ETC@USC hosted its second Synthetic Media Summit on March 6, convening media and technology leaders to identify AI applications and chart a detailed playbook for an AI-augmented future for human creativity. ETC partnered with Carnegie Mellon University, United Talent Agency, and Machine Cinema to deliver this timely, compelling event. While the Summit was closed to the press and presented off the record, we had an opportunity to speak with Yves Bergquist, director of AI in Media at ETC and the event’s organizer, about what’s next for artificial intelligence. Read More

Sony will showcase its new XYN Spatial Capture Solution at NAB in Las Vegas. The solution features XYN Spatial Scan Navi, XYN Spatial Scan, and the XYN Renderer Plugin that works with Unreal Engine and Disguise. Brompton Technology announces the Door G production studio in Rhode Island is embracing Brompton Tessera LED video processors (Door G’s stage also integrates with Unreal Engine). And the NYU Tisch Martin Scorsese VPC has posted a video primer on virtual production. These headlines and more in the latest news on virtual production. Read More

Filmmaker Coerte Voorhees and the estate of Val Kilmer are bringing the popular actor back to cinema with generative AI. ‘South Park’ creators reveal plans for their boutique firm Deep Voodoo and why they believe AI could help launch a new era of creativity in Hollywood. And as AI continues to ramp up across most industries, Johns Hopkins University historians Angus Burgin and Louis Hyman reflect on what we’ve learned from earlier tech revolutions. These are a few of the notable stories that recently caught our attention. Read More

CES 2025 welcomed over 141,000 attendees from around the globe to Las Vegas. With more than 4,500 exhibitors, including 1,400 startups, and more than 6,000 media attendees, CES highlights the innovation and technology trends addressing global challenges and shaping the future. This year’s show focused on artificial intelligence, unveiling a wave of innovative offerings — whether practical, visionary or experimental. Among the show’s major trends were AI integration across all industries, shifting demographics and purchasing patterns (with Gen Z the one to watch), sustainability and security, and Read More

ETC@USC has posted a tutorial that offers best practices for white balancing during production on a curved wall LED volume stage. Due to the growing number of LED volume and backing wall applications emerging worldwide, many critical color calibration issues have resulted. The informative tutorial — authored by cinematographer Tim Kang from Quasar Science with support from producer Erik Weaver from ETC — provides cinematographers and production teams with a simple graphical guide that breaks down the problems between the camera and its LED wall perception, while Read More

CES 2024 attracted more than 135,000 attendees to Las Vegas where 4,300 companies filled 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space. Technology that empowers creators, a new generation of displays, and the promise and peril of artificial intelligence dominated the show. After several years of incremental advances, market development built on maturing technology, and over-hyped trends, this year felt different with an energy that suggests the beginning of a new era. Among the major themes were embedded Al, vehicle tech, digital health, screens and XR, and numerous Read More