Category: News

When the Robotapocalypse comes, the computers will know how to recognize us thanks to Google.

Image recognition has come a long way over the last few years and maybe more so than anybody else, Google has brought some of those advances to end users. To see how far we’ve come, just try searching through your own images on Google Photos, for example. But recognizing objects (and maybe basic scenes) is only a first step.

In September, Google showed how its approach, using the currently popular deep learning methodology, could not just recognize images of single objects but also classify different objects in a single image (think different kinds of fruits in a fruit basket, for example).

Once you can do that, you can also try to create a full natural language description of the image and that’s what Google is doing now. According to a new Google Research paper, the company has now developed a system that can teach itself how to describe a photo like the one below with a very high degree of accuracy.

Tech Crunch | Read the Full Article

Read the original Google research paper here.

The LA Times’ Hero complex interviews Brett Culp, the director of a documentary that examines the hero mythos of Batman and how the dark knight is inspiring people to do good.

Filmmakers and comic book creators have taken Batman to some dark and scary places in recent years, but a new documentary steps away from the grim and gritty to examine the Dark Knight’s bright side as the character inspires people to do good.

“Legends of the Knight,” out this week on DVD and video on demand, weaves together the true stories of ordinary heroes, including a man who dons the cape and cowl to visit children’s hospitals; a journalist whose love of superheroes offers her courage as she lives with muscular dystrophy; a town that comes together to grant the wish of a little boy with leukemia to be a superhero for a day; and a student who, while dressed as Batman, does anonymous good deeds for his community.

The feel-good film, from director Brett Culp, also features extensive interviews with several Batman experts, including Michael Uslan, who has served as executive producer on every Batman film since 1989; comic writer and editor Dennis O’Neil, who oversaw DC Comics’ notorious “A Death in the Family” story; and Travis Langley, who penned “Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight.”

LA Times | Read the Full Article

David Poland spends 30 minutes with the incomparable Al Pacino talking about his life and career as well as his new film “The Humbling”

SoundWorks Collection talks with Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer Richard King about the sound teams extensive work on Director Christopher Nolan’s immersive sci-fi film Interstellar.

His familiar work as a screenwriter goes all the way back to Freejack in 1992. More recently, Reel Steel and The Bourne Legacy. But now he’s put on the writer/director hat with the remarkable Nightcrawler, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a true creature of darkness, created by business as usual in L.A. Gilroy spoke to David Poland about the film and the soul.

 

The high levels of noise pollution in New York City instigated the formation of a noise abatement commission. Steven explains how innovator Harvey Fletcher became part of this movement and created a roving ‘noise laboratory’ that measured the amount of sound on the streets of the city.

On November 9th, 1825, long before the invention of the electric light bulb, Scottish inventor Thomas Drummond would test a new kind of lamp that would forever but synonymous with theater.

Why is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy so compelling? How about The Matrix or Harry Potter? What makes these disparate worlds come alive are clear, consistent rules for how people, societies — and even the laws of physics — function in these fictional universes. Author Kate Messner offers a few tricks for you, too, to create a world worth exploring in your own words.

Perhaps you already caught Interstellar over the weekend. Which format did you see it in?

Bonus – here’s what it looks like in the 70mm projection booth for IMAX:

Chris Weaver on some tips for Directors and DPs to work more harmoniously on set.

Whether you’re working on a big budget movie, a TV documentary or a low budget independent film, one thing is for sure – everyone on the crew will be giving 100 percent to make that production as outstanding as it can be… so guys, good is NOT good enough! Working towards that common cause is a keystone value of every single crew member from Runners to Directors and Producers. It’s a pride thing!

Often striving for that elusive level of perfection can create a lot of friction between people, especially when the pressure’s on.

Over the years I’ve seen many conflicts between crew members, especially when an individual’s professionalism is criticized or threatened… it’s not an ego thing, it’s just pride in doing what you do.

It’s a funny thing though, one minute we’re happily working to the best of our ability, producing work we’re proud of, then all of a sudden something horrible happens, someone (usually working in a superior position to you) comes along and rattles your cage.

Through the Lens | Read the Full Article