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VISUAL CREATORS
For your artistic side.

🎥 Gen Z's Long-Form Video Love Affair

Jenny Nicholson’s four-hour YouTube deep dive into Disney’s failed Star Wars hotel might sound like a punchline in an attention span joke, but here’s the twist: Gen Z is eating it up.
Contrary to what we’ve been told about our dwindling attention spans, millions tuned in.

Turns out, when it comes to content, length doesn't have to mean losing that tight grip on your audience.

Nicholson’s video has been making waves, not just for its runtime, but for its depth of research and engaging storytelling. It’s like watching a well-crafted documentary that just so happens to be crazy long. And that’s the point—one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to content.

But let’s not hit pause on this just yet – longer content is on the rise. TikTok is testing longer videos, Mr. Beast is serving supersized vids, and Jenny’s marathon critique is just the tip of the iceberg (or lightsaber, if you will). So maybe, just maybe, we’re not all ADHD-addled zombies after all. Maybe we still crave content that’s not cut into bite-sized bits, but left for us to savor like a slow-cooked stew of analysis and entertainment.

As platforms like TikTok experiment with extended runtimes, creators and audiences alike are proving that if the content is captivating, viewers will make time – even hours – for it.

Gen Z is proving they’ll give you hours if you offer something truly worth their time. So, creators, take note: Don’t let the clock kill your content’s vibe.

PRODUCTION MASTERY
The commercial aspects of creativity.

🎥 The Biggest Problems with Virtual Production

Is CGI killing the magic of movies? Not quite, says director Keith Sutliff, who’s betting big on virtual production. His L.A. studio, Sutliff Studios: Virtual Productions, is a playground for filmmakers looking to blend the real and the digital in real time.

Virtual production is more than a fleeting trend—it’s the future of filmmaking, according to Keith, who’s betting big on virtual, opening his own studio in LA’s Arts District.

His secret sauce? A mix of gaming software like Unreal Engine and LED walls that bring the action to life in real-time. No more waiting on post-production to see if the scene’s a hit—it’s all happening in-camera

Picture this: a fully immersive LED soundstage where the background changes with a flick of a button, reacting to the actors and cameras in the scene. It’s like green screen on steroids, powered by gaming tech like Unreal Engine. Keith’s all in on what he calls the future of cinema, where directors can see the final shot as they’re shooting it.

But before you book your next shoot at Sutliff Studios, know this: the tech’s still glitchy, the files are huge, and the magic’s a work in progress.

With directors like Jon Favreau (“The Mandalorian”) and James Cameron (“Avatar”) pushing the virtual envelope, it’s clear Hollywood’s ready to rewrite the script and unroll the LED.

CREATOR ECONOMY
Navigating the digital creative world.

🗞️ OpenAI's Media Tie-Ups

OpenAI is striking content deals left and right to train its chatbots using real-world data.

This comes on the heels of a similar deal with Reddit last week that gave ChatGPT access to the platform’s vast array of community-generated content, joining other media giants like News Corp, giving its AI access to Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and more. OpenAI has also partnered with Shutterstock for visual and audio data and even with AP, Financial Times, Axel Springer, and other major publishers to license news stories.

The goal? Make their AI more knowledgeable and versatile.

It’s a content grab that might help them with their plagiarism and bias issues, but it’s also shaking up the media landscape. After all, who needs to read the news when the news is training the bots?

By the way, if you’re waiting for the New York Times deal, don’t hold your breath—they’re too busy suing OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement.

🔥 Press Worthy

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

Arri's Alexa Mini dominates Cannes, featuring in 15 films—the 9-year-old camera is still a filmmaker favorite. Blackmagic, RED and the Sony Venice are also on the list.

LSST Camera, the largest camera ever built, reaches Chile for its decade-long sky survey at Vera C Rubin Observatory.

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

The ongoing Red Sea crisis has led to a worrisome scarcity of ships and containers, and it's not just the shipping industry feeling the squeeze. Cameras could be the next domino to fall, potentially affecting new releases.

Netflix's second “What We Watched” report covers 99% of viewing from July to December 2023. Key takeaways: 85% of new titles appeared on the weekly Top 10, older seasons saw a bump when new ones dropped, and non-English content made up almost a third of views outside of English.

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

Apple's AI plans to be announced at WWDC 2024: Improved Siri, on-device AI for recent hardware, AI-powered text summaries & search suggestions, AI-generated emoji, customizable app icons coming to iOS 18.

YouTube creators are shifting away from algorithm gaming and towards authentic content. Sam Sulek, a fitness YouTuber with over 3 million subscribers, bucks the trend with straightforward videos that resonate with audiences tired of clickbait.

📚 Learn & Grow

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

• How to Remove Distractions With Lightroom’s New Generative AI Tool

• Get Your Film Seen – Why Distribution Matters

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

• Is Diversity a Risk for Streaming Viewership? Absolutely Not, Says UCLA Report

• How To Turn Your Ideas into Scripts – From Concept to Cinematic Story

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

• Why Reviewers Lament iPadOS While Users Absolutely Love It

• How to Grow a Podcast Audience in 9 Easy Steps