1 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of Strictly Business, the podcast in 2 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: which we talk with some of the brightest minds working 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: in media today. I'm Andrew Wallenstein with Variety. Last month, 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: I shared the stage with Jon Favreau at varieties Annual 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: Entertainment and Technology Summit in Los Angeles. And while there's 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: plenty to say about his career as an actor, producer, 7 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: and writer, in this conversation, we focused on his work 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: as a director, specifically his innovations and visual effects, from 9 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: The Lion King to his upcoming Disney Plus series The Mandalorian, 10 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: the latest from the Star Wars franchise. Here's an edited 11 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: recording of our conversation. We're going to talk today at 12 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: the Entertainment and Tech Summit about, as I said, really 13 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: pioneering work you've done in recent years with regard to 14 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: visual effects. UM, you know, think back to uh we saw. 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: I think when you directed The Jungle Book. I think 16 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: it was what you did with motion capture. You were 17 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: just kind of starting to really play with the tools 18 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: of the trade. But you took it to a whole 19 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: new level this year with Lion King, and we'll talk 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: a bit about that animation and of course uh you've 21 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 1: got upcoming on Disney, plus the new Star Wars series 22 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: and the Loureans. Right, so let's start there. Because you 23 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: were at D twenty three, the big Disney fan convention 24 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: just a few weeks ago, introducing that. What was it 25 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: like to get out in front of really the super 26 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: fans with something you've been sort of white hiding close 27 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: to the vest for a while. It's I've had an 28 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:45,479 Speaker 1: interesting relationship with the fans part of how the industry 29 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: has has changed, whether it was Comic Con or D 30 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: twenty three or now Star Wars celebration. It's a really interesting, 31 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: wonderful opportunity for on the one hand, to present your 32 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: message almost like a political grassroots kind of way, like 33 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: going to your fan base and saying, here's what we're 34 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: up to. And because of social media, that that resonates 35 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: outward and I think a lot of the successive Iron 36 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: Man could be attributed to that core group that echoed 37 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: out from Comic Con. But it's also a wonderful opportunity 38 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: to actually get a relationship within the case of those 39 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: those uh events. I think at the twenty three there's 40 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: like seven people in the audience, so you get this 41 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: wave of energy back at you and at your cast 42 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: and then the people who are working on the project. 43 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: Generally you show that about a year or only the 44 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: first look, and so it really puts wind in your 45 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: sales and he gets the whole team to get excited 46 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: that we're working on something, as you said, in a vacuum. 47 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: But but you get this really uh sincere authentic feedback 48 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: directly from the people, and that energy is something that 49 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: really carries you forward. Is there a pressure though, that 50 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 1: comes with not just serving a fan base that has 51 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: very high expectations, but you're you know, this is Star 52 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: Wars and this is also the really going to be 53 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: the big show for a new streaming service and Disney Plus. 54 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: Are there are like additional pressures that come with all that. 55 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: I mean, there's always I don't look down, so it 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: doesn't that doesn't like I don't know how far up 57 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: the tight rope is. I know that if you engage 58 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: with the people around you and if you can delight 59 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: if you're a fan, and you could delight yourself, and 60 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: then you have a core group of people who are 61 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: really invested in the outcome, whether it's people on your 62 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: team and your family or or the first layer of 63 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: audience that is highly engaged. I think the lesson from 64 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: Marvel was start with that group and and work your 65 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: way out, as opposed to trying to average things down 66 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: and make it appealing to the least common denominator denominator 67 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: of your audience. I think in this very vocal this 68 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: time of very vocal audiences, you see that they're very 69 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: reactive to material. Used to be, you know, if you 70 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: marketed a movie, well, you could get a big weekend 71 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: out of it, even if the movie wasn't great. Nowadays 72 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: you could see those numbers dip because everybody's talking to 73 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: one another on social media, so the audience is becoming 74 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: a