News

Luma AI, a Silicon Valley startup whose backers include Nvidia and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is launching an L.A. studio and appointing two seasoned execs to key roles.

“Dream Lab LA” is Luma’s name for its new operation in the entertainment capital. The company describes it as a “creative engine room” using “frontier” AI technology to propel storytelling of all kinds. Founder and CEO Amit Jain, who spent more than four years at Apple helping develop its Vision Pro headset, among other projects, said Luma will use the new LA base to “build what everyone else is still guessing at.”

Verena Puhm has been named head of the new studio, and Jon Finger has been hired as a creative workflow executive, Luma also announced.

Puhm, an early AI adopter, has created work for CNN, the BBC, Netflix, Red Bull Media, and Leonine Studios. Projects she has led have garnered recognition from Sundance,...

As curators of independent film, we here at Directors Notes have seen first hand the existential fear which has been forced into the minds of filmmakers having suddenly been confronted by rapidly developing generative AI tools. After surreptitiously slurping up all of their work, locking it up in proprietor models and attempting to sell it back to them, or worse, those who cut the cheques for their creative endeavours – looking at you Coca Cola – it’s no wonder that AI is viewed with suspicion and outright hostility by some. But does that make the technology an all or nothing, choose your side front in a boycotting battle or another tool in your creative arsenal? Case in point for the latter comes from director Chris Boyle of London-based mixed-media studio Private Island who in their brain melting satirical short Meme, Myself and A.I. turn the tools conceptually against themselves while also...

Exclusive: A generative AI film competition is coming to LA Tech Week next month, and submissions are now open to join.

Fbrc.AI has teamed up with Amazon Web Services to co-host the inaugural event, dubbed the Culver Cup, which will give filmmakers, developers and creatives access to artificial intelligence tools to experiment and create original short films.

The top eight projects will be screened at the Culver Theater on October 14, as part of LA Tech Week. The screening will be followed by live judging sessions.

“We are excited to partner with Aws to showcase the next generation of filmmakers at our inaugural Culver Cup. This one-of-a-kind event challenges participants to push the boundaries of storytelling and innovation, using these tools to boost their human creativity and create something totally new and unexpected,” said Todd Terrazas, Co-Founder of Fbrc.ai.

Terrazas is also the principal organizer for AI on the Lot,...

Track by Track is our recurring feature series in which artists guide readers through each song on their latest release. Today, New York City rocker Des Rocs give us insight into his sophomore album, Dream Machine.

Des Rocs, aka Danny Rocco, sports the silhouette of a young Elvis Presley, and his brand of self-described “bedroom arena rock” tugs at the rock ‘n’ roll of the past with the intent of making the present a bit more tolerable.

Fused with the wit of an artist forging his path in the competitive New York City circuit, his music transcends pastiche and is frankly refreshing. There’s tangible joy: bombastic chords, anthemic Queen-esque choruses, glam-metal swagger. In a gloomy world where many musicians are making gloomy music, Des Rocs sounds like the damn antidote.

“It’s 2:10 in the morning / I’m on the Bqe … Come on take a joy ride / In my dream machine.

New York rocker Des Rocs has announced his sophomore album, Dream Machine, due August 25th via Sumerian Records. In advance of its release, he’s unleashed the single “Nowhere Kid.”

Des Rocs is the stage name of Danny Rocco, who made waves with his 2021 debut A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place. He co-produced the new album with Alain Johannes and Matt Wallace.

“Nowhere Kid” follows previous single “Never Ending Moment,” which arrived in April. Regarding the new song, Rocs stated, “‘Nowhere Kid’ is an anthem for the lonely. A battle hymn for anyone wrestling with the isolation of modern life. Growing up, I struggled to reconcile my dreams with my surroundings.”

He added, “There was this constant inner-monologue that ran in circles around who I was versus who I wanted to be. I hope ‘Nowhere Kid’ can be a beacon to guide those struggling with a dreadful...

With both The Hatton Garden Job in UK cinemas now, and We Still Steal the Old Way available on DVD from today, I thought i’d take a look at my favourite Top Five Heist/Crime Caper Movies… In order (for a change) they are:

5) In Security

In Security tells the story of best friends Kevin and Bruce, who are co-owners of a failing home security company in a town with no crime. As a last ditch effort to drum up some business, they start robbing the neighbors to instill fear and create a need for their services but bullets fly when they unwittingly rob the wrong guy – a suburban drug lord with a penchant for kitchen gadgets.

It’s fair to say I love a good goofball crime caper, but In Security however has much more than being just a “crime caper” going for it. For one it stars one of my favourite actors,...

I’m a huge fan of 80’s teen movies and teen movies in general – yes I may not be the target demographic, but there’s something about the genre I love, and always will love. The advent of DVD means that there’s an abundance of teen movies now available to own, including some that should probably have never seen the light of day. But despite that, there’s still some teen movies that haven’t made the transition to the shiny disc format. So here’s a rundown of my Ten Teen Movies that haven’t made it to DVD – in fact I think some of these never even made it to retail VHS!!

Overnight Delivery

After learning his girlfriend, Kim, is cheating on him, an under-grad college student, Trips, sends a breakup letter to her with a fake “used” condom and a topless picture of him and his stripper friend,...

I am, and always will be a fan of the two Corey’s, so to hear of Corey Haim’s passing earlier today came as something of a shock. Whilst I have already posted a quick tribute this morning, I’ve had time to think about the situtation and can think of nothing better than celebrating Corey Haim’s body of work, and perhaps highlighting some of his films that you may never have seen.

So in honour of one of my favourite actors I present the Top Ten Movies of Corey Haim:

1) Dream a Little Dream

Whilst this bodyswap film (of sorts) did excellent business in the Us, spawning a Top 10 hit song, Dream a Little Dream didn’t set the UK alight. I didn’t discover the film until 1992 when I first rented it at my local video shop, in fact once I did rent the tape...

News reaches us via @BreakingNews that 80’s superstar Corey Haim has passed away. The actor, 38, was pronounced dead at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, this morning after an apparent overdose, police said.

According to MSNBC, police learned of the death, which occurred between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m, when staff at the hospital called authorities, said Sgt. Frank Albarren of the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Station:

It was an apparent overdose. Unknown what type of medication.

People magazine reports on its website that Haim was found unresponsive at his Southern California apartment. His mother was said to be with him at the time.

Corey Haim is most famous for his association with actor Corey Feldman, with whom he acted with in numerous movies during the 80s and beyond. The duo also starred in the A&E television series The Two Coreys, where they...