CES: What Mattered to Hollywood
SAG-AFTRA and AFL-CIO Address Deepfakes, De-Aging
Deepfakes, artificial intelligence, de-aging technology and their impact on actors and the workforce was discussed and debated at SAG-AFTRA and AFL-CIO’s 2nd annual Labor Innovation and Technology Summit, held on the opening day of CES.
“Our work is being dramatically changed by technology,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris in her opening remarks. “But of all the people talking about it, who is really looking out for the working people?”
Topics included the advantages and potential pitfalls of new technology. This included discussion of how an actor's likeness can be exploited from unauthorized Deepfakes (relatedly, last week Facebook revealed plans to prohibit Deepfakes on its services). Meanwhile, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA COO and general counsel, urged members to contact the union if they are going to be scanned for a motion picture to better understand their contractual rights.
DGA, ASC Back "Filmmaker Mode" TVs as Rollout Begins
A rollout of a “Filmmaker Mode” setting on a range of 2020 television models from most major set makers is slated to begin this spring, and the first supported TVs were previewed at CES. Meanwhile the DGA, the ASC, the International Cinematographers Guild and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation all endorsed this setting as their preferred method of viewing in the home.
At CES, UHDA announced that Samsung, Philips/TP Vision and Kaleidescape have joined the effort and will offer Filmmaker Mode-enabled products this year. Additionally, LG, Panasonic and Vizio — the trio of set makers that previously expressed their intent to support Filmmaker Mode — revealed supported 2020 TV models.
Quibi Makes Its CES Debut, Previews Turnstyle Feature
The duo showed off a new feature called Turnstyle that allows users to move their phones between vertical and horizontal orientation without interrupting the viewing experience. Behind the scenes, Turnstyle requires filmmakers to deliver two versions of their project — one oriented for a vertical screen, the other for a horizontal screen — that are then “stitched” together. The result: No matter what way viewers hold their phones, they are seeing the framing and edit that the filmmaker intended.
"NextGen TV" Launches With New Mobile, 4K Capabilities
The Internet Protocol-based NextGen TV system — developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee and also known as ATSC 3.0 — is a voluntary upgrade from the country’s free, over-the-air HDTV broadcasting system (meaning this doesn’t affect cable, satellite or streaming services).
The new system includes the ability to receive an over-the-air TV signal on a cellphone or tablet without using a cellular service or a data plan. That will include TV series, news, live sports — everything you currently get on your television.
National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Gordon Smith reported that he anticipates a rollout of NextGen TV services in roughly 60 U.S. markets in 2020.
See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ces-what-mattered-hollywood-1268752