big part of the conversation. And so I think 75 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: it's incumbent upon us, and I think it's always good 76 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: to do so anyway, to just make sure that you 77 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: respect the audience and engage with them, and then they'll 78 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: if you've done a good job, they'll they'll help signal 79 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: boost you and and and and take it to the 80 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: next level. It's not unlike politics in many ways, oddly 81 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: the way that you have to engage because it's it's 82 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: many tiered, but the first tier has to be the 83 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: people who are already there. Well, looking ahead at the Mandalorian, 84 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: you know, I think people now come to expect a 85 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: John Favreau project is going to have it's they're gonna 86 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: have the visual wow of The Jungle Book, the Lion King. 87 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: What in the Mandalorians do you think people will impressed 88 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,119 Speaker 1: with and explain sort of the technology that you're using 89 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: to deliver that visual pop. Well, I think that that 90 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: that you know, you always have to talk about technology 91 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: with its marriage to storytelling at least that's the nexus 92 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: point that that I think is is the crux of 93 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: the whole thing, because whether it's a story you're telling 94 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: on the screen or a story you're telling through selling 95 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: this new technology and presenting it to people. As Steve 96 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: Jobs would, our our entryway into new technologies and innovations 97 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: is always the story that we're telling through that innovation. 98 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: And in the case of what I do, it's very 99 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: a very clean version of it because you're actually telling 100 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: a story to people. It's not just a story in 101 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: marketing or not just a story in publicity, but it's 102 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: a story that they're going to see depicted, and the 103 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: technology is something that has to serve that story and 104 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: interact with it, inspire it. So in the case of 105 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: Star Wars, and each of these is a different puzzle, 106 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 1: you know. With with Lyon King, we had a different 107 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: set of parameters and used a different set of technologies 108 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: than we do for Star Wars. For Star Wars, the 109 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 1: parameters were, how do you make it feel like Star Wars? 110 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: How do you how can I tell a story set 111 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: in this particular time which is for those of you know, 112 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: Star Wars after Return of the Jedi, after the Empire falls, 113 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: what's this gritty world? I was always interested in what 114 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: inspired George Lucas originally, which were samurai films and westerns, 115 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: and how do I find a time period and a 116 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: waited to pick that in a in a manner and 117 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: a scale that is evocative of the material and the 118 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: stories that inspired George originally. And so part of what 119 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: we're doing too, you know, we have to work within 120 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: the parameters of what the streaming services and so in 121 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: many ways it follows the structure of a television show 122 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: in that you don't have endless post production, you don't 123 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: have endless budget, and it's really was served by the 124 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: scale of the original, which isn't the big, huge blockbuster 125 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: movies that that we see on the big screen all 126 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: the time. The original Star Wars were a bit more 127 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:04,679 Speaker 1: intimate and character driven, and so we are using technology 128 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 1: that's makes best use of that scale. And part of 129 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: what we're exploring is is using game engine real time rendering, 130 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: because with all the compositing that we're doing, we could 131 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: either do it in camera using video walls. Were were 132 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: the first production to actually take advantage of innovations that 133 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: have been taking place. In this case, we're working with 134 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: I l M and with Epic Unreal Engine, with Magnopus, 135 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: a lot of people that I've worked with before on 136 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: other projects, and we try to create a new way 137 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: to use this real time rendering where you can actually 138 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: do in camera effects on video walls with camera tracking 139 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: and parallax. Uh that want to work for for Lying 140 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: King Bequesse, that's jungles and animals and fur here it's 141 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: hard surfaces, spaceships, planets, you know, uh sand So it 142 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: has to do with what the capabilities of the technology are. 143 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: But underlying, you know, we used a game engine to 144 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: make Lion King. We use Unity and we work with 145 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: MPC and so what I'm finding is that by taking 146 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 1: advantage of all these innovations and working and collaborating with 147 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: all these different companies. UH, it's great for the project 148 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: because you get all of this new learning and all 149 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: of this enthusiasm to try to be innovative, and and 150 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: it ends up serving the audience well because it's is 151 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: beautiful um end product that they wouldn't have otherwise gotten. 