Podcast recording and editing platform odcastle is now joining other companies in the AI-powered, text-to-speech race by releasing its own AI model called Asyncflow v1.0. An API for developers will also be available, allowing them to directly integrate the text-to-speech model in their apps.Thanks to the new model, the company is able to offer more than 450 AI voices that can narrate your text. The startup said that it developed the technology and model in such a way that its training and inference costs are low, giving it an advantage against competitors.With the move, Podcastle joins a number of startups, including ElevenLabs, Speechify, and WellSaid, that have developed technology and AI models to convert any kind of text into a voice clip narrated by AI. This technology spans use cases like marketing, advertisement, content creation, education, and corporate training. Podcastles founder, Arto Yeritsyan, told TechCrunch that the company had always wanted to build a text-to-speech model, but the cost of training and data requirements for that were very high.We wanted to build a robust text-to-speech model since our inception. However, the costs of development were very high. Thanks to recent large language model developments, we were able to reach a breakthrough last year to get to a place where we could build a high-quality voice model without needing a ton of data, Yeritsyan said.The company was also aided in its efforts by its $13.5 million Series A fundraise last year.Yeritsyan said that while Podcastle charges around $40 per 500 minutes of text-to-speech conversion, ElevenLabs charges $99 for the same.Podcastles voice cloning feature is getting an upgrade, as well, to create a quicker process for training. Earlier, the training process involved reading roughly 70 different sentences. Now, it just needs a few seconds of recording from you to create a clone of your voice. The new process also used Podcastles Magic Dust AI, which was released last year, to improve audio recording quality.Image Credits: PodcastleIn our testing, the voice created with the new process sounded a bit robotic, though it mimicked our tone. The company said that, over time, it will improve the feature. Plus, you can train different samples of your voice to get different results.Podcastle said that apart from costs, having tools for audio, video, podcasts, and AI-powered narration under one redesigned site will give it an edge over competitors. Yeritsyan said that while the majority of the users use Podcastle to work on audio content, video is catching up to it as well.

Google Colab, Googles cloud-based notebook tool for coding, data science, and AI, is gaining a new AI agent tool, Data Science Agent, to help Colab users quickly clean data, visualize trends, and get insights on their uploaded data sets.First announced at Googles I/O developer conference early last year, Data Science Agent was initially launched as a standalone project. However, Google decided to integrate it into Colab with the goal of helping users access the agent directly from a Colab notebook, said Kathy Korevec, director of product at Google Labs, in an interview.Data Science Agent is available for free as of this week in Colab, although Colab limits free users to a relatively low amount of computing. Google offers a range of paid Colab plans with higher limits starting at $9.99.Data Science Agent is primarily aimed at data scientists and AI use cases, but the agent can also help find API anomalies, analyze customer data, and write SQL code. All users need to do is upload their data and ask the agent a question.Data Science Agent in Google ColabImage Credits:GoogleData Science Agent uses Googles Gemini 2.0 AI model family on the backend, along with reasoning tools to help with feature engineering and data cleaning tasks. Korevec told TechCrunch that Google is constantly improving the agent and using techniques including reinforcement learning, as well as integrating user suggestions, to enhance Data Science Agents performance.Data Science Agent currently only supports CSV, JSON, or .txt files under 1GB in size. It can analyze about 120,000 tokens in a single prompt, which works out to about 480,000 words. Korevec said that Data Science Agent may come to additional dev-focused Google apps and services in the future.Were scratching the surface of what people can do here, she said. Because its an agent, we can integrate it into a bunch of different tools, and I dont necessarily want to force people who are shy about looking at the code to go to Colab.

TransPerfect, a provider of language and AI solutions for global businesses, has acquired Technicolor Games, the gaming division of Technicolor Group. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.TransPerfect Gaming provides comprehensive video game solutions, from pre-production to launch to player support. Its global team offers expertise in accessibility, art production, audio services, localization, marketing, quality assurance, player support, community management, and testing.According to the company, TransPerfect will welcome all Technicolor Games India employees back into the Bangalore facility to ensure continuity of business for all clients. Division CEO Andy Emery and VP of Global Business Development Eric Williams will continue to lead Technicolor Games, which will operate as a division of TransPerfect Gaming. Emery and Williams will join TransPerfect's senior leadership team.With offices in London, San Francisco, Montreal, and Bangalore, Technicolor Games includes more than 400 creative artists specializing in concept art, 3D art, animation, VFX, and cinematics. The company works with a global clientele, including Electronic Arts, Capcom, and 2K, on AAA titles such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Hogwarts Legacy, FC25, and Street Fighter 6.With the support of clients, employees, and industry partners, this acquisition ensures that the legacy of Technicolor Games continues, reinforcing its reputation as a premier provider of art, animation, and VFX services to the global video game industry, said Emery.Technicolor is a renowned brand and this division has an impressive track record of producing stunning creative work, added Phil Shawe, TransPerfect President and Co-CEO We warmly welcome all team members of Technicolor Games to the TransPerfect family.While Technicolor Games has been saved from Technicolor Creative Studios bankruptcy filings, MPC and Mikros Animation are still on the chopping block.Source: TransPerfect Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.

