Latest news with #Filmmakers
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Where's Marty McFly's guitar? Search is on for 'Back to the Future' prop 4 decades later
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marty McFly grabbed a guitar in 'Back to the Future' and rocked out with the band at a 1950s high school dance, helping him narrowly avoid blinking out of existence before time-traveling back to the 1980s. The guitar, in real life, wasn't as lucky. Filmmakers went looking for the instrument while making the movie's 1989 sequel, but even now it's nowhere to be found. Four decades after the blockbuster film debuted, the guitar's creator has launched a search for the iconic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345.
Geek Girl Authority
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
Bring Her Back Archives
Categories Select Category Games GGA Columns Movies Stuff We Like The Daily Bugle TV & Streaming Does Danny and Michael Philippou's Bring Her Back maintain the same level of quality as Talk to Me? Read our spoiler review.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Google's Veo 3 AI video generator is unlike anything you've ever seen. The world isn't ready.
At the Google I/O 2025 event on May 20, Google announced the release of Veo 3, a new AI video generation model that makes 8-second videos. Within hours of its release, AI artists and filmmakers were showing off shockingly realistic videos. You may have even seen some of these videos in your social media feeds and not realized they were artificially generated. To be blunt: We've never seen anything like Veo 3 before. It's impressive. It's scary. And it's only going to get better. Misinformation experts have been warning for years that we will eventually reach a point where it's impossible for the average person to tell the difference between an AI video and the real thing. With Veo 3, we have officially stepped out of the uncanny valley and into a new era, one where AI videos are a fact of life. While several other AI video makers exist, most notably Sora from OpenAI, the clips made by Veo 3 instantly stand out in your timeline. Veo 3 brought with it several innovations that separate it from other video generation tools. Crucially, in addition to video, Veo 3 also produces audio and dialogue. It doesn't just offer photorealism, but fully realized soundscapes and conversations to go along with videos. It can also maintain consistent characters in different video clips, and users can fine-tune camera angles, framing, and movements in entirely new ways. On social media, many users are dumbfounded by the results. Veo 3 is available to use now with Google's paid AI plans. Users can access the tool in Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, and in Flow, an 'AI filmmaking tool built for creatives, by creatives,' per Google. Already, AI filmmakers are using Veo 3 to create short films, and it's only a matter of time until we see a full-length film powered by Veo 3. On X, YouTube, Instagram, and Reddit, users are sharing some of the most impressive Veo 3 videos. If you're not on your guard and simply casually scrolling your feed, you might not think twice about whether the videos are real or not. The short film "Influenders" is one of the most widely shared short films made with Veo 3. "Influenders" was created by Yonatan Dor, the founder of the AI visual studio The Dor Brothers. In the movie, a series of influencers react as an unexplained cataclysm occurs in the background. The video has hundreds of thousands of views across various platforms. "Yes, we used Google Veo 3 exclusively for this video, but to make a piece like this really come to life we needed to do further sound design, clever editing and some upscaling at the end," Dor said in an email to Mashable. "The full piece took around 2 days to complete." Dor added, "Veo 3 is a massive step forward, it's easily the most advanced tool available publicly right now. We're especially impressed by its dialogue and prompt adherence capabilities." Similar videos featuring man-on-the-street videos have also gone viral, with artists like Alex Patrascu and Impekable showing off Veo 3's capabilities. And earlier this week, a Wall Street Journal reporter made an entire short film starring a virtual version of herself using Veo 3. All this in just 10 days. In "Influenders" and these other videos, some of the clips and characters are more realistic than others. Many still have the glossy aesthetic and jerky camera movements that are a signature of AI videos, a clear giveaway that's similar to the ChatGPT em dash. Just a couple of years ago, AI creations with too many fingers and other obvious anatomical abnormalities were commonplace. If the technology keeps progressing at this pace, there will soon be no obvious difference between real video and AI video. In promoting Veo 3, Google is eager to stress its partnerships with artists and filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky. And it's clear that Veo 3 could drastically reduce the cost of creating animation and special effects. But for content farms and bad actors producing fake news and manipulative outrage bait, Veo 3 is equally powerful. We asked Google about the potential for Veo 3 to be used for misinformation, and the company said that safeguards such as digital watermarks are built into Veo 3 video clips. "It's important that people can access provenance tools for videos and other content they see online," a representative with Google DeepMind told Mashable via email. "The SynthID watermark is embedded in all content generated by Google's AI tools, and our SynthID detector rolled out to early testers last week. We plan to expand access more broadly soon, and as an additional step to help people, we're adding a visible watermark to Veo videos." Google also has AI safety guidelines that it uses, and the company says it wants to "help people and organizations responsibly create and identify AI-generated content." A screenshot from an AI-generated video made by Google with Veo 3. Credit: Google But does the average person stop to ask whether the images and videos on their timelines and FYP are real? As the viral emotional support kangaroo proves, they do not. There's zero doubt that AI videos are about to become even more commonplace on social media and video apps. That will include plenty of AI slop, but also videos with more nefarious purposes. Despite safeguards built into AI video generation tools, skilled AI artists can create deepfake videos featuring celebrities and public figures. TV news anchors speaking into the camera have also been a recurring theme in Veo 3 videos so far, which has worrying implications for the information ecosystem online. If you're not already asking "Is this real?" when you come across a video clip online, now is the time to start. Or, as a chorus of voices are saying on X, "We're so cooked." Follow Timothy Beck Werth () and Mashable () on X for the latest and analysis. Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Arab News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Palestinian Film Institute amplifies local stories at Cannes
