The present and future of post production business and technology

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Amplifying Editing

    Amplifying Editing

    I frequently get asked if I think there will ever be AI “Automated Editing.” It’s somewhat of a moot point, as there is already a whole lot of automated editing going on! It’s been going on for a long time.

  • Amplifying Metadata

    If you know me, you’ll know I’m a metadata nut. I’ve never metadata I didn’t like! For me this is both an extremely exciting time and yet somewhat disappointing.  We now have the tools for accurate transcription, extract text from moving images, identify objects in the video, extract keywords, concepts and even emotion, and that…

  • Amplifying the Pixel

    The magic of our industry has always been to create something that isn’t real, out of some real, and some created, elements. Well, imagine if those elements were just a bunch of pixels, then you have a grasp of where this is going: creating video out of a description alone. Another necessity for Mike Pearl’s…

  • Amplifying Actors

    I am uncertain whether digital actors and sets belong in production or post production! If there’s no location or actors to shoot, is it production at all? That philosophical discussion is for a future generation to decide, but digital actors in digital sets are here now.

  • Amplifying Visual Processing and Effect

    While ML is making inroads into every aspect of production, it certainly seems like Visual Processing and effects show the most impressive results.  ML is already in upscaling, noise reduction, frame rate conversion, colorization (of monochrome footage), intelligent reframing, rotoscoping and object fill, color grading, aging and de-aging people, digital makeup, facial emotion manipulation, and…

  • Amplifying Audio Post Production

    Audio Post, along with Visual Effects, have benefited greatly from innovative ML-based tools. There are tools on the horizon for voice cloning, isolating voices from the sound of a crowd, and automated mixing. More challenging are automated music composition and voice overs, which are rapidly getting ready for Prime Time. They’re not there yet, but…

  • Amplifying Production

    I think it’s important to reiterate that “production” is an umbrella term, covers everything from big budget feature films, to corporate, education, YouTube and TikTok. Tools designed for high end feature film production, usually with large crews, are probably not going to be at all relevant to a Tom Scott producing informational videos on YouTube!…

  • Amplifying Pre-production

    Before a single frame of a feature film or television series is shot, it is likely ML has been involved. Writers focus on whether or not an AI can write a script, but that’s probably the wrong question. Attempts at storytelling are the subject of the last section, but we can safely say that script…

  • Amplified Storytelling

    Everything starts with a story, so the obvious question is, “can Machines tell compelling stories.” Could a machine write or direct a “movie”? When it comes to results so far, we should be asking if they can even tell coherent stories!

  • Amplify Your Own Creativity

    Amplify Your Own Creativity

    Every time there is a major shift in technology it is uncomfortable. Established workflows and patterns change. We have a saying at our place: “No-one voluntarily changes their workflow!” The innovations that are coming are going to be disruptive.  How quickly and directly these changes are going to affect you depends where you create in…

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