discussed the benefits of owning a TV OS, such as controlling user data and enhancing ad revenue. Analyst Alan Wolk noted that around 40% of smart TVs globally lack a dedicated TV OS, presenting a significant market opportunity. Even small gains in market share can translate to substantial financial rewards, making the competition highly lucrative. 💡 **Consumer Preferences**   Panelists at the event debated whether consumers prioritize the TV OS in their purchasing decisions. Google’s Rob Caruso argued that factors like size and price still dominate, with the OS being a secondary consideration. However, Vizio's Katherine Pond and LG's Matt Durgin highlighted that content availability and user experience offered by the TV OS could influence consumer choices, particularly for those seeking quality and value. 🎬 **Content and User Experience**   Ultimately, while the current focus for consumers might not be on the specific TV OS, the content and seamless user experience provided by these systems are crucial. Companies like Vizio and Samsung emphasize the importance of offering desired content and a smooth interface, hoping that improvements in these areas will eventually drive consumer preferences toward specific TV OS platforms. #TV #TVOS #Streaming #SmartTV

3

🚀Week 10 at VFXTalk! 🪐 Join us!: https://lnkd.in/gwywTJsh 🧠 Key Metrics 📈 398 total members! 331 Pros 41 Students 26 Educators 1 new Admin (Welcome Hugh!) 2 new Moderators (Thank You Tim and Genevieve!) *** 📣 Hope you’re all doing well after a jam-packed week. Just wanted to share some quick thoughts before work today. It’s pretty cool to see how our community boards give us a snapshot of the industry worldwide, way beyond what you usually find on other social sites. I hoped for this but didn’t expect it. With “Survive till ‘25” as our current theme, it’s no shocker that things are a still slow in the US and Canada. But the UK is starting to buzz again, and Australia and NZ are full of activity! Looks like things might really kick off once the IATSE stuff settles down. 🤞 Also, we’ve got a new server neighbor —LightLinks! Last week Lighting Artist Karen Kuzmiak (https://lnkd.in/gPVXRzjN) started up her own Discord with a similar mission to ours. So swing by and say hello! She’s sending out private invites. I chatted with her a bit and she’s super nice and all about helping the 3D community. Remember, high tides raise all boats, so let’s keep spreading the good vibes! There are plenty of conversations to be had. Lastly, I want to say that I really love seeing all the ways artists are benefiting from this project of ours. Whether you’re a student getting solid feedback on your project or a pro expanding your network and wanting to chat about this or that, it feels great to see our community mission and tone take off and become something special. And it’s all thanks to all of you! *** ⚡️Some of our popular threads are: ⚡️ 1. “Having ADD in the VFX industry”: In a surprise to no one, there’s a lot of artists with “neurodivergent” wiring in our industry :) 2. “Custom settings for Nuke nodes”: We’ve all got our own secret sauces, but are your tools battle tested by years in production? Ours are! Come check out what everyone is sharing. 3. “How often should an artist publish work for Feedback?”: This is a great conversation started by a student that turned into a great talk about proper note taking practices. I promise it’s more interesting than it sounds lol. 4. “What have you seen recently that you wish you got to work on?” It’s like fantasy football for VFX! We’ve all got those shows that made us want to work in this crazy business. Come and add to your favorite projects to the big list. 5. “Fallout Thread”: Just like everyone this week, we had a ton of members binging the show and talking about it! Some even worked on it! We’ve got a lot planned for the future and there are SO many more conversations being had too. Do you have something you’d like to talk about? Come over and post! Every voice matters and all are welcome no matter what your skill level is. *** See you all next week! Signing off… #VFXTalk #CommunityBuilding #VFXCommunity #VisualEffects #VFX #CG #IndustryInsights #JoinUs

11

1 Comment

Yesterday, I posted about Animation+, the Adult-animation-only Samsung TV FAST channel. Well, here's yet another specific offering! MeTV Toons is setting itself up as the defecto linear location for retro kids cartoons and animation classics. Launching JUNE 25th, it's aiming to be the 'Boomerang of 2024' for those old enough to get the reference. https://lnkd.in/dsQn9Nd7 Note that this is traditional and virtual MVPD (Multi Video Programming Distributor) not streaming. So, think more Cox Cable, Time Warner, Verizon FIOS, and Charter Spectrum. In other words, if you need an old-school remote control to watch and need to sit down at the exact time to watch, then that's probably MVPD! But of course, like my parents, you can also record it and play it back later on those strange cable boxes that are somehow still around! 😅 This distribution method seems right considering the age of the target fan and their affinity for programming produced 30, 40, and even 50 years ago! The only problem is... I only visit my parents a few times a year. So, how the heck am I gonna watch those Droopy, Popeye, and Mr. Magoo episodes!?! #animation #cartoons #retro #linearbroadcasting

27

2 Comments

Cool! That‘s what i imagine when we are talking about the supportive use of AI in filmmaking! 🎉❤️ Integrating live action with AI generated elements and VFX is the way to go. Interesting to see that we can now read „Sora + VFX“ in the bottom right corner and „Made WITH Sora“ and not by Sora in the end. #ai #sora #shykids #filmmaking #vfx #postproduction

2

Mastering Metadata: Optimize Your Camera Settings for High-Quality Images Another highlight from my 10-part series: GenAI2 for Content Producers. Register for next chapter: https://lnkd.in/ewTJPdPc  #producing #animation #postproduction #vfx #visualeffects #filmMaking #healthcare #AI #generativeAI #AIfilmmaking #AIart #contentproduction #digitalMedia #mediaProduction #nextGenMedia #emergingMedia

8

"The End of the Streaming Wars" Netflix’s first-quarter IR suggests an end to the OTT platform competition, bringing several key changes to the industry. First, securing sports live broadcasting rights has emerged as an important strategy to keep platforms continuously refreshed. These rights maintain platform freshness with relatively less need for original content production. Second, competitive platforms have begun to supply content to Netflix again, confirming its strong position as a content distribution channel. Many broadcasters are also starting to prefer distributing their content through Netflix over their own platforms. Third, the demand for local original content globally may not be as high as it used to be, indicating that content producers need to reconsider their strategies. This is evident from the significant increase in Japanese animations in Netflix's North American library, pointing towards a shift to more stable investment strategies. All these changes signify a shift from 'impactful content' to 'cost-effective and sustainable content' in the OTT platform wars. Content creators are now faced with an era where it's not enough to just produce content; they need to produce well-made content that can lead to success. This environment demands more strategic planning and marketing. Observing how these changes will introduce new opportunities and challenges in the content industry is crucial. Although there is much talk about FAST, it is not a first-window platform. If the front end collapses, it will be difficult for FAST to grow in the long term. We cannot keep watching content from decades ago indefinitely. Long-term sustainability requires continuous content production, which is why broadcasters need to keep producing content. #Netflix #AmazonPrimeVideo #DisneyPlus #ParamountPlus #Max #StreamingWars

149

15 Comments