International
Studios change strategy, cut marketing spends
MUMBAI: Seeing DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc‘s strategy for Dragon failing, it‘s come to light how Hollywood, that spends more than $4 billion a year promoting movies, is under pressure to cut costs and experiment.
From Time Warner Inc‘s Warner Bros to Walt Disney Co, Hollywood‘s stalwarts have been employing Youtube and Twitter, consolidating advertising staff and using fans to spread the message through viral marketing.
Hit by the downturn, Hollywood had cut its ad spending by 8 per cent to $4.39 billion in 2009 after cutting it short by 3 per cent in 2008. It is likely that more cuts would come about in the first half of this year.
Dreamworks spent $160 million to $175 million to market Dragon and then had to revamped its promotional materials and TV commercials right before the film released. However, its campaign fell flat with audiences.
The movie logged in $43.7 million in its domestic debut weekend compared to a projected $65 to $70 million.
In the wake of a revised campaign, Dragon has held up well and its critical praise and has earned $104.7 million in ticket sales so far.
Faced with weak DVD sales, studios like Disney and Viacom Inc‘s Paramount have cut costs by combining marketing for DVDs and theatrical releases, whereas earlier they used to have separate teams to do so.
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.
