International
British comedian Eric Sykes no more
MUMBAI: Well-known British comedian Eric Sykes expired yesterday; he was 89.
Sykes was one of the most popular comic actors of his generation having appeared in shows in London‘s West End into his 80s.
He began his career writing scripts for BBC shows, co-writing 24 episodes of the classic radio comedy The Goon Show with the late Spike Milligan. He appeared in the Sykes and a sitcom about a brother and sister living together in west London, which ran in the 1960s and 1970s. He went on to write and act in theatre shows and films including an appearance in The Others starring Nicole Kidman and also in the Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Sykes also wrote scripts for Peter Sellers and other major British actors. TV star and former Monty Python member Michael Palin said Sykes was “one of the nicest, most decent men in the business and one of a kind.”
Sykes was survived by his wife, Eith Eleanore Milbrandt, and his four children.
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.
