Category: ves
VFX House DNEG Acquires Exclusive License to Ziva Technologies From Unity
“Unity has also entered into an agreement with DNEG, a leading technology-enabled visual effects (VFX) and animation company for the creation of feature film, television, and multiplatform content, for an exclusive perpetual license of the Ziva IP. Unity will continue to retain ownership of all the technology acquired from Ziva Dynamics, and we will continue to evaluate the best way to enhance our core offerings with it over time.”
India’s PhantomFX To Acquire Oscar Winner Phil Tippett’s VFX Company Tippett Studio
https://deadline.com/2024/03/tippett-studio-to-be-acquired-by-phantomfx-1235855050/
Under the agreement, Tippett Studio will retain its name and continue to provide high-level VFX and post-production services to the major studios, networks, and independents.
Why The New York Times might win its copyright lawsuit against OpenAI
Daniel Jeffries wrote:
“Trying to get everyone to license training data is not going to work because that’s not what copyright is about,” Jeffries wrote. “Copyright law is about preventing people from producing exact copies or near exact copies of content and posting it for commercial gain. Period. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying or simply does not understand how copyright works.”
The AI community is full of people who understand how models work and what they’re capable of, and who are working to improve their systems so that the outputs aren’t full of regurgitated inputs. Google won the Google Books case because it could explain both of these persuasively to judges. But the history of technology law is littered with the remains of companies that were less successful in getting judges to see things their way.
M.T. Fletcher – WHY AGENCIES ARE OBSESSED WITH PITCHING ON PROCESS INSTEAD OF TALENT
“Every presentation featured a proprietary process designed by the agency. A custom approach to identify targets, develop campaigns and optimize impact—with every step of the process powered by AI, naturally.”
“The key to these one-of-a-kind models is apparently finding the perfect combination of circles, squares, diamonds and triangles…Arrows abounded and ellipses are replacing circles as the unifying shape of choice among the more fashionable strategists.”
“The only problem is that it’s all bullshit.”
“A blind man could see the creative ideas were not developed via the agency’s so-called process, and anyone who’s ever worked at an agency knows that creativity comes from collaboration, not an assembly line.”
“And since most clients can’t differentiate between creative ideas without validation from testing, data has become the collective crutch for an industry governed by fear.”
“If a proprietary process really produced foolproof creativity, then every formulaic movie would be a blockbuster, every potboiler novel published by risk-averse editors would become a bestseller and every clichéd pickup line would work in any bar in the world.”
TurboSquid move towards supporting AI against its own policies
https://www.turbosquid.com/ai-3d-generator
The AI is being trained using a mix of Shutterstock 2D imagery and 3D models drawn from the TurboSquid marketplace. However, it’s only being trained on models that artists have approved for this use.
People cannot generate a model and then immediately sell it. However, a generated 3D model can be used as a starting point for further customization, which could then be sold on the TurboSquid marketplace. However, models created using our generative 3D tool—and their derivatives—can only be sold on the TurboSquid marketplace.
TurboSquid does not accept AI-generated content from our artists
As AI-powered tools become more accessible, it is important for us to address the impact AI has on our artist community as it relates to content made licensable on TurboSquid. TurboSquid, in line with its parent company Shutterstock, is taking an ethically responsible approach to AI on its platforms. We want to ensure that artists are properly compensated for their contributions to AI projects while supporting customers with the protections and coverage issued through the TurboSquid license.
In order to ensure that customers are protected, that intellectual property is not misused, and that artists’ are compensated for their work, TurboSquid will not accept content uploaded and sold on our marketplace that is generated by AI. Per our Publisher Agreement, artists must have proven IP ownership of all content that is submitted. AI-generated content is produced using machine learning models that are trained using many other creative assets. As a result, we cannot accept content generated by AI because its authorship cannot be attributed to an individual person, and we would be unable to ensure that all artists who were involved in the generation of that content are compensated.