152 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: And then the companies that collaborate with are happy because 153 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,839 Speaker 1: whatever we innovate there, they then branch off and innovate further. 154 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: And so just coming from those two projects, MPC has 155 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: a virtual camera suite that they do we worked with, 156 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: Epic now has built into their new system, UH, a 157 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,559 Speaker 1: filmmaking system that takes advantage of parallax and camera position 158 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 1: that they're going to be launching. I l M has 159 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: stagecraft that they've refined, which is something that started with 160 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: George all the way back and and I believe the 161 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: Prequels that is also an in camera way to do 162 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: real time render. And Magnopus as a company that's branched 163 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: off and is innovative in that space as well. So 164 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: all of these companies that that we work with then 165 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: can bring this culture, which is basically storyteller and creative, 166 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: friendly use of technology in a way that takes advantage 167 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: of the traditions of cinema and not disrupting them completely, 168 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: and then hopefully that echoes out and creates further innovation 169 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: as other filmmakers collaborate and work with that technology. And 170 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:36,559 Speaker 1: that collaboration I think was key to this new organization 171 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 1: or initiative that you've developed called Golem Creation. Yeah. Yeah, 172 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: talk a bit about what you were tempted to do 173 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: with this new entity. Well, I found I thought I 174 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: was being drawn to all sorts of disparate projects because 175 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: if you look at my list of things I'm working on, 176 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: I have a stop motion Christmas special that I'm working 177 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: on with the guys who I did stop motion for Elf, 178 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: the Kyota Brothers. I have a VR project with a 179 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: company called Weaver called Gnomes and Goblins that we've been 180 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: working on for for for I think five years, getting 181 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: ready to launch a bigger product of that, Mandalorian, which 182 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: is using in camera effects and real time render, Lion King, 183 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: which is basically creating a multiplayer v our filmmaking game 184 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: that we created the whole movie in, and then short 185 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: form pieces. So there's there's this whole weird array, and 186 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: I realized that all of them have something in common 187 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: that they're all about the nextus point of innovative technologies 188 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: and developing new technologies to serve storytelling and the filmmaking community, 189 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: and whether it's innovating based on new production techniques that 190 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 1: we're developing or innovating based on technology associated with new 191 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: platforms and distribution. There is a way for filmmaking and 192 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: technology to continue the dance that they've been in for 193 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: hundred years that have created uh breakthroughs for both. And 194 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: at this point in my career, I created Golem Golem 195 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: Creations because it seems to be more of a catch 196 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: all for the technological side of filmmaking as opposed to 197 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: having a production company where we're pouring over scripts and 198 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 1: trying to find new things to develop and trying to scale. 199 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: The company is very small, and it's all about collaborating 200 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: with other companies and other filmmakers and and creating content myself. 201 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: That is exciting because it's not just telling a story, 202 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,719 Speaker 1: but it's also innovating and shaping the course of the 203 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,960 Speaker 1: way the industry moves. I mean, it's interesting when you're 204 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: saying that you're working on projects that the implications of 205 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: which really have these reverberations for the rest of the industries, 206 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:56,359 Speaker 1: certainly because disruption is often and can be negative. But 207 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: but there's an opportunity with each innovation. And I think 208 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: that it's always been seen is a zero sum game. 209 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: And for a long time, you used to work with 210 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: your crew on a movie that were like the production 211 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: designers and the cinematographers, and then you'd have the visual 212 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,199 Speaker 1: effects supervisor and they would kind of be fighting the 213 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: zero sum game and it odds with one another, and 214 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 1: slowly I found people from both sides of the aisle 215 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: that were excited by the opportunities that the other presented. 