Analytics, Data, Management
Ian Hawthorne
Data Cultures Part II: Breaking Free from the ...

An overemphasis on data-driven work within the nonprofit sector has been shown to result in cycles of disempowerment, driven by third-party data demands of funding bodies.. This compounds due to the many market orientations nonprofits need to adopt, particularly prevalent among the arts. A key to navigating these markets and funder requirements lies in identifying a specific data culture best fit for your organization and investing in resources and training in order to achieve that framework sustainably.

Data Cultures Part II: Breaking Free from the Cycle of Disempowerment
Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, museums
Staff Researcher
Envisioning the Future of Museum Accessibility ...

With AI’s ability to automatically produce content and process complicated datasets with high accuracy, museums worldwide are exploring ways in which this innovative technology can help them better achieve their missions and advance accessibility efforts. Through case studies, learn about three applications of this technology: content digitalization, language accessibility, and visual description.

Envisioning the Future of Museum Accessibility Through Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence, Public Policy, News & Announcements
Ian Hawthorne
October News: New Policies and Possibilities ...

October was filled with new debates on AI policies, a halt to one of the most significant AI safety bills in the United States, and a host of new AI developments in video, music, and even podcasts.

October News: New Policies and Possibilities for AI
Data, Fundraising, Marketing
Ian Hawthorne
Data Cultures Part I: The Many Markets of Arts ...

Arts and cultural nonprofits often operate in multiple markets for earned and contributed revenue. With increasing attention on data-driven decision making, effective market orientation often depends on effective data use. This fundamental collection, transmission, use, and interpretation of data within an organization collectively contributes to what can be considered an organization’s data culture.

Data Cultures Part I: The Many Markets of Arts Organizations
Advocacy, Community Building, Public Policy
Ian Hawthorne
Democracy on Display: The Dynamic Role of Art ...

Museums have increasingly begun to volunteer their spaces as polling places, acting as a democratic vehicle for their communities and adding to the greater fabric of America’s election infrastructure. In doing so, they can support local democratic processes and prove to their communities that they are not unbreachable temples for the elite, but open platforms for the people.

Democracy on Display: The Dynamic Role of Art Museums in Elections

Film

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Part Two: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future

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Part Two: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future

This project delves into the potential expansion in LED volumes, assessing both benefits and challenges. Our findings emphasize the impact of virtual production on labor markets, economic advantages of increased investment in LED screens, and the necessity of integrating virtual production across Sony's various entertainment divisions. Additionally, we highlight the significance of driving technological innovation to solidify Sony's leadership in this evolving landscape. The information revealed in this research, through a conducted survey, will further explore the current state of the virtual production industry and the creative evolution underlying its widespread adoption. For a deeper understanding of virtual production, please see Part I of this research.

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Part One: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future

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Part One: The Globalization of Virtual Production in Film and Television - Past, Present and Future

Virtual production, defined in this project as the use of real-time technologies to combine traditional physical filmmaking with digital assets, has become a rapidly growing practice in the entertainment industry since LED screens were first used in The Mandalorian (2019) (Desowitz, 2020). LED stages have grown exponentially from three stages in 2019 to over 300 stages in 2022 (Giardina, 2022), expanding virtual production to now be a $1.8 billion market (Grand View, 2023). This project investigates the current landscape of LED stages and studios can capitalize on the growing market. 

Top 10 Takeaways: SXSW

Top 10 Takeaways: SXSW

AMT Lab staff Victoria and Lynn got the chance to go to the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) conference that took place from March 11 to March 20, 2022, which focuses on the intersection of tech, film and music. The pair got to experience it up close and personal, and have put together a list of their top ten takeaways for the future of tech in film and music.

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An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data

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An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data

The entertainment industry in a post-pandemic and streamer-heavy world bears a sigil of secrecy. Viewership data for films and television shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and other streaming services is highly monitored behind closed doors at these companies. Streaming consumption skyrocketed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people around the world were forced to stay at home. During the same time, online TV/video consumption increased from 1.7 hours to 6.5 hour. The pandemic fast-tracked the world’s shift to streaming, as it became one of the only accessible entertainment platforms, forcing the general public to decide which streaming services to invest in, largely because of cost.