The Hollywood VFX Jobs Most At-Risk From AI
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ai-hollywood-workers-job-cuts-1235811009/
Over the next three years, it estimates that nearly 204,000 positions will be adversely affected.
In November, former Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said the tech will replace 90 percent of jobs on animated films.
Roughly a third of respondents surveyed predicted that AI will displace sound editors, 3D modelers, re-recording mixers and audio and video technicians within three years, while a quarter said that sound designers, compositors and graphic designers are likely to be affected.
Roughly a third of respondents surveyed predicted that AI will displace sound editors, 3D modelers, re-recording mixers and audio and video technicians within three years, while a quarter said that sound designers, compositors and graphic designers are likely to be affected.
AI tools may increasingly be used to help create images that can streamline character design and storyboarding process, lowering demand for concept artists, illustrators and animators.
According to the study, the job tasks most likely to be impacted by AI in the film and TV industry are 3-D modeling, character and environment design, voice generation and cloning and compositing, followed by sound design, tools programming, script writing, animation and rigging, concept art/visual development and light/texture generation.
L.A. Production Slow to Rebound After WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/tv-film-production-strike-wga-sag-aftra-1235874059
https://labusinessjournal.com/featured/film-production/
https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/strikes-drop-la-filmtv-production-to-near-record-lows
“Things that have never happened before happen all the time.”
– Prof. Scott Sagan, Stanford University
“We have months to go before we can describe what the new normal looks like for filming in Los Angeles.”
Lance LeFort – The Decline of After-Hours Company Events: Unraveling the Shift in Employee Participation and Retention Strategies
The Critical Question: How Are Companies Responding?
- Long-Term Retention Strategies
- Flexible Work Arrangements
- Tailored Employee Benefits
- Revitalizing In-House Socialization
- Regular Feedback and Recognition:
Unity Software to cut 3.8% of staff in ‘company reset’ mostly affecting WetaFX
https://www.reuters.com/technology/unity-software-cut-38-staff-company-reset-2023-11-28/
Tuesday’s announcement includes termination of the professional services piece of an agreement Unity struck with movie director Peter Jackson’s visual effects company Weta FX in 2021 after Unity purchased the technology and engineering division of Weta FX. As a result, 265 employees whose jobs are related to the agreement will be laid off, the company said.
UPDATE Statement from WētāFX
On November 25, 2023, Unity and Wētā FX mutually agreed to terminate Unity’s service agreement with Wētā FX effective December 10, 2023. This decision comes as Unity refocus their efforts on their core business. The termination of the agreement will see the reduction of 265 Unity roles. Wētā FX will be extending offers to as many of the team as possible as it looks to expand its research, development and support functions. Unity will retain ownership of the technology it acquired from Wētā in December 2021 and will be evaluating the best way to enhance its offerings with it over time. The technology will also remain fully available to Wētā FX. Wētā FX will continue to build and extend the IP, and develop its own tools and techniques, to continue its evolution as a leader in visual effects.
Sports Illustrated published articles under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
The magazine had repeatedly published articles whose authors could not be found online outside the Sports Illustrated website.
During the course of Futurism’s reporting, some of the alleged Sports Illustrated writers mysteriously vanished from the publication’s website — and their articles began appearing under the names of different authors who similarly didn’t appear to exist online and whose likenesses were also being sold on AI headshot marketplaces.
Following the publication of the report, a spokesperson for The Arena Group — which has operated and licensed Sports Illustrated since 2019 — told CNN that the deleted product review articles had been created by a third-party company, AdVon Commerce.
How OpenAI so royally screwed up the Sam Altman firing and joining Microsoft
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/19/tech/sam-altman-open-ai-firing-board/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/18/tech/openai-sam-altman-shakeup-what-happened/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/sam-altman-joins-microsoft/index.html
A company’s board of directors has an obligation, first and foremost, to its shareholders. OpenAI’s most important shareholder is Microsoft, the company that gave Altman & Co. $13 billion to help Bing, Office, Windows and Azure leapfrog Google and stay ahead of Amazon, IBM and other AI wannabes.