216 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: And then you when you start to realize that that 217 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: collaborating not only helps the innovations be more effective, but 218 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,079 Speaker 1: it also allows for us to preserve the skill set 219 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: and push it forward. Of you know, work with calab Deschanel. 220 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: Kale Deschanel, amazing cinematographer, never did an effects driven movie 221 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,839 Speaker 1: in his life. We hired him to do Lion King. 222 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: We built a tool set by which he could operate cameras, 223 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: set lights, have dolly track, have a whole live action 224 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: crew around him and basically take what would have been 225 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 1: a completely animated movie and bring in the human element 226 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: to help set cameras in the layout phase. So if 227 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: you visited this that of the Lion King, there would 228 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 1: have been if you came in the beginning I was 229 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 1: working with animators, it would have looked like a Pixar movie. 230 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 1: We did layout, we did character animation, everything was in 231 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: their animatic storyboards. But if you came during our production period, 232 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: you would have seen an a D team, Dolly Grips, 233 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: a crane um, Caleb Deschanel on the wheels. You would 234 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: have seen a script supervisor, full crew running with the 235 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: cadence of a real production. Now, if that was left 236 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: to its own devices, it would have been the people 237 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: who were coding all of this new technology would have 238 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,839 Speaker 1: been setting the lights, moving the cameras, doing what you 239 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 1: do in pre vis. But you benefit from having the 240 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: skill set of these people who have spent their entire 241 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 1: lives developing this art and this craft. And so what 242 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: happens is the people from the film world start learning 243 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 1: about the technology, start requesting things like, Hey, I would 244 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: you know I wish I could have an analog focus 245 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: pulling knob so that my camera assistant could could control 246 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: when we rack focus, and so he brings in a 247 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:07,839 Speaker 1: piece of equipment. They take the weekend and code that 248 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: next thing. You know, there's a tool that pulls focus 249 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: with a focus puller, as opposed to somebody just changing 250 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,319 Speaker 1: parameters with a keyboard. At the same time, he's teaching 251 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: them how to light, because you light a video game 252 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: different than you light a movie. And so now you 253 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: have this wealth of experience that's being passed down from 254 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: Caleb to the people who are setting lights at the 255 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: boxes on the perimeter of the stage. And also as 256 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: a director, I can now interact with this whole creative 257 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: chain of command that I'm used to from my whole career. 258 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: And we could scout together in VR so that I 259 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: don't have to stand over somebody's shoulder and tell them 260 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: where I want the Dolly track and what I want 261 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: the shot to be. We could walk around and look 262 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 1: around and say, hey, this is a good background, this 263 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: is a good angle, and you have this iterative creative 264 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: process that preserves the way I came up as a director. 265 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: And now that that film has been successful, we've created 266 00:14:57,800 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: a paradigm where if other people say, how did Lion 267 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: came it, They're going to be inheriting that whole infrastructure 268 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: as opposed to using that same technology, it could have 269 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: looked like a video game design studio, which is totally different. 270 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: Disruption doesn't have to be so disruptive when you plan 271 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: according What I also thought could be disruptive, though, was 272 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: the very technology that you employed in The Lion King, 273 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: where you've got photo realistic animation. I'm sitting there watching 274 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: this incredible picture, thinking is this the beginning of a 275 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: slippery slope or even a movie populated entirely by humans 276 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: could be created in an animated sense using these technologies. Look, 277 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: I think the implications go much further than that. Like 278 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: a movie, whether it's an animated human or not animated human, 279 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: is I'm worried about a you know, deep fake, I'm 280 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: worried about I'm worried about a news flash, not a 281 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: movie as much. But I think that part of what's 282 00:15:56,360 --> 00:16:00,040 Speaker 1: interesting about this is is it shows us where the 283 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: technology is and it requires human vigilance, and you know, 284 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: there's always that's That's That's also the story of the Golem, 285 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: which is, you know, the golem can could rampage the 286 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: countryside or could protect the village. We have to make 287 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: sure that we engage with technology in a way