Westworld

2001: A Space Odyssey still leaves an indelible mark on our culture 55 years on

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 10, 2023

It is a work of extraordinary imagination that has transcended film history to become something of a cultural marker.

Key Points: 
  • It is a work of extraordinary imagination that has transcended film history to become something of a cultural marker.
  • It is not an exaggeration to say that 2001 single-handedly reinvented the science fiction genre.
  • The visuals, music and themes of 2001 left an inedible mark on subsequent science fiction that is still evident today.
  • You just don’t do that.” By that point, the golden age of science fiction film had run its course.
  • The narrative was linear, but radically, spanning aeons and ending in a timeless realm, all without a conventional movie score.

Vietnam

    • The war in Vietnam was already a highly divisive issue and was spiralling into a crisis.
    • The Tet offensive, which began on January 31 1968, had claimed tens of thousands of lives.
    • As US involvement in Vietnam escalated, domestic unrest and violence at home intensified.
    • They fuelled what Variety magazine called the “coffee cup debate” over “what the film means”, which is still ongoing today.

Comet Announces Return of Comet Fest Fan Festival in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 29, 2023

COMET , the top destination on free TV for fans of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment franchises, today announced the return of the Comet Fest fan festival in 2024.

Key Points: 
  • COMET , the top destination on free TV for fans of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment franchises, today announced the return of the Comet Fest fan festival in 2024.
  • The network’s first annual Comet Fest, which ran June 16-18, 2023, garnered record-setting success for Comet.
  • Comet Fest drove fan engagement across Comet’s platforms with a surge in ratings delivering an increase of 82% in the time period and thousands of entries into the first ever Comet Fest cosplay and digital contests.
  • “We expect Comet Fest 2024 to surpass these results as we celebrate the AI android-themed franchises that have inspired the imaginations of fans around the world.”

Emmy® Award-Winning Producer and Technologist Stephen Beres Partners with Full Sail DC3 to Launch Online Course for Aspiring Filmmakers

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

WINTER PARK, Fla., April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Full Sail DC3 announced the launch of the online course The Craft of Cinematography: Mastering Visual Language in partnership with Emmy® award-winning producer and technologist, Stephen Beres.

Key Points: 
  • WINTER PARK, Fla., April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Full Sail DC3 announced the launch of the online course The Craft of Cinematography: Mastering Visual Language in partnership with Emmy® award-winning producer and technologist, Stephen Beres.
  • A graduate of Full Sail University's Film degree, Stephen was inducted into the university's prestigious Hall of Fame in 2017.
  • In reflecting on the course, Stephen Beres stated, "We're not just teaching you how to use a camera, we're going to dive deep into technologies that allow you to empower your creativity."
  • To learn more about The Craft of Cinematography: Mastering Visual Language with Emmy® award-winning producer and technologist Stephen Beres, click here .

AI NPCs are the future of gaming: Parametrix.ai leads the way with its revolutionary GAEA system

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 24, 2023

SHENZHEN, China, March 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a report from PingWest:

Key Points: 
  • For the video game industry, which already involves a lot of AI work, the transformation will be even more profound.
  • "There hasn't been a technology this revolutionary for gaming since real-time 3D," A16Z wrote in its blog post.
  • This should be credited to GAEA, a massive data-driven system developed by Parametrix.ai, a Shenzhen-headquartered AI company.
  • All of these efforts have enabled GAEA to construct the "Living Chang'an City," an AI society run autonomously by multiple AI NPCs, marking a significant improvement over decision trees.

Inside the Black Box, the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Original Series, Comes to FOX SOUL

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSE) and FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform, today announced the premiere of season two of the interactive interview show, Inside the Black Box on the FOX SOUL platform.

Key Points: 
  • Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSE) and FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform, today announced the premiere of season two of the interactive interview show, Inside the Black Box on the FOX SOUL platform.
  • Season two premieres on FOX SOUL tonight, March 21, at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT.
  • Inside the Black Box can also be streamed for free on Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s platforms, which include Redbox and Crackle.
  • It is distributed in North America by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Company.

Screen Media Acquires Bad Hombres Ahead of World Premiere

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: CSSE), today announced the acquisition of all North American rights to the film Bad Hombres, directed by John Stalberg Jr. ahead of its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival.