So a day later, the board reportedly asked for a mulligan and tried to woo Altman back. It was a shocking turn of events and an embarrassing self-own by a company that its widely regarded as the most promising producer of the most exciting new technology.
The board angered a powerful ally and could be forever changed because of the way it handled Altman’s ouster. It could end up with Altman back at the helm, a for-profit company on its nonprofit board – and a massive culture shift at OpenAI.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67474879
But Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor, has decided not to take a chance on Mr Altman taking this tech elsewhere. He will be joining the Seattle-based tech giant, it has been announced, to lead a yet-to-be-created AI research team. His co-founder Greg Brockman goes with him, and judging from the number of staff members posting on X today, it looks like he’ll be taking some of OpenAI’s top talent too.
Many OpenAI staff members are sharing the same post on X. It reads: “OpenAI is nothing without its people”.
Is that a warning to Mr Shear that he might have some hiring to do? A BBC colleague outside OpenAI’s headquarters just told me at 0930 in San Francisco, there were no signs of people arriving for work.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/openai-employees-quit-mira-murati-sam-altman/index.html
“Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” wrote the employees. “We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.”
The employees also warned that they would “imminently” follow Altman to Microsoft unless the board resigns and reinstates Altman and Greg Brockman, the former OpenAI president who was also removed by the board on Friday.
Epic Games Store Still Makes No Money
https://80.lv/articles/epic-games-store-still-makes-no-money/
Recently, Epic Games has encountered financial challenges, leading to significant steps. Towards the end of September, the company laid off around 16% of its staff, which is approximately 830 employees. Subsequently, in early October, Epic Games announced a price hike for non-game developers utilizing Unreal Engine. During this announcement, CEO Tim Sweeney openly acknowledged the financial difficulties that the studio has faced since July.
Quiet Quitting at work – Causes and remedies
Quiet quitting isn’t about leaving a job.
It’s when people stay but mentally check out. They do the bare minimum. No excitement. No extra effort.
It’s a silent alarm. Your team may be losing interest right under your nose.
And it’s a big deal. Why?
- Because it affects:
- Your team’s morale
- Your team’s productivity
- Your company’s profitability
- And everyone’s overall success
- Resources are already stretched thin.
- You need to get the best from your team.
What can employers do? Many of the causes are within your control:
➡️ Listen Well
Talk to your team often.
Listen to what they say. Then take action.
➡️ Recognize Efforts
Public recognition can boost morale.
A simple “thank you” goes a long way.
➡️ Promote Balance
Allow time for life outside work.
Overworked employees burn out.
➡️ Give Chances to Grow
Invest in them. Provide training.
Show them a career path.
➡️ Build a Positive Culture
Ensure everyone feels valued and respected.
➡️ Set Clear Goals
Clearly define roles. Tell them what you expect.
➡️ Lead by Example
Show excitement. Work hard.
Be the way you want them to be.
Quiet quitting isn’t just an employee issue. It’s a leadership opportunity. It’s a chance to re-engage, re-inspire, and revitalize your workplace.
Resources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-disengaged-quiet-quitting-their-jobs-gallup/
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
TV/Theatrical 2023 – SAG-AFTRA Contract and Regulating AI
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/AI%20TVTH.pdf
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/TV-Theatrical_23_Summary_Agreement_Final.pdf
Mike Seymour : A Deep Dive into the New Laws around Governing AI
https://www.fxguide.com/fxpodcasts/fxpodcast-361-a-deep-dive-into-the-new-laws-around-governing-ai/
Local copies
Studios Align With Big Tech in a Risky Bet
Under U.S. copyright law, directors and writers are not entitled to some rights that exist in other countries, including the U.K., France and Italy. This is because the contributions of writers and directors in America are typically considered “works-made-for-hire,” which establishes creators as employees and producers as the owner of any copyright.