that 288 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: serves humanity, and the best way to do it is 289 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: to is to be mindful, collaborative and aware. Um. What 290 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: I like to do as far as just answering your 291 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: your question about the implications in the film industry is 292 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: to infuse you know, these are just tools. Lion King 293 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: is the most handmade movie I've ever worked on. Every 294 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: frame was poured over by artists, the actors. We we 295 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: filmed the actors for reference, to get their performances, to 296 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: get improv overlapping. At the end of the day, the 297 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: animators interpolate that performance into animals. But there will be 298 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 1: at some point the ability to completely track people in 299 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: and have a digital version of it. I would contend 300 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: that part of what we the biggest thing we connect 301 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: with as humans as other human behavior, and so a 302 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: computer is not generating it from scratch. They're simply making 303 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: it look better and more convincing. But at its core, 304 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: if you didn't have Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan improving 305 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: and coming back and banging around, I don't think that 306 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: that would have been an entertaining the team on I 307 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:29,159 Speaker 1: Pumba would not have been entertaining characters. By the same token, 308 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: every environment that's been designed to hold a mirror up 309 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: to nature that wasn't just created by a computer, that 310 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: was created by hundreds of artists. And so you have 311 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 1: this collaboration where people are having to create every single 312 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: aspect of it. You don't inherit anything by going out 313 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:48,879 Speaker 1: into into nature and setting a camera. You have to 314 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: create everything that you photograph. So I think that it 315 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 1: is good to be cautious and understand what the implications 316 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 1: of technology represent. But I think that there is a 317 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 1: way to have it, uh boost the opportunities of creativity 318 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: because your imagination is no longer fettered in the same 319 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: way by the shortcomings of of what you can achieve 320 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,439 Speaker 1: in film. So I think that it's there. There are 321 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 1: two sides to that coin, and and that's that's honestly 322 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: why I want to focus on this so much now 323 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: because I feel I'm in a in a in a 324 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: unique position to help inform that conversation. I think it's 325 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 1: an important conversation and do you but you know, to 326 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: take it where too deep fake territory? Are you even 327 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: thinking about that level in terms of what society can 328 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,160 Speaker 1: protect with that kind of footage. Well, it's the same 329 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: people innovating for all these things, and so technology when 330 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: you understand what AI is doing and how things are 331 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: how how there's machine learning and I'm glad that they 332 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: have deep fake videos on on on YouTube. I want 333 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: people to understand it in a way where it's not 334 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 1: so charged, so they could say, oh, wow, that's what 335 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 1: that's what technology is capable of. And we all know 336 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: more as law, it's just going to get more, And 337 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: so we have to ask some questions of ourselves as 338 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: a society and as a culture of how do we 339 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,680 Speaker 1: I don't think the Ostrich method of sticking your head 340 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 1: in the ground is going to save you know, anybody 341 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: from from the challenges of the future. I think that 342 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: we have to have um we have to engage with 343 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: it in a way that is thoughtful and in a 344 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: way that takes into consideration where we think things are going. 345 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 1: And but does that imply that you could possibly like 346 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 1: it seems to me that technology does what technology does, 347 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:39,239 Speaker 1: So are there really any safeguards an industry or an 348 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: internet company could put on this to control the situation. 349 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: I think you have to explain. I'm not an expert 350 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: in this area, so I can only speculate as you would. 