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    Studios scrutinize disaster film marketing in wake of Nepal

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments619 Views
    In this Tuesday, April 21, 2015 file photo, Dwayne Johnson, left, a cast member in the upcoming film "San Andreas," and fellow cast member Carla Gugino introduce a clip from the film during CinemaCon 2015 at Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    In light of the Nepal earthquake, Warner Bros. will evaluate the worldwide marketing campaign for its upcoming disaster film "San Andreas," the studio said Wednesday.

    Warner Bros. representative Paul McGuire said the studio wants to ensure it is sensitive to people affected by the tragedy.

    The powerful earthquake Saturday in Nepal killed more than 5,000 people, injured twice that many and left tens of thousands of people homeless.

    The film "San Andreas" imagines the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in California. Promos for the film to be released May 29 show Los Angeles and San Francisco landmarks crumbling on a mass scale and wreckage flying at crowds of people.

    In upcoming promos, the studio will be including information on how to help the relief efforts in Nepal and also how to prepare for natural disasters.

    Warner Bros. had already planned public service announcements about preparedness around the marketing of the film starring Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino but adjusted and accelerated those efforts after Nepal.

    Universal Pictures has the film "Everest" set for release in September. The story is based on Jon Krakauer's non-fiction novel "Into Thin Air" about a tragic 1996 expedition. It follows a climbing group that is devastated by a severe storm.

    With 19 people killed on Mount Everest in the recent earthquake, Universal will also be weighing changes to its promotion of the film.

    Tags:Nepal earthquakeSan AndreasUniversal PicturesWarner Bros.



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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