International
New York shows the way as a location shoot destination
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HONG KONG: Shah Rukh Khan at Filmart 2005? Believe it or not, the Indian superstar and his blockbuster Kal Ho Na Ho was used to promote the Big Apple as a location shoot destination for film and television producers from Asia. |
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Thursday’s session ‘Promoting Film Industry in Respective Markets’ saw an American sales pitch at its aggressive and compelling best. |
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Though the session had speakers from Australia, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong as well, it was the two-woman powerhouse team representing the state of New York that dominated the discussion.  Of course, it’s important to note that the presentation had compelling content underpinning the slick packaging. The governor’s office of New York state and the mayor’s office of New York city are directly involved in film shoot activities and the rewards are there for all to see in that The Big Apple generates $ 5 billion a year from the entertainment industry. The most admirable aspect to the story is how all the different municipal and state authorities work in close coordination and cooperation with one unified aim in mind making it easy to get the job done. For those of us used to the situation at home where the left hand of the same authority (let alone others) does not know what the right is doing, makes it all the more remarkable. Some of the incentives provided to attract production work to New York include: sales tax exemption, fully refundable film production tax credits (equal to up to 15 per cent of production costs) free media time, and free use of public utility manpower (like police) as well as locations (that includes even premium ones like the Empire State Building, Times Square and the Manhattan Bridge). The facility of free media time is especially innovative and unique. New York government provides free media time that tallies up to one per cent of the production costs across multiple platforms like bus shelters, radio and television. Of particular note are the free space provided on Jumbotron screens in front of the Reuters and Nasdaq buildings. To use a baseball analogy (more so since the Big Apple is home to the New York Yankees), all bases covered. |
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.
