Film and animation production company Not To Scale has brought executive creative director Richard Hickey on board to head its recently launched office in Hollywood, Calif. Not To Scale now has a total of four shops–the other three being its London headquarters, with studios in New York and Amsterdam. Hickey has experience in developing features both as an individual director and at studios such as Disney, Paramount and Sony. He additionally sports a background as a director and creative director of live action and animated commercials. As previously reported, Not To Scale's L.A. studio has added for exclusive commercial representation in all territories the Academy Award-winning director John Kahrs, the ex-Pixar/Disney animator and director of the shorts Paperman and June. He won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2013 for Paperman…..
The Collective @ LAIR has signed narrative filmmaker/writer Laurence Thrush for exclusive representation in branded films, digital and network content. The company also handles Thrush non-exclusively for commercials nationwide. Thrush, who’s a Clio Best Young Director and A Young Gun Award recipient, has turned out spots for clients including MasterCard, Honda, Toyota, HP, Southwest, Amstel Light, Adobe and McDonald’s. His directorial credits also encompass a pair of feature films, Left Handed which was Best Feature at the Milan Film Festival, and A Different Light which made its world premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival…..
Production company Seven Sunday Films in Jakarta, Indonesia, has launched a new content division, The Eight Sunday. Headed by Indonesian producer Yugi Darmawan. The Eight Sunday will primarily concentrate on digital video content, and will also undertake some smaller budget TV commercials, particularly when working directly with brands. Just prior to opening The Eight Sunday, Seven Sunday Films produced a regional job for Uber directed by Mark Toia and shot in Indonesia. Seven Sunday Films EP Rodney Vincent said the digital job is a good example of the type of projects The Eight Sunday will take on….
California Gov. Newsom Signs Laws To Protect Actors Against Unauthorized Use Of AI
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off Tuesday on legislation aiming at protecting Hollywood actors and performers against unauthorized artificial intelligence that could be used to create digital clones of themselves without their consent.
The new laws come as California legislators ramped up efforts this year to regulate the marquee industry that is increasingly affecting the daily lives of Americans but has had little to no oversight in the United States.
The laws also reflect the priorities of the Democratic governor who's walking a tightrope between protecting the public and workers against potential AI risks and nurturing the rapidly evolving homegrown industry.
"We continue to wade through uncharted territory when it comes to how AI and digital media is transforming the entertainment industry, but our North Star has always been to protect workers," Newsom said in a statement. "This legislation ensures the industry can continue thriving while strengthening protections for workers and how their likeness can or cannot be used."
Inspired by the Hollywood actors' strike last year over low wages and concerns that studios would use AI technology to replace workers, a new California law will allow performers to back out of existing contracts if vague language might allow studios to freely use AI to digitally clone their voices and likeness. The law is set to take effect in 2025 and has the support of the California Labor Federation and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA.
Another law signed by Newsom, also supported by SAG-AFTRA, prevents dead performers from being digitally cloned for commercial purposes without the permission of their estates. Supporters said the law is... Read More