Future tech company offers AI solutions for content creation, including virtual actors, virtual production, visual effects, and film restoration.
DGene, a Silicon Valley and Shanghai-based developer of AI technology, has launched operations in Los Angeles. The company is creating software and services that leverage artificial intelligence and computer vision for entertainment content creation. DGene offers proprietary solutions for virtual production, visual effects, digital restoration, volumetric and holographic capture, and the creation of virtual actors and digital influencers.
DGene is led by Jason Yang as Chief Technology Officer and Helena Packer as Senior Vice President. Yang is an MIT-trained computer scientist, DGene co-founder, and a former Senior Manager at semiconductor company AMD. Packer is a veteran film and television visual effects supervisor, whose credits include X2: X-Men United, 21 Jump Street, and Charlie Wilson’s War.
Yang and Packer have assembled a team of computer scientists and engineers specializing in computer vision, computational photography, computer graphics, machine learning, and related technologies. The U.S. operation will also tap into the extensive development and R&D resources of DGene, China, which has produced groundbreaking AI solutions for companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, and China Mobile.
According to Yang, DGene seeks to work with studios, streaming services, visual effects studios, and other creative partners in using AI-driven technologies to accelerate workflows, reduce costs, and create new forms of visual content. “We offer solutions that simplify routine aspects of visual effects production, film restoration, and virtual production,” he says. “We also have tools that facilitate the production of breakthrough content, such as virtual actors. AI is no longer a technology of the future; it is quickly becoming integral to many aspects of content creation.”
DGene is currently working with Academy Award-winning cinematographer and visual effects pioneer Richard Edlund on a scripted series involving historical figures. The technique could lead to virtual actors and holograms that act and communicate like real people.
Additionally, the company is partnering with Hollywood-based MTI Film to apply AI-based tools to film restoration. It has created proprietary AI algorithms for restoring color and sharpness, image stabilization, dust and scratch removal, and many other common processes. Similar tools could be used to simplify visual effects compositing and virtual production.
DGene is the leading provider of volumetric capture in China with its own proprietary solutions for 3D reconstruction, making it possible to capture performances and environments from multiple perspectives and convert them into 3D assets, viewable from any direction. It also has developed technology to stream holograms in real-time, an application that could be used for concerts and other live performances.
Packer says that AI technology will bring fundamental change to diverse aspects of production. “Visual effects, color correction, green screen, and digital restoration have not advanced significantly in decades,” she explains. “There have been incremental improvements, but nothing disruptive. AI, on the other hand, represents true change. It is a huge leap forward.”
DGene was founded in 2016 by a group of leading innovators in computer vision, computer graphics, and artificial intelligence. It is supported by Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd, Alibaba, GSR Ventures, SAIF Partners, IDG Capital, and Chobe Capital.
About DGene
DGene is harnessing the power of AI and other emerging technologies for content creation. We offer groundbreaking solutions for AI actors, virtual production, visual effects, digital influencers, real-time holograms, 3D reconstruction, and other applications. Our AI-driven platform simplifies and accelerates the process of producing breakthrough content, empowering artists, expanding creativity, and enhancing storytelling.
DGene was founded by the brightest minds in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and computer graphics. We created the world’s first dynamic, light-field shooting, and cloud processing system. We also developed the first system for capturing dynamic, 3D human models. Our technology has been applied to film and television production, mobile phone applications, cultural events, and more.
media
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More