Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1526857
2 0 I D G A M O N T H L Y Digital Day 2024: Live from the DGA: All Hands On Tech! Since 2003, the DGA has hosted Digital Day events dedicated to providing members with exclusive knowledge and access to innovations designed to enhance and improve productions. On Saturday, August 24, DGA members and guests returned to the Guild's Los Angeles headquarters for Live from the DGA: All Hands On Tech! Co-hosted by DGA Special Projects Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chairs Randal Kleiser, Susan Zwerman and Michael Goi, the 22nd edition of the program welcomed more than 400 members and guests to live and in-person events that featured engaging presentations, panels, exhibits and hands-on demos about the latest developments in VFX, cutting-edge production tools and virtual production. Content Integrity in the Age of A.I. In this presentation introduced by Digital Day Subcommittee Co- Chair Susan Zwerman, Adobe Sr. Strategic Development Manager Morgan Prygrocki revealed how the Content Authenticity Initiative is working to promote transparency and protect creative control in the rapidly evolving A.I. landscape and shared the different methods to safeguard content through the use of Adobe's A.I. tools. She reiterated throughout her presentation that these tools allow one to still work with A.I. consciously while combating misinformation. Photo: Adobe Sr. Strategic Development Manager Morgan Prygrocki. Welcome & Wrap The day began with a welcome from former Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan. Then Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Randal Kleiser — speaking on behalf of Special Projects Committee & Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Michael Goi, Subcommittee Co-Chair Susan Zwerman and Subcommittee members Valdez Flagg, Brian Frankish, Julie Gelfand, Scott Rindenow, Oz Scott, Arthur Allan Seidelman and Jay Torres — gave a quick slide presentation of the exciting lobby exhibits before welcoming the first panel of the day. Digital Day 2024 wrapped with comments from Zwerman, who thanked the audience for their participation, the subcommittee members for all their support in making the event possible and encouraged everyone to take advantage of the hands-on demos in the DGA Los Angeles lobby and atrium and to experience the live television production demonstration in the trucks parked outside the building. Photo: Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chairs Randal Kleiser, Susan Zwerman and Special Projects Committee & Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Michael Goi. (inset) Former Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan. photos by Howard Wise Elevating Large-Scale Productions Director Robin Hofwander shared information on the process of directing and enhancing large-scale productions utilizing LiveEdit, a technology that reimagines the collaborative workflow and produces live shows with the same precision and polish as post-edited sequences. He explained how the process was utilized when preparing for major competition shows such as American Song Contest. He went into detail on its features and mentioned it has the ability to provide visual timing when scripting these shows and therefore equips him to be a better Director when filming on-site. Another feature he highlighted was the Automated Cutting System that allows for automated cuts when filming and can be intuitive-friendly for camera operators and Directors through the use of a digital tablet. Photo: Director Robin Hofwander. Directing Live XR with Sports In the final Theater One offering of the day, Kleiser introduced a presentation where Director Courtney Stockmal and Stage Manager Pete Liska explored how Extended Reality (XR) is utilized in televised sports programs. Stockmal discussed her experience working as Director on 2024 Euros & Copa America for Fox Sports with a set that was primarily run on XR/AR technology. As these were filmed live, she explained the prep process by collaborating closely with Fox Sports' creative services team to fully understand the virtual sets being built ahead of the broadcast. Liska highlighted his duties as Stage Manager and his close collaboration with Stockmal to grasp how the technology needed to operate in order to properly execute a live production that was primarily digital versus tangible. Photo: Director Courtney Stockmal and Stage Manager Pete Liska.