Category: Business

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Business Machine Learning Nature of Work The Business of Production

“Impossible” just takes longer

In a rather interesting article on creative collaboration, Here Comes the Automation: How AI is Poised to Change Filmmaking, we get this quote:

“When a distinguished but elderly industry executive says that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.” — Clarke’s  Law No. 1, slightly modified

It led me to think of how many of our creative tools in use every day were simply impossible a few years back. You don’t have to go back too far to be in a pre Internet era. Non-Linear Video Editing is less than 30 years old. A million dollar Da Vinci Resolve suite is now a free download from that Internet!

HD and 4K capable cameras on portable computers good enough to edit that with. (Speaking of which, check out LumaTouch for a look at what can be done on those iPhones and iPads carrying the camera.) Creative storytelling is more accessible than ever.

Our creative tools are in a constant state of evolution – a.k.a. change – and we’ve only just started realizing how “artificial intelligence” (i.e. machine learning based) tools are going to work their way into creative tools and workflows. This will likely fundamentally change the way we interact with creative tools, much the way non-linear editing of video on computers did 25 years ago.

Being open to change is essential, otherwise we risk being that “elderly industry executive” saying something was impossible, that others are doing every day!

I’ve certainly learnt to stop saying “that’s impossible” because it’s rarely true for very long.

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Adobe Apple Apple Pro Apps Interesting Technology Machine Learning Nature of Work The Business of Production The Technology of Production

Maybe 10 Years is Enough for Final Cut Pro X

On the night of the Supermeet 2011 Final Cut Pro X preview I was told that this was the “foundation for the next 10 years.” Well, as of last week, seven of the ten have elapsed. I do not, for one minute, think that Apple intended to convey a ten year limit to Final Cut Pro X’s ongoing development, but maybe it’s smart to plan obsolescence. To limit the time an app continues to be developed before its suitability for the task is re-evaluated.

Continue reading “Maybe 10 Years is Enough for Final Cut Pro X”

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Business Intelligent Assistance Software

For your own sake: “Read the Fine Help!”

I speak as both a customer of software (among other things) and a developer of niche software and in both voices I want to scream “Read the Help” many times a day.

We get many emails where someone has tried to use one of our apps and “it hasn’t worked” and they’re “really stressed”. At least 80% are solved by copying and pasting part of the Help. For sure it’s annoying for us to write the Help and then have to provide it in bite size chunks to the customer. It takes time and that costs us money, but that’s not the reason you should read the Help.

Reading the Help will reduce your stress and get you answers faster.

Continue reading “For your own sake: “Read the Fine Help!””

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Business Career

How do we Survive the Unexpected and Unpredicted?

I wish that was a rhetorical question and I was about to propose an answer. Sadly I’m not. At best we have an illusion of permanence, but our business lives can change in an instant. Usually without us being involved in the decision!

There are the obvious examples. The other cast and crew on Rosanne had their livelihood jerked out from below, through no fault of their own.

The production crew on Parts Unknown who face a very uncertain future, as do many at Zero Point Zero Productions.

One acquaintance lost business and home in quick succession and has left LA. Another had a decent, well paying job at a major studio until downsizing eliminated the position. An unfortunate bout of ill health without the cover of employer insurance, and within 2 years he was effectively homeless. Another laid off from another studio job is finding a home for their many talents and abilities.

How do we prepare?

Continue reading “How do we Survive the Unexpected and Unpredicted?”

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Artificial Intelligence Lumberjack Metadata The Business of Production

Modern Logging and Pre-Editing Approaches: “House Hunters” Style Reality TV

This is the first time I’ve taken a deep look at a TV show and worked out what I think would be the perfect metadata workflow from shoot to edit bay. I chose to look at Pie Town’s House Hunters franchise because it is so built on a (obviously winning) formulae, and I thought that might make it easier for automation or Artificial Intelligence approaches.

But first a disclaimer. I am in no way associated with Pie Town Productions. I know for certain they are not a Lumberjack System customer and am also pretty sure they – like the rest of Hollywood – build their post on Avid Media Composer (and apparently Media Central as well). This is purely a thought exercise built around a readily available example and our Lumberjack System’s capabilities.