351 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: But what I would say is that focusing your attention 352 00:19:55,920 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: on things that are potentially problematic is a good is 353 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,159 Speaker 1: a good step. And I think that when people are 354 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: unaware or ignore the trends that are happening is when 355 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: you get caught off balance. And what gives me, what's 356 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: encouraging to me, is that the people who are behind 357 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 1: all of this, it's just it's people and and and 358 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:23,880 Speaker 1: and and there are a lot of people who share 359 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:26,200 Speaker 1: common values and I and I don't think it's for 360 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: a lack of concern or a lack of being motivated 361 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: to make the world a better place moving forward. Uh, 362 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: But I think that, you know, there's sort of this 363 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 1: balancing act that we have to find where where where 364 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,160 Speaker 1: you're not ringing an alarm belt and freaking everybody out 365 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: just to get their attention. You know, you don't want 366 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 1: the car alarm going off all the time, otherwise you 367 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: can't hear the car alarm anymore. But by the same token, 368 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: you don't want to be um optimistic without having uh, 369 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: just trusting that things are going to work out in 370 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: a positive way. I think the you know, the challenge 371 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: of our time is to find a way to to 372 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: to benefit from all the wonderful aspects that technology has 373 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:15,719 Speaker 1: to offer. And I think that if you look at 374 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: trends over time, it's a net gain like we we 375 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: have even in just our lifetime seen just by any 376 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: measure of of you know, the the positive positive limitation 377 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: of you know, the elimination of suffering, the health benefits, 378 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: life expectancy, people being pulled up out of poverty like 379 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: technology can help. There's there's no argument that technology can 380 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: be a net gain. The question is how do we 381 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: how do we protect against unintended consequences and innovation And 382 00:21:55,240 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: that's and that's the story of every fable surround ending 383 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: innovations and technology. There's always the Sorcerer's Apprentice story of 384 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: the mops getting too many buckets of water. You know, 385 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: that's what it is, that's Frankenstein. That's the goal of 386 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 1: So I think the trick is how do you how 387 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 1: do you engage with it? You know, it's what do 388 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: they say with first lesson in surfing, you don't turn 389 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: your back to the water. You don't turn your back 390 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,359 Speaker 1: to the sea, have a healthy respect for these about 391 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: what's going on. Uh, but let's get like minded people 392 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: to engage with it in a way where we maximize 393 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: the upside and and minimize the downside. You got on 394 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: this innovation track by working in virtual reality, and you 395 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: talked about getting back to the Gnomes and Goblins. Uh. 396 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 1: Is the virtual reality market where you think it needs 397 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: to be in terms of you know, pouring your energies 398 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: in a VR project. Yeah, well, I don't know how 399 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: to time the market like that's not the way. I 400 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: don't know that. I would have thought that v would 401 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: have had more consumer adoption earlier based on the early 402 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,680 Speaker 1: developments that I saw in early development kits for like 403 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,120 Speaker 1: the Vibe and the experience I had when I first 404 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: put it on. There are challenges in the adoption in 405 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: the in the in the consumer marketplace that you know, 406 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: if you look at the curve, it's just a slower curve. 407 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: I know that technology is not going away. With all 408 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: of this great consumer facing hardware that came out and 409 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: everything that I learned working on Nomes and Goblins that 410 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: allowed us to create these platforms in a more industrial 411 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: capacity to make Lion King and to make the Mandalorian 412 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: and you know, based on what the shortcomings were with 413 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 1: the systems that we used on Jungle Book, which we're 414 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 1: essentially inheriting from Jim Cameron Avatar. From Avatar, so you 415 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: had motion. A lot of the same people were working 416 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: on both those movies as motion capture, it's motion builder, 417 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 1: it's it's a very specific market for a set of 418 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: tools that are expensive and there's not a lot of 419 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,400 Speaker 1: incentive for innovation. All of a sudden, all these game 420 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 1: engines pop on the scene. I'm working of that pick 421 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: on the first season the Mandalorian, and they they have 422 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,800 Speaker 1: Fortnite like they have they have revenue streams that are 423 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: um you know, that are very robust, and so that 424 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: allows for a much more you know, uh, enthusiastic engagement 425 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: when it comes to R and D. Same thing with Unity, 426 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: you know, working with them on on The Lion King, 427 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,440 Speaker 1: and they have you know, they're in gaming, so you're 428 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: not dealing with people who are just dealing with a 429 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: handful of filmmakers who are doing motion capture. Now we're 430 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: having all this great hardware and VR hardware and and 431 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: and