Key Points: 
  • Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: CSSE), today announced the acquisition of all North American rights to the film Bad Hombres, directed by John Stalberg Jr. ahead of its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival.
  • Screen Media is planning a theatrical release of Bad Hombres later this year, followed by a digital release soon thereafter.
  • Bad Hombres follows the story of two immigrants who take a simple job, but when their employers reveal themselves to be criminals, surviving becomes the most difficult job of their lives.
  • Bad Hombres is produced by Stalberg Jr., David Frigerio, Scott Macfarland, Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell.

Strider, Founded by EA, Rockstar and Jam City Execs, Raises $5.5M Seed Round Led by Makers Fund and Fabric to Develop Platform for Creatives to Build Collaborative Story-Driven Worlds

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Strider’s mission is to give everyone the gift of being a creative storyteller.

Key Points: 
  • Strider’s mission is to give everyone the gift of being a creative storyteller.
  • The financing will be used to expand the Strider team and help to bring content creators onto the platform with tools for production and distribution.
  • “We are building a space where people can create and share those stories while being rewarded for their contributions.
  • We grew up inspired by the incredible worlds of our favorite games, films and books, and spent years helping to build deep, narrative-driven games.

Babylon, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Everything Everywhere All at Once Motion Picture Winners at the 27th Annual Art Directors Guild 'Excellence in Production Design' Awards

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2023

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) announced winners of its 27thAnnual Excellence in Production Design Awards in 14 categories of film, television, commercials, music videos and animation features, during a black-tie dinner gala at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown on Saturday night, February 18, 2023. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Guy Davis, Curt Enderle), Babylon (Florencia Martin), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Rick Heinrichs), and Everything Everywhere All at Once (Jason Kisvarday) won Best Production Design for Feature Film. Television winners included "Pachinko: Chapter One" (Mara LePere-Schloop), "How I Met Your Father: Pilot" (Glenda Rovello), "Our Flag Means Death: Pilot" (Ra Vincent), "Severance: Good News About Hell" (Jeremy Hindle, Nick Francone), "Saturday Night Live: Jack Harlow Hosts Season 48 Episode 4, Jack Harlow Musical Guest" (Keith Raywood, Eugene Lee, Akira Yoshimura, N. Joseph De Tullio), "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Adar" (Ramsey Avery) and "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities" (Tamara Deverell) respectively. Additional winners include Adele "I Drink Wine" (Liam Moore), The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power "Title Announcement" (Brian Branstetter), and 94th Annual Oscars (David Korins).

Key Points: 
  • Additional winners include Adele "I Drink Wine" (Liam Moore), The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power "Title Announcement" (Brian Branstetter), and 94th Annual Oscars (David Korins).
  • HERE
    "We are so proud to honor the production designers and artists who create a vision to transport the audience into different worlds.
  • ADG President Nelson Coates, ADG, and Art Directors Council Chair Evan Rohde, ADG, presided over the awards ceremony with actress/comedian Yvette Nicole Brown serving as host.
  • Winners of the 27th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards:

Is ChatGPT Sentient? The Question is Answered in 'I, AI' by Waken.ai Founder Hassan Uriostegui

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 26, 2023

"I, AI" is a pioneering study that materializes Isaac Asimov's once fictional "I, Robot" into a scientific reality.

Key Points: 
  • "I, AI" is a pioneering study that materializes Isaac Asimov's once fictional "I, Robot" into a scientific reality.
  • With a solid engineering foundation, the author explores the current moment in which humans may become unable to distinguish AI.
  • Hassan Uriostegui, lead researcher at Waken.ai, poses an intriguing question: "As Carl Sagan famously said, 'We are made of star stuff.'
  • Gazing upon the reflections from these AI-oracles pondering our irreconcilable perspectives, we are reminded of the collective journey that represents the human experience.

U.S. Money Reserve to Serve as an Official Sponsor of the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Money Reserve proudly announces it will be an official sponsor of the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction at Westworld of Scottsdale in Arizona, January 21-29.

Key Points: 
  • AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Money Reserve proudly announces it will be an official sponsor of the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction at Westworld of Scottsdale in Arizona, January 21-29.
  • U.S. Money Reserve proudly announces it will be an official sponsor of the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Jan 21-29.
  • As the presenting sponsor of the South Showcase at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction from January 21 to 29, U.S. Money Reserve and members of its precious metals IRA division will be available at Booth EQ3 in the South Showcase for individual consultations.
  • "U.S. Money Reserve is thrilled to once again be an official sponsor of this year's Barrett-Jackson auction," said Angela Roberts, CEO at U.S. Money Reserve.