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The Impact of Emerging Sustainable Practices in the Film Industry

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The Impact of Emerging Sustainable Practices in the Film Industry

Sustainability is important to every industry, especially film, as each production (with an average $70 million budget) produces a carbon footprint of 3,370 metric tons. TV and film productions create an abundance of carbon emissions, significantly affecting the atmosphere. However, carbon emissions are not the only aspect of sustainability the film industry must focus on. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided by the United Nations (UN) show that practicing sustainability involves much more than climate change. While the film industry is making many strides towards greener productions, there are many issues that have yet to be addressed. Such issues include livable wages (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), and responsible production and consumption (SDG 12). These are a few of the most prevalent ways that the film industry can follow the path of sustainability per the UN guidelines.

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NFT Showdown: Miramax vs. Tarantino

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NFT Showdown: Miramax vs. Tarantino

There is ongoing legal debate around Quentin Tarantino's latest project, an exclusive behind-the-scenes NFT collection based on the 1994 Miramax blockbuster hit "Pulp Fiction," published in December 2021 on Opensea by SCRT Labs. A California lawsuit will determine whether Tarantino's plan is too cavalier, and whether Miramax should receive a cut of the sale. Today’s NFT world is governed by crude and antiquated laws surrounding copyright and trademark ownership. Hopefully this lawsuit establishes new legal boundaries and guidelines for future cases. In the meantime, NFT collectors should stay wary of ambiguous claims and unclear terms.

What We Should Know About Current Interactive Films

What We Should Know About Current Interactive Films

The dilemma of interactive films, feeling as if you are in control when you actually are not, is part of the reason why they are yet to become mainstream in entertainment, especially compared to interactive games. This article attempts to open this discussion by examining theoretical frameworks as well as a comparative case study. As the major concern lies in the disruption of the audience’s engagement, potential future options can be VR or implicit interactions (making choices through the user’s implicit activity) to provide a more engaging process. When the hype for this innovative technology wears off, the core of the films will still be their stories. After all, it’s about storytelling.

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

Since the 1980s, it has been industry practice to measure the number of viewers consuming films and television. These measures affect the industry in multiple ways, from advertising sales to cultivating future viewers, and often contribute to the project’s success. As streaming continues to pivot the entertainment industry, other services will begin to release viewership data in a similar fashion. This crucial step in releasing streaming viewership data has the potential to set a new dawn for streaming services: one where data and transparency lead the way into a more informed and impactful industry.

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Why Interactive Films Are Not A Success...Yet

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Why Interactive Films Are Not A Success...Yet

Motion picture companies in recent years are blurring the line between film and video games, bringing technical practices that have been adopted by interactive video games for many years. With the drift of film history into greater realism and higher audience immersion interests, interactive films that make compromises for the audience to take control are emerging. Filmmakers use different new-media technologies such as Eko Studio and Wirewax to engage an audiences’ interaction, but the medium is still so young that more extensive research is needed. This research examines the differences between the engagement models of interactive films and video games to identify the reasons why interactive films do not obtain a larger market.

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Cryptocurrencies in Indie Film Economics

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Cryptocurrencies in Indie Film Economics

Streaming technology in the last decade has rebuilt the structure of film revenue models. Motion pictures now earn revenue through a network of internet-based over-the-top (OTT) content distributors, reaching worldwide audiences by partnering with multiple streaming platforms. More recently, the Covid-era decline in theatrical film distribution has led to a purely OTT distribution model, and a complete reliance on internet-based revenue. In the future, advancements in blockchain technology are expected to disrupt and further redesign the film distribution waterfall. Ambitious filmmakers should have a clear understanding of how revenue distribution waterfalls work before they tackle a blockchain-based film production.