Latest news with #visualeffects
RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
VFX industry warns NZ may loose opportunities and workers
employment 29 minutes ago The visual effects industry is warning without bigger tax breaks for the film industry New Zealand will loose major opportunities and highly specialised workers. Weta FX is considering axing a hundred jobs. It said various factors are driving the decision including unexpected project delays due to finance, the long-tail of the pandemic, strikes, and challenges in the global entertainment industry. Executive director of the Visual Effects Guild, Bree Loverich spoke to Lisa Owen.
RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Wētā FX confirms it is cutting staff
media employment 19 minutes ago Animation and visuals giant, Wētā FX, has confirmed it's looking to cut or change about 100 jobs, mostly in Wellington. Reporter Bill Hickman spoke to Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
100 jobs to be axed at Wētā FX
A scene from House of the Dragon. Photo: Supplied There are layoffs at Wellington-based digital visual effects and animation company Wētā FX. Wētā FX has confirmed it is proposing to changes affecting about 100 roles in its support departments, largely based in Wellington. It says a consultation process is under way. Founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993, it is famous for its award winning work on productions such as Heavenly Creatures , Lord of the Rings , King Kong and Avatar . It has also received Emmy nominations and had wins for TV series such as The Last of Us , Game of Thrones , House of the Dragon , and Ripley. Late last year The New Zealand Herald reported Wētā FX had made net losses of up to $190 million across the previous two years. In 2023 billion-dollar global game tech Unity Software cut ties with Wētā Digital, leading to 265 redundancies . At the time a Wētā FX spokesperson said the business was aiming to hire as many of the staff back as possible.
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Jobs being cut at Wētā FX, RNZ understands
A scene from House of the Dragon. Photo: Supplied There are layoffs at Wellington-based digital visual effects and animation company Wētā FX, RNZ understands. Founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993, it is famous for its award winning work on productions such as Heavenly Creatures , Lord of the Rings , King Kong and Avatar . It has also received Emmy nominations and had wins for TV series such as The Last of Us , Game of Thrones , House of the Dragon , and Ripley. Late last year The New Zealand Herald reported Wētā FX had made net losses of up to $190 million across the previous two years. In 2023 billion-dollar global game tech Unity Software cut ties with Wētā Digital, leading to 265 redundancies . At the time a Wētā FX spokesperson said the business was aiming to hire as many of the staff back as possible. RNZ has approached Wētā FX for comment.
Entrepreneur
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Entrepreneur
Netflix Used AI to Generate a Scene on a TV Show: 'Thrilled'
Netflix used AI to shape one of its TV shows for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the technology's involvement in film. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on Thursday that the company used footage generated by AI in the 2025 Argentine science fiction series "El Eternauta" ("The Eternaut"), a show that follows survivors of a toxic snowfall. For the six-episode show, which arrived on Netflix on April 30, Netflix's visual effects artists tapped into AI to create a scene showing a building collapsing in Buenos Aires. That visual effects sequence "was completed 10 times faster" than it would have with standard tools and workflows, Sarandos said in a conference call on Thursday after Netflix delivered its second quarter financial results. Netflix reported a strong quarter, with revenue of $11.08 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, and $3.13 billion in profit. Related: 'We're Going to Be Fighting for the Survival of Humanity': Netflix Co-Founder Donates $50 Million to Alma Mater for AI Initiative According to Sarandos, "AI represents an incredible opportunity" for creators and presents a chance to make movies and TV shows "better, not just cheaper." The AI-generated scene in "El Eternauta" resonated with the show's audience, he said. "This is real people doing real work with better tools," Sarandos said on the call. "The creators were thrilled with the result. We were thrilled with the result, and more importantly, the audience was thrilled with the result." Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Photo by David Benito/FilmMagic Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters also mentioned on the call that Netflix is incorporating AI into other aspects of its business, including personalization, search, and ads. Netflix introduced a new AI-powered search tool in May that allows users to find shows using prompts like, "I want something funny and upbeat." Netflix also reported on Thursday that its subscribers watched over 95 billion hours worth of TV shows and movies through the platform in the first half of the year, a 1% increase from a year earlier. Non-English content made up one-third of overall viewing time. Related: NASA Will Start Live Streaming on Netflix Soon. Here's What to Expect. What is the difference between CGI and Generative AI? So, how is AI use in shows different from CGI? Movies have been using CGI, or computer-generated imagery, for decades, starting with Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo. CGI is a tool that allows professionals to create content using computer software, giving them manual control over elements like textures and lighting. CGI means that users create objects themselves. Generative AI, meanwhile, automatically generates objects based on a prompt. AI figures out on its own how to accomplish what is asked for in the prompt, making it less hands-on than CGI. This also means that the user has less control over an AI-generated output compared to CGI. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
