Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530454
www.postmagazine.com 31 POST NOV/DEC 2024 80-degree immersive video has breathed new life into VR, solving issues 360-degree video experiences were running into. Now, dual fisheye lenses mean the stereoscopic 3D effect is much better, with less expensive post production. Cinema cameras provide better resolution and color. Directors can stage crew behind the camera and guide the general direction of the narrative. My team at Light Sail VR has been behind the production and post produc- tion several groundbreaking live action immersive films, including The Faceless Lady (pictured), a six-part TV show for Meta in collaboration with Crypt TV. Our music series, Red Rocks: Live in VR, was nominated for an Emmy, and we've worked with incredible talent, like the Foo Fighters and Sabrina Carpenter. With huge investments by Meta and Apple into 180-degree immersive video, a clearer picture is starting to emerge. Audiences love experiences that feel premium. They want professional pro- ductions with crisp images, beautiful cinematic colors and high-fidelity audio. They want to be transported to unique places — backstage at a concert, flying over the volcanos of Hawaii, or court-side at an NBA game. Luckily, the technology is being developed to support this. The next few years will see exciting hardware announcements that will continue to help creatives in this space. Stereoscopic lens- es by Canon, and Blackmagic Design's new Ursa Cine immersive camera, made in collaboration with Apple, are water- shed moments in immersive production, which will allow the quality of content to rise even further. Today, post production in immersive is still in its infancy. We lack the ability to confidence monitor inside a headset without jumping through endless tech- nical hurdles. Many plug-ins are slow or have to be rolled from scratch in order to accommodate various resolutions and projection formats. Only in the last few years have the combination of CPU, GPU and storage media become fast enough to handle playing back 8K, 60fps media in realtime. Post production pipelines will also become more streamlined with fast- er hardware and more robust immersive editing tools. New workflows designed to handle the unique challenges of immer- sive filmmaking will help shorten produc- tion timelines and streamline budgets. The hype of being on the bleeding edge of media is both exciting and challenging. As the medium matures, the focus turns to achieving cinematic visuals and deft storytelling, allowing creatives to finally innovate on a wide range of content to be seen by VR's steadily-growing audience. Based in Woodland Hills, CA, Light Sail VR is a creative studio that specializes in immersive media storytelling. 'CINEMATIC IMMERSIVE 180' IS THE VIDEO FORMAT FOR V.R. BY MATT CELIA CREATIVE DIRECTOR LIGHT SAIL VR WWW.LIGHTSAILVR.COM 1 I-generated images made their mark almost two years ago, sur- prising everyone in the creative industry. From the early days of images and text, AI has moved rapidly into video and mu- sic, and before long, we'll see full games, feature films and whole virtual worlds. In a professional production environ- ment, we must deliver a distinctive and original product. While AI is an excellent experimental tool for taking risks and making technical enhancements, it also increases agility and facilitates advanced communication with clients during the early stages of production. Sometimes, we see clients bringing us a brief with heavy developments in AI. This can be dangerous because we need space to perform, and ideas should still be floating for a collaborative partnership. It is essential to know when and how to use AI to maintain the uniqueness of the delivery. We enhance ideas based on the extensive experience we have in exe- cution. We are the driving force behind the process. If a client asks us to copy or follow the AI result, this creates too many limitations. So, as animation directors, witness- ing AI replicate creativity brings mixed feelings. Embracing AI as a tool rather than a threat can unlock new levels of creativity and efficiency, giving users more control to generate customizable results. Looking back at design history through objects, furniture and cars from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, it's clear that we've lost our way with color. The world has been embracing a modern aesthetic by limiting saturation and hue, which is quite sad. However, AI is enabling a resurgence! When brainstorming ideas and taking risks by proposing unconven- tional options, we express our passion and broaden the clients' perspectives into new territories. AI has no qualms about being dismissed, and this quick brain- storming exercise can ultimately contrib- ute to bringing colors back into design. Brands that opt for 100-percent AI- generated content risk alienating their audience by appearing deceptive. In contrast, brands that maintain a warm, soulful and emotionally-connected presence retain a crucial differential – the human touch. For this reason, we have a cautiously half-glass-full view of AI. There is always an excitement about the unknown. Everything is possible, and you can sense the avant-garde smell in the air. The "what ifs" have become easier to test and explore in all areas. AI allows us to let go of traditional bound- aries and welcome the unexpected. AI's ability to merge the conventional with the experimental, the known with the unknown, makes it an inspiring force in modern creativity. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Roof Studio is an animation house that specializes in original and branded content. BY VINICIUS COSTA & GUTO TERNI CO-FOUNDERS/CREATIVE DIRECTORS ROOF STUDIO WWW.ROOFSTUDIO.TV ANIMATION A.I.'S IMPACT ON CREATIVITY A VIRTUAL REALITY OUTLOOK Vinicius Costa Guto Terni