FBRC.ai Common Thread Q2 2024

Hello there, and welcome to the Common Thread Newsletter by FBRC.AI. You probably know us through our work in the AI LA Community.

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 2.0!

Coming up:

• May 15th @ ASU California Center in DTLA: Product Pipeline Fit: How Startups Can Scale in Hollywood

• May 16th: LA Center Studios: AI on the Lot (use promo: FBRC)

• June 1-2nd Multimodal Hackathon (save the date if you are an engineer)

Rachel’s May 2024 AI Thoughts

As we head further into the year, it feels like we’re finally reaching a somewhat level ground with AI–with an emphasis on moving past the hype to really see what the tools can do on a production level. That was the emphasis, for example of the AI and Machine Learning tours we ran with Storytech at NAB–and it’s the emphasis of AI on the Lot and our pre-program focused on Product-Pipeline fit. 

Without integration within the pipeline and ways for creators to effectively operationalize tools, AI startups for content production are dead in the water. What we’re seeing on the startup side, then, is an emphasis on ways to integrate AI solutions into existing tools via APIs–or to create category-defining UX for new interactions.

Adobe’s Premiere Pro announcements last month are a great example of this–Runway ML and Sora are leaders in the video generation models, but trying to compete on the editing front as well would be too difficult to also execute on well. The Adobe Premiere integration lets them focus on what they do well, while leaning into a pipeline that editors already know well, and can easily adopt. 

The way we see it, it’s all about understanding which workflows stand to be most enhanced by AI…and using those gaps to find where to best position startups. This is part of how we’re mapping out the ecosystem.

Picking up the thread…(what we’ve been doing since you last saw us)

Starburst Commercial - Our Gen AI Workflows in the Wild…

We were the lead dev team and technical directors for this Tool spot for Starburst, just featured on AdAge. It was an ideal use case for AI, with the campaign tagline, “Different Every Time,” able to be supported by the visuals–with an ad that had more than 300 variations enabled through procedural logic creating combinations of the generative visuals with live action footage.

This case study by Tool here does a great job of breaking down where AI was utilized in the workflow–and some of the specific challenges that we needed to navigate. With our Head of AI Innovation, Dr. Sam Khoze, we explored a range of challenges around character consistency and syncing the camera input to AI input.

NAB 2024

Through Storytech and Lori Schwartz, FBRC.ai was able to curate and host NAB's first ever press tours as well as its sold-out AI and Machine Learning tours. We guided guests through the show floor, with a focus on the different ways that AI was showing up. Over the course of the hour and a half, we touched on the history of AI, learned about the types of AI that show up within production, and explored which aspects of AI are really production-ready.

We also showed up at NAB after hours, as sponsors of the AI Filmmaking Mega-Party (which featured a live AI competition show) hosted by our friends at Curious Refuge. 

Sun Valley Film Festival and SXSW

In March, with our friends at the Sun Valley Film Festival, we curated a demo and panel focused on AI in the Service of Storytelling. We were able to share the stage with cohort founder Nem Perez of Storyblocker, Shelby Ward from Curious Refuge, and Austin Worrell from KINO. Our panel covered the scope of AI’s role across the film production pipeline: from scriptwriting and ideation, to previsualization, to marketing and distribution. 

At SXSW just a couple weeks later, we partnered with our friends at Dell, to curate a panel focused on the intersection of AI and edge computing at the Grit Daily House curated by Lively Agency. Skylar Thomas (cofounder of FBRC.ai cohort startup Playbook) and Alex Porter (cofounder of FBRC.ai cohort startup Modtech) were able to share their thoughts about where the tools in this space are evolving. If you want to check out a sneak peek at the topics we covered, check out this synopsis video created by our friends at Lively!

FOUNDER SHOWCASE: NEM PEREZ

March saw the sold-out premiere of Our T2 Remake, a shot-for-shot feature-length parody remake of Terminator 2–with AI used in each frame. Nem Perez, the founder of FBRC.ai cohort startup Storyblocker, was the executive producer of the project, bringing together creative contributions from 50+ creators from around the globe. As fellow executive producer Sway Molina shares in this Indiewire article about the project, “We’re making history here. This is a time capsule, so let’s leave it as is. As we’ve seen already in the last six months while making this movie, the quality and control has just gotten phenomenal.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

As a sponsor and collaborator for AI on the Lot with AI LA and Late Arrivals, we have a busy week coming up, with AI on the Lot and our pre- and post-events. All of these events are part of our effort to reach the middle layer of AI education within the industry–there’s a lot of high level hype and there’s a lot of deeply technical content, but for those who want to really think about the tech and the level of operationalization, it’s not always easy to find resources. We hope that the guests, panels, and startups we’ve helped to curate give you an idea of where to get started with AI adoption.

We hope to see you there! 

AI on the Lot

On Thursday, May 16th, over 600 filmmakers, AI startups, technologists, and media executives will gather at the Los Angeles Center Studios lot for a one-day conference about the increasing applications of generative AI in filmmaking. The conference will educate attendees on how Generative AI is changing filmmakers’ workflows, disrupting cost structures, and enabling smaller teams to achieve more with less.

Starting with a Keynote Address by Renard Jenkins, former Warner Bros. technology executive, now President and CEO of I2A2 Technologies and President of SMPTE, a series of panels and deeper dive breakout sessions throughout the day guide participants through the following topics and more:

• Getting Started with Your Company's AI Strategy

• Enhancing Creativity with LLMs

• AI Simulation & Agents

• Virtual Production

• Reaching Targeted + Customized Audiences with AI

• Superpowering Microbudget Films

• T2 Remake: AI Filmmaking Workflows w/ Comfy UI

• Bringing Control to Generative Models

• Multimodal Workflows

• Gen AI Tools

• Infrastructure

• AI Film Competition: Cinema Synthetica Case Studies

• Arti_fiċial Pėrspėctivės by Nate Mohler

• Live Demos and Showcases by Paul Trillo and friends

This event is sponsored by the leading companies powering the Generative AI boom: Dell, NVIDIA, Adobe, Justworks, Cooley, Otoy, Paramount Global Technology, and us! The event is hosted by Los Angeles Center Studio and Synapse Virtual Production.

If you haven’t grabbed your tickets, hurry up, because we’re about to sell out! https://lu.ma/AIONTHELOT
Use promo: FBRC

Product-Pipeline Fit

The pre-event, held in the lead-up to AI on the Lot, focuses on the startup ecosystem surrounding AI creative tools.

Our startup showcase - with live demos from a curated group of startups in the FBRC.ai network - highlights tools supporting studio needs related to predictive analytics and studio intelligence, streamlined post-production, and 3D cross-format creation. Our panel dives into the unique value chain for AI content production startups to get adoption, find funding, and scale.

Moderator: Rachel Joy Victor - Co-Founder at FBRC.ai

Scott Shane - Senior Investment Director at Sony Innovation Fund
Igor Mijavec - Vice President, Film Strategy & Business Development at NBCUniversal
Aaron Sisto - Partner, First Spark Ventures
Lauren Selig - Investor & co-founder of Shake and Bake Productions

Sign up here: https://lu.ma/productpipelinefit

AI on the Lot: The Afterparty

If AI on the Lot leaves you itching to talk more about the future of AI and production, come to our afterparty on May 17th at the Living Lab!

This evening is hosted by FBRC.ai cohort startup Playbook, and is focused on the intersection of AI and 3D spatial production across formats: from virtual production to gaming to XR.

If you come from any of these worlds, join us to share a drink and share your thoughts!

Sign up here: https://lu.ma/aiotlafterparty