Continue reading “Modern Logging and Pre-Editing Approaches: “House Hunters” Style Reality TV”

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Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning The Business of Production

The New Media Stars: The Audience

I was privileged to be invited to a panel at 2018 HPA TR-X: Everything You Thought You Knew About Artificial Intelligence in M&E and What You Didn’t Know You Didn’t on a panel titled AI Vision Panel: What Will Happen and When?

It was an interesting topic, although our panel got quite pessimistic about the future of society if we’re not very careful with how AI/Machine Learning comes into our lives, but that’s a blog post for another time.

What has really set me thinking was a comment by John Motz, CTO Gray Meta that his 12 year old and her friends, spend more time creating media for each other than simply consuming it.

Continue reading “The New Media Stars: The Audience”

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Media Consumption Monetizing

The Terence and Philip Show: Episode 79 – TV Holds the Top Spot in Tech Device?

The latest show starts with discussing a recent survey that claims TV holds the top spot in tech devices, but we aren’t so sure.

This discussion, as usual, covers a wide range of topics including internet availability, changing business models and the opportunity YouTube presents.

Episode 79: TV holds the top spot in tech devices?

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Business Career

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

A few weeks ago we published an episode of The Terence and Philip Show dealt with Imposter Syndrome. Yesterday I came across an article on 21 Ways to Overcome Imposter Syndromehttps://startupbros.com/21-ways-overcome-impostor-syndrome/ that seemed like a logical follow on!

I think I mentioned it on the show, but one of the most important things when getting introduced to a new group: Get a GREAT introduction.  As long as you don’t every disprove the introduction that’s how people will think of you. With that in mind  #14 Say what you can resonated with me.

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Distribution Machine Learning

AI, Machine Learning and Distribution Content Metadata

Well, from a couple of days of reading and email newsletters, but there is quite a focus.

MESA Alliance quotes Deluxe Entertainment Services Group chief product offer Andy Shenkler as saying:

“AI is obviously playing a fairly broad role, especially with the areas that we at Deluxe are working on,” he told the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) in a phone interview. That includes “everything from the post-production creation process, localization” around advanced language detection and auto translation – “and then even down into the distribution side of things,” he said, noting the latter was “probably the least well-known and discussed” part of the equation.

That article goes on to talk about who’s technologies they use and how they use it to assign metadata to incoming assets. Speaking of Content Metadata (in this case about finished content, not for use in production) Roz Ho, senior vice president and general manager, consumer and metadata at TIVO, writes in a guest blog at Multichannel News:

Not only does machine learning help companies keep up with the tsunami of content, it can better enrich metadata and enable distributors to get the right entertainment in front of the right viewers at the right time.

Machine learning takes metadata beyond cast, title and descriptions, and enables content to be enhanced with many new data descriptors such as keywords, dynamic popularity ratings, and moods, to name a few.

Liz finishes with a short dissertation on how these machines, and people enhanced by them, will be the direction we take in the future.

And out of CES some headlines:

CES 2018: Consumer Technology Association Expects Major Growth for AI in 2018

CES 2018: AI Touted Heavily by LG, Samsung, Byton on Eve of CES

It seems like every day there is news yet another application of Machine Learning (AI) into the Media and Entertainment space, either in production – where it is helping decide what goes in to production as well as helping in production – through to helping people find more appropriate content.

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Business Intelligent Assistance Software Machine Learning Nature of Work The Technology of Production

Looking Forward to 2018

As part of the regular year end activities The Digital Production BuZZ invited me, and a bunch of other people, to look forward to 2018 and predict what the major themes will be.

Here is a link to the full show -  
http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2018/01/digital-production-buzz-january-4-2018/
Here is a link to the Transcript-  
http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2018/01/transcript-digital-production-buzz-january-4-2018/
And here are the links (including the MP3 version) to your individual interview - 
http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/interview/hodgetts-smart-assistants-hdr-and-vr/
MP3: http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/BuZZ_Audio/Buzz_180104_Hodgetts.mp3