These 7 technologies
are poised to reshape the film industry.
What a time to be alive! Digital cameras are getting smaller, cheaper, and
more powerful by the day. Our
phones are turning from point-and-shoot cameras into 360-degree
experiential recording devices, and smart folks in secret rooms are dreaming up new ways to push the
film industry forward in
ways we can only describe as pure science fiction.
Autonomous drones, dual camera virtual
reality, computers learning to edit nuanced scenes, and 3D printing gear all top our latest
innovative trends list, which is sure to capture your imagination
(and, eventually, your pocketbook).
Let’s look at these seven technological innovations changing
the film industry and how they may
be helping you with your video projects before you know it.
Autonomous Drones
Yes, yes there are autonomous drones out there on the market
already, but today’s “autonomous” offerings are just sensational beginnings to what fully autonomous
drones are going to be
able to do. We’re talking about sentient drones with built-in knowledge and
algorithms on everything
from film making techniques (shot sizes, viewing angles, and screen position) to corrective obstacle
avoidance and open source
technology for developing the drone cinematographers of the future.
4k+ 3D Technology
As you can see in our comprehensive coverage of this year's NAB
convention, virtual reality (or VR as we like to say in the biz) may be the
brightest star in the future-tech galaxy. One shining example would be
Lucid VR’s LucidCAM, which is touted as the “first and only 4K 3D VR live
production camera” — Not to be outdone
is Google-supported Yi Technology’s Yi Halo (pictured above) 16-point 4k 3D action
camera. This is as
impressive as it is expensive.
Smartphone Filmmaking Gear
To some, the idea that there will come a day when entire feature films
will be shot on iPhones seems
like a dystopian concept. Yet, it's already happened. Multiple times in fact. This
raises a question: will the market and industry shift to accommodate those up-and-coming
iPhone and smartphone filmmakers with new, cool and
innovative gear and technologies?
Dual Camera VR
They say two eyes are better than one, right? So why wouldn’t this
be true for virtual reality? The technonauts behind the ambitious Kickstarter
project Two Eyes VR believe binocular 360 viewing
and recording is truly the way
of the future. It is, after all, how we experience the world day-in and day-out.
Drone Goggles
Drone goggles are, at the very least, the most futuristic-looking technological
innovation on this list —
and they are, indeed, a thing of the imminent future. DJI actually unveiled their current offering at
NAB, which is on the
market today. However, as we can see with some of the limitations of the
current products (as well as look
into what could be available), POV drone operation is just beginning to take off.
Algorithm Editing
Perhaps the scariest technological innovation on the horizon, algorithmic editing
technologies, like the software MIT researchers
are developing, may very well replace human film and
video editing jobs all together.
Or, depending on how you look at it, the technology may just make editing
much less tedious. Either way, the
breakthroughs in facial recognition, automatic labeling, and idiom appliance are all frighteningly innovative parts
of the futuristic “Computational Video Editing.”
3D Printing Your Own Gear
There will come a day when shipping gear across the world will be as archaic as
dial-up internet, but until 3D printing reaches the next level of speed, quality,
and affordability, we can only dream.
That being said, for small and simple items like follow focuses, lens rings, tripod plates, and
even clapboards (pictured
above), 3D printing is fast-becoming a viable option.
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Technology