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Culver Cup Winners Announced!
RSVP for AI at the Edge on October 24th at the Verizon LA Innovation Lab
Todd Terrazas
October 16, 2024
Hello there, and welcome to the Common Thread Newsletter by FBRC.AI.
This newsletter will keep you updated on the latest advances in AI-driven creativity. We are a team of industry veterans, entrepreneurs, creatives, and technologists building Hollywood X!
What we have been up to:
We have been busy working on top-secret projects and producing the inaugural Culver Cup with AWS Startups for LA Tech Week.
We just secured Josh Arensberg, CTO, Media and Entertainment at Verizon Business for our upcoming event on October 24th!
The Culver Cup 2024
Todd Terrazas, Rachel Joy Victor, & Eric Wilker
We partnered with AWS Startups to create the Culver Cup to run a first-of-its-kind GenAI Filmmaking Competition that utilized 3D assets. We received over 150 submissions, which were narrowed down to the Top 50 creators.
From September 16-October 5, 2024, 50 creators had to work with Dream Machine by Luma AI, Playbook3D, 3D assets from Global Objects, and a creative treatment from director David Slade (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and more) to create an AI-generated short film.
Per David Slade’s creative treatment, we wanted a story set in a liminal space; in this case, it’s an American diner. What happens in the diner? Anything you can imagine, but here are some things that must happen, which you can interpret in the broadest sense possible: Something arrives. Something spills or burns. Someone has to pay.
On Monday, during LA Tech Week at the Culver Theater, we hosted 250 attendees to celebrate the top eight contestant submissions and have them compete in a bracket-style final contest to find the ultimate Culver Cup Champion!
Relatively Disconnected: In a diner where everyone is immersed in their smartphones, a young woman's fleeting encounter with an enigmatic yet familiar figure propels her into a deep exploration of modern solitude masked by digital connections, sparking a quiet revolution within. |
A World That Never Happened: A man enters a diner where reality shifts in strange ways, haunted by memories of his wife and echoes of the ancient past, leading him to uncover his true identity and move toward an unexpected reunion. |
Eat the Soup: A man is bewitched by his soup and ends up finding a new community. |
Skillet & The Jetport Diner: Skillet, a robot chef, arrives to help at an intergalactic diner in Florida's swamplands, but chaos ensues when it takes the space-themed menu a bit too literally. |
I [...] You: In the moments between the first “I love you” and their response, you feel everything. |
Mnemonade: A woman with dementia remembers her life through the food she eats. |
BUZZ'D: Flying is the safest form of travel. |
Dad's Treasure: A family gathers at their childhood diner, spinning their late father’s fantastical stories of buried treasure, cowboys, pirates, and gangsters, blending adventure, humor, and nostalgia as they reconnect with his larger-than-life legacy. |
We want to thank all of the creators who participated in this experimental competition!
You can watch seven of the top eight films available on Escape.ai. The winning film by MetaPuppet will debut at a later date!
Live and Personal: How AI-Driven Broadcasts Enable Real-time Personalization
Join us for great conversations, cocktails and food, and a deep dive into defining new workflows!
"At the Edge of AI" is a new event series produced by Verizon Los Angeles Innovation Lab and FBRC.ai exploring the transformative intersection of AI and cloud technology in enabling next-generation content experiences.
Our first in-the-series event, “Live and Personal: How AI-Driven Production Creates Unique Streams for Every Audience" explores how AI, computational capture, and private cloud technologies enable tailored outputs for different audience segments. Our insightful fireside chat and panel discussion will cover topics including:
Designing real-time production streams that enable customized content for diverse audiences
The role of AI-enhanced capture technology and 5G networks in shaping live event workflows
How GPU acceleration and cinematic tools are meeting the demands of AI-driven editing in high-pressure sports broadcast environments
Speakers to include:
Scott Connolly: Head of Media Technology, Verizon Los Angeles Innovation Lab
Jason Schugardt: Senior Solutions Architect, NVIDIA
Rachel Joy Victor: Cofounder, FBRC.ai
Lisa Watts: CEO, CREE8
Josh Arensberg: CTO, Media and Entertainment, Verizon
Peter Scott: CSO, Play Anywhere
Future of Fashion: A Co-Hosted AI-Art Challenge with ALIAS, PLAYBOOK3D and TRIPOAI
Our portfolio company, Playbook3D, is co-hosting an open call for a themed challenge on the Future of Fashion to inspire and showcase futuristic styles in human clothing, architecture, and environments while integrating products from Alias, Playbook3D, and TripoAI.