International
Location filming in LA rises by 4.7 per cent!
MUMBAI: According to FilmL.A.-the not-for-profit organisation that issues on-location shooting permits in the city of Los Angeles, unincorporated parts of LA County and other jurisdictions, location filming in and around Los Angeles rose 4.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year, but it was not film or TV but miscellaneous projects such as music videos, industrial videos and student films.
According to FilmL.A., there were 11,604 production days in the quarter, compared to 11,087 during the same period last year (2010).
But the news was not all that good in the major categories. “The latest data suggest a softness in the industry but not a full loss of momentum,” FilmL.A. said. “Pilot production is up, and we have a couple of big features in production, so we‘re optimistic about a better set of numbers come July,” it added.
Feature production actually declined 5.3 per cent during the quarter, even though there were 10 projects filming on location that were taking advantage of the California Film and Television Tax Credit.
In the television category, production dropped 3.7 per cent for the quarter, led by losses in TV reality (down 6.4%) and TV drama (down 2.6 per cent). TV sitcoms, reflecting a number of single-camera shows in production, saw a 77.3 per cent increase but still accounted for only 360 shooting days, and the production of TV pilots grew by 4.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, commercials increased by 2.4 per cent during the quarter altough FilmL.A. noted that that category appears to be falling from an 18-month surge that delivered a record year-over-year increase last year.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