DUBAI: The Palestinian Film Institute is making a resounding statement at the Cannes Film Festival with its largest presence to date under the banner #HereThereAndForever. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ This year's Pavilion Program spans a range of activities including exhibitions, screenings, producer talks, and intimate meet-and-greet sessions, reflecting a commitment to amplifying Palestinian voices on the global stage. 'We're not celebrating being in Cannes,' PFI programmer Mohanad Yaqubi said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 'There's nothing to celebrate for us … it's really about orienting the narrative surrounding Palestinian cinema and Palestinian stories through the filmmakers themselves. 'We feel the responsibility, and it's very hard,' he said. 'Some of our members actually have families in Gaza now, and they are here in Cannes. It's uncomfortable, but this is not an industry only for rich people. We have to make that industry accommodate us and our needs as an oppressed and underrepresented (group).' A major highlight of the program is the official launch of the PFI Film Fund. According to Yaqubi, the fund represents a dream long in the making. 'The aim for the first three rounds is to fund or support four to six projects in different formats, at least, to give them a base so that they can start working,' he said. In addition, PFI is hosting a special spotlight session on Palestinian producers, as well as a reception featuring filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser, whose film 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza' is part of the Un Certain Regard lineup. Another notable event is the screening and reception for 'From Ground Zero,' an initiative spearheaded by filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. The anthology film is a collection of eight short documentaries and two feature-length films by 22 Palestinian directors, each offering raw glimpses into life under airstrikes in Gaza. With four Palestinian producers participating in the Producers' Network, Yaqubi encouraged attendees to explore their slates, which he described as 'the upcoming Palestinian films and narratives that need to be supported.' Yaqubi's aims are clear. 'We hope to be here every year,' he said. 'The presence is important, and to stay away won't make a change. We have to dip our toes in the cold water and change things.'
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Charli XCX turns heads in busty black-and-white corset as she makes a show-stopping entrance at Magnum party during Cannes Film Festival
Charli XCX turned heads as she made a stunning entrance at a Magnum party in Cannes on Thursday evening. The British singer, 32, who is currently in the city for the 78th Film Festival, looked incredible as she put on a busty display in a black-and-white striped corset. Flashing a hint of her taut midriff, the beauty teamed her top with a skimpy navy mini skirt featuring a distressed hem, all while enjoying a Magnum ice cream. The 365 hitmaker toted her essentials in a mini black shoulder bag as she mingled with guests at the star-studded event. Finishing off her look, the singer styled her long, dark tresses in loose curls and added a trendy pair of black sunglasses. Charli's outing comes hours after she put on a leggy display in a white mini dress as she stepped out on day three of the festival. This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump's vow to enact tariffs on international films. Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories. 'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who´s returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil ´s dictatorship. 'You've got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.' This year, the likes of Kristen Stewart (The Chronology of Water), Scarlett Johansson (Eleanor the Great) and Harris Dickinson (Urchin) will all be unveiling their feature directorial debuts in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar section. Many Cannes veterans returned, too, including Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning) and Robert De Niro - who received an honorary Palme d´Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered in Cannes. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino is also set to pay tribute to low-budget Western director George Sherman. The much-anticipated eighth and final instalment of Mission: Impossible was one of the earlier premieres on this year's Cannes calendar, with its glitzy red carpet having taken place on Wednesday, May 14. Meanwhile, Scarlett's directorial debut, Eleanor The Great, will be unveiled on May 20. However, in the wake of his legal battle with former co-star Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni is not expected to attend. Over recent years, the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. But new nudity rules, devised for 'the sake of decency,' have been implemented at this year's festival. According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to stifle the celebrity trend for 'naked dresses' - namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal - on the red carpet. 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,' states a Cannes festival document. 'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter - released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest-profile film screenings across a packed two-week schedule in Cannes. It's understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets, and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline-grabbing ensembles. Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, 'with or without a heel', will also be permitted.