In 2024, Alessandro Ongaro shared insights into the visual effects of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Today, he returns to the Marvel universe to reveal the VFX secrets of Captain America: Brave New World.How did you first get involved with Captain America: Brave New World, and what were some of the early creative discussions like?I had just wrapped up my previous show and was at that classic crossroadstake a well-earned break or dive straight into something new. Naturally, I chose the latter! I met with Danielle Costa (VP of VFX at Marvel), who pitched me the idea of taking over Captain America: Brave New World. After meeting with Julius Onah, the films director, and the producers, I was completely on board.One of the first big creative discussions revolved around reworking one of the movies biggest action sequences. The scene was undergoing some story revisions, and while the team at DD Previz had already done a lot of work, we needed to make substantial changes, particularly in terms of action beats and storytelling. It was a thrilling challenge right from the start!(L-R): Director Julius Onah, Xosha Roquemore, and Anthony Mackie behind the scenes of Marvel Studios CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Ad. 2024 MARVEL.With so many studios collaborating on VFX-heavy films, how did you select the different VFX houses for this project? What unique strengths did each bring?I was incredibly fortunate to be partnered with an amazing VFX Producer, Yasamin Ismaili, who had been on the film since its inception. She and Bill Westenhofer, my predecessor, had already mapped out a strategic plan for tackling the films biggest VFX challenges.Weta FX took on everything Red Hulk-related, given their deep expertise in complex character animation and effects. Digital Domain (DD) handled the dogfight action sequence, leveraging their extensive experience with high-energy action. UPP was already on board as well, taking care of many of the films invisible effects and delivering stunning work on the White House sequence.From there, Yas and I worked together to divide up the rest of the work efficiently, minimizing shared assets and shot dependencies. We brought in Barnstorm VFX, who did some incredible work, and Outpost VFX, who handled the films new opening, which required extensive face replacements. Luma Picutres was tasked with one of the most challenging creative and technical sequencesStern, aka The Leader. The remaining work was split between Opsis, Crafty Apes, SDFX Studios, and two fantastic in-house compositors. Scanline VFX also contributed a really cool shot for the film.For Previz, DDs previz team, led by the incredible Cameron Ward, worked on the major action sequence, while Weta FX handled all the previs and postvis for Red Hulk, with Sidney Kombo-Kintombo leading as their fantastic Animation Supervisor. The Third Floor took care of most of the postvis for Additional Photography (AP).On the graphics side, Cantina Creative delivered stunning screen graphics for the White House scenes, while Greg Herman, our in-house graphic designer, crafted the rest.There was also some early work done by ILM before my time, though unfortunately, it didnt make the final cut.Lastly, I want to give a special mention to Marc D. Rienzo, who joined us toward the end as Additional VFX Supervisor and played a crucial role in getting us across the finish line.Can you share how you worked with the producer to balance creative vision with practical and budgetary constraints?Yasamin had most of it already figured outshes incredible at what she does. Her meticulous planning allowed me to focus primarily on the creative aspects of the work without having to worry about shot breakdowns and budgeting, unless my input was needed. I couldnt have asked for a better partner on the show. Thanks to her, I was able to stay focused on the creative vision while she ensured I had the support I needed to bring it to life.What were the biggest challenges in designing and animating Captain Americas latest armor? How did you ensure it felt both practical and futuristic?Both Sam and Joaquins suits were practical and designed by Marvel Studios VisDev team. Our job was to create their digital counterparts for full CG shots or digital takeovers. DD, supervised by Hanzhi Tang, built both suits and then shared the assets with Weta and Outpost to maintain consistency across vendors.Sams wings were one of the biggest challenges. While they were first introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, their functionality in Brave New World required far more complexity. They had to bend, twist, and wrap around Sam in ways that made the rigging incredibly intricate. On top of that, we added a Vibranium energy effect, which was developed by Weta and then shared back with DD and Outpost to integrate seamlessly.How did you balance photorealism with the comic-book aesthetic for Captain Americas movement and action sequences?Finding the right balance between photorealism and a comic-book aesthetic was a long process, especially for the aerial sequences.For the films opening, we shot practically, so aside from a few special moves, everything stayed fairly grounded. The same approach applied to the Rose Garden and Hains Point scenesmost of it was filmed practically, with either Anthony Mackie himself or a stunt double. Of course, there were some digital takeovers (or vice versa), but we really focused on keeping everything as human-like as possibleafter all, Sam didnt take the serum.The aerial action sequence was a different story. Here, we embraced more creative freedomafter all, the scene had to look spectacular, and staying strictly within the laws of physics would have made that impossible. The entire sequence was choreographed in previs by Cameron and his