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- Integrating AI Into Virtual Productions
Howdy Hollywood tech nerds!
In this week’s post:
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Integrating AI Into Virtual Productions
I recently received some pushback on my writing from a few weeks ago - AI: A World of Pure Imagination. A correspondent wrote:
AI is technology, and technology in general is not going away and warrants coverage and investigation.
I agree! (this newsletter is called Hollywood Tech Nerds and my self-given nickname is Steve the Hollywood Tech Nerd, for goodness’s sake!).
In particular because we have many new readers, I think I need to clarify my positions a bit so that people don’t think I’m a Luddite. I like technology, I am excited about technology, I love exploring the possibilities of technology in our business. It’s fun!
When I write pieces like the one linked above, what I’m trying to do is media criticism. To paraphrase Don Draper, “[AI] is neither good nor bad; it simply is.” What I’m against is the breathless coverage encouraged by the tech companies and regurgitated by Twitter’s AI grifters and the entertainment press. AI has got plenty of hype. So did NFTs! Let’s see some use cases!
Thus, I can commend our friends over at VP Land for their very cool breakdown of the updated version of Ask Ald3n, the updated AI tool for the production software Designer Pro.
Ask AId3n transforms how production teams approach repetitive technical tasks. Users can now type commands like "set up the screen and stage for Madison Square Garden" and watch as the AI automatically configures the correct screen sizes and resolutions using data from its knowledge base.
The assistant goes beyond simple queries to become what Disguise calls a "true workflow assistant." For concert productions, teams can instruct Ask AId3n to create layers and keyframes for every musical beat of a show, with changes implemented within seconds. Awards ceremonies become similarly streamlined—the AI can instantly generate video layers for presenter introductions, award categories, and winner announcements, complete with section breaks between each segment.
You know how I always ask “Any Details???” My dream has come true! Actual details!
Unlike general-purpose AI assistants, Ask AId3n specifically targets the high-stakes world of live events where technical failures aren't an option. The system includes robust fallback modes and supports local inference when cloud connectivity becomes unreliable—critical features for venue-based productions.
The AI draws from a continuously updated knowledge base that includes show files, best practices, error logs, and user-contributed solutions. It's fully trained on the Disguise User Guide, ensuring comprehensive troubleshooting support for any Designer-related questions that arise during productions.
There you have it, we don’t have to suffer through cheeky wishcasting like “We can do things faster and cooler than ever, and the best part is we don’t even know yet what it can do.” If someone is asked “Hey, what does this thing do exactly?” and they don’t have an answer, it probably doesn’t do anything!
Watermarking With Light
Over at Ars Technica there’s a very cool story about how scientists have developed a way to watermark light sources in video footage:
The applications discussed in the article are primarily centered around authenticating real vs faked video, an increasingly important use as generative AI video continues to improve and become more accessible.
However, the very obvious application I thought of was that this would be immediately useful for studios, producers, etc to detect whether their content had been utilized as training data by the generative AI companies.
Obviously if Midjourney is generating Darth Vader and the Minions you have an obvious copyright infringement lawsuit on your hands. But what if it’s something more subtle and more difficult to prove? Just imagine if the purple light on Ryan Gosling was filled with identifiable watermarks!
Kernels (3 links worth making popcorn for)
Here’s a round-up of cool and interesting links about Hollywood and technology:
Google TV’s uncertain future. (link)
Cine Gear Expo Day 1. (link)