opted tracks, all these things that you could buy 432 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: you know, off the shelf as a consumer. And that 433 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 1: was the big breakthrough in video made game video cards 434 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: that allowed for a refresh rate that was fast enough 435 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: to drive a full stage of video walls for the 436 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,440 Speaker 1: Star Wars project. That wouldn't have been possible five years ago. 437 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 1: So it's seeing what those breakthroughs are. You could use 438 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 1: them for storytelling uh and and how to again allow 439 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,119 Speaker 1: be aware of what's coming up and finding ways to 440 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,159 Speaker 1: see how all those things can interact uh and and 441 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 1: distribution models are changing too in audience habits, and I 442 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,200 Speaker 1: think that you know, that's also you know, the positive 443 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: side of um you know, all these these breakthroughs because 444 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: you can make very specific programming. I've been trying to 445 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: make a stop motion Christmas special since Elf. The business 446 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 1: model wasn't there now all of a sudden, you know, 447 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 1: because of Netflix, I can or I could do a 448 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 1: cooking show, like there's nothing technical about a cooking show. 449 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:43,040 Speaker 1: I love cooking with Roy Choy. We there's an audience 450 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,360 Speaker 1: for that on that platform because you could seek out 451 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 1: exactly what you want now and so you have narrow 452 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: casting too, and so I think it creates a much 453 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,719 Speaker 1: richer environment for storytellers, and the barriers of entry are 454 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: just dropping dramatically. I worked with Donald Glover. He started 455 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: off basically creating his own stories on on YouTube and 456 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,920 Speaker 1: that slowly evolved into a very dynamic, impressive career of 457 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 1: being in a writer's room doing stand up music. But 458 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: it all came from the the lowering of the barrier 459 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: ventrly the gate the disappearance of gatekeepers. So you're gonna 460 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:22,120 Speaker 1: have this democratization of creativity that that technology also has 461 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:26,199 Speaker 1: has been offering us. Um it sounds like you're at 462 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,720 Speaker 1: the bleeding edge of of a pretty big trend in 463 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,880 Speaker 1: terms of and I think it's somewhat democratization fueled lots 464 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 1: of new tools improving what you're able to do on 465 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: a screen. So is what you're is what you're doing, 466 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: paving the way, you think, for sort of this new 467 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: generation to come and and make movies in a way 468 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 1: that is very different than was done ten years ago. 469 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: I think that would be overstating it. I think what 470 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,639 Speaker 1: the goal here is to just say make a decision saying, hey, 471 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 1: let's engage with this, Let's see what the opportunities are here, 472 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 1: Let's see how we could not how we could preserve 473 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: what's good about how we came up and and and 474 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 1: pay honor to the traditions that that we came up 475 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: through um in filmmaking. And let's invite like minded people 476 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: to collaborate together, because ultimately it's going to be the 477 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: human factor that that shapes our path into the future. 478 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: And and it's the people who are innovating in these 479 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 1: areas and creating these new tools or showing us how 480 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: to use them that's going to determine what we inherit 481 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 1: and what the future holds. And you know, uh, I 482 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: think that it's part of my responsibility. Two, I've been 483 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 1: I've been lucky enough to have a wonderful career telling 484 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,879 Speaker 1: stories and having innovations that other people have developed for 485 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: me to enjoy, and for me to then pass some 486 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: of that onto the next generation, and for me to 487 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 1: help preserve what those who came before me are concerned about. 488 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: I think there's some thing that's very fulfilling in that 489 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 1: for me, and hopefully in getting like minded people who 490 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: are cautiously optimistic about the future to come together and 491 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,280 Speaker 1: be at the forefront of those innovations. Makes gives me 492 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: comfort in in the uncertainty that always you always face 493 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 1: whenever you're at a at a point of you know, 494 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,640 Speaker 1: of transition. It sounds like a good note to end on. John, 495 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:23,399 Speaker 1: Thanks for coming in and talking about it. To thank you, 496 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 1: this has been another episode of Strictly Business. Tune in 497 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: next week for another helping of scintillating conversation with media 498 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,159 Speaker 1: movers and shakers, and please make sure you subscribe to 499 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: the podcast to hear future episodes. Also, leave a review 500 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: in Apple Podcast let us know how we're doing.