International
Noted vfx director McCune no more
MUMBAI: 67-year old Grant McCune, the visual-effects designer of Star Wars expired of pancreatic cancer on Monday.
Incidentally. McCune had shared the honour of winning his Oscar for Star Wars, the original of George Lucas‘ six-film sci-fi franchise with John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund and Robert Blalack.
He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Armed with a bachelor‘s degree in biology, McCune got his break with Jaws, when he and Bill Shourt were hired to make a giant white shark model which neither was credited with.
He later went on to become a partner at Apogee Prods., where he worked on three dozen films including Die Hardi, Never Say Never Again, Big, Space Balls and Caddyshack amongst others. Striking out on his own, the VFX director did films such as Speed, Batman Forever, U.S. Marshals, Red Planet, U-571, Spider-Man and Serenity.
He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
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.