team. One of the key constraints I gave them was to keep the camera work as realistic as possibleusing hard-mounted setups, aerial photography, and long lenses from the groundonly breaking these rules for specific shots. The same principle applied to the performances.It was definitely a challenge to make two humans flying at over 500 mph against four fighter jets feel believable, but I think we struck the right balance. Even the missile-surfing shotwhile definitely impracticalwent through countless iterations to find that sweet spot. We refined it again and again, first in previs and later in animation with Frankie Stellato and his team. I lost count of how many versions we went through, but in the end, I think we landed on something that feels just right.How did you approach close-up shots where Captain America transitions between practical and fully digital armor, ensuring seamless integration?It really depended on the shot. For the big aerial sequence, I shot most of the close-ups with Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez on stage. They were in full suits, wearing their helmets without the visors. We meticulously planned each shot on paper beforehand, so on the day of the shoot, we knew exactly where the camera and key light needed to be.Instead of using wires, they stood upright while looking up, since we knew their suits would ultimately be replaced with CG. Our main focus was capturing the best possible faceplates with natural shadows from the helmets, ensuring seamless integration later.Of course, things evolved during post-productionsome shots ended up becoming fully CG. But because we had prioritized proper lighting and composition during filming, the transition between practical and digital remained seamless.The island formed by the Celestial Tiamut is one of the films most ambitious environments. How did you approach designing such a massive, otherworldly setting?The Celestial Island asset was originally created for Eternals and had been part of our films concept long before I came on board. Since its the source of Adamantiuma key element driving the conflict between the U.S. and Japanit was crucial to the story. The environment itself was massive and truly unique. In fact, for Brave New World, we had to scale it down to make staging the scenes more manageableotherwise, the sheer size would have made it impossible to frame the action effectively.That said, Tiamuts presence worked to our advantage. Its distinct geography helped us maintain a consistent sense of orientation throughout the film, ensuring that even within such a vast and otherworldly setting, the audience could always follow the action.The idea of an island growing around Tiamut was part of an early version of the film, but it eventually took on more of a secondary role. While a full build of the island exists, it was never heavily featured in the final movie.As for Tiamuts surface, in Eternals, it was transformed into a stone-like material, and that same appearance carries over into Brave New World. Since this look was already well-established, our focus was on maintaining consistency rather than redesigning it from scratch.How did you handle lighting and atmospheric effects to enhance the islands scale and its integration with live-action footage?One of the advantages of this scene is that its 99% fully CG which gave us full control over the environmentboth in terms of lighting and atmospheric effects. Since we had a completed previs before shooting Additional Photography, we already had a clear idea of where the light should be in relation to our heroes and the fighter jet pilots.That said, things evolved slightly in postmostly in terms of color temperature. Originally, we aimed for an early-morning look, so we shot with a warmer key light. However, as the sequence developed, we shifted toward a more neutral tone. The warmer lighting was making the scene feel a bit too magical, which wasnt the tone we wanted. As a result, the DD team had to color-correct the faceplates and cockpit shots to match this new direction.This more neutral lighting also helped with realism, especially for the jetsparticularly the F-35, whose minimal design and smooth surfaces make it tricky to light convincingly. Stronger key lighting helped define its shape and integrate it more naturally into the environment.CG clouds played a crucial role as well. They reinforced Tiamuts scale and added a greater sense of speed during the dogfight moments. While the cloud layout remained consistent throughout the sequence, we sometimes placed them manually to enhance visual composition or subtly guide the audiences focus. Finally, we added wispy atmospheric elements in close-up shots to further sell the sense of speedboth for the jets and our heroesmaking the action feel more dynamic and immersive.What were the key creative discussions around the visual design of Red Hulk? Did you draw inspiration from any specific comics or other media?The design of Red Hulk started with Marvel Studios VisDev department before I joined the project, so Im not fully aware of their original sources of inspiration. However, from the very beginning, it was clear that he had to bear a strong resemblance to Harrison Ford. Once the design was approved, it was handed off to Dan Cox and his team at Weta FX, who began the sculpting process. One of Wetas major contributionsbeyond ensuring the anatomy and musculature were anatomically correctwas refining the likeness to Harrison Ford.For instance, Red Hulks eyes are 100% Harrisons, and his trademark chin scar was faithfully incorporated. His mouth shape, nose, lips, and eyebrows were also heavily adjusted to match Fords facial structure, including his natural asymmetry. These details played a crucial role in giving Red Hulk a distinct personality and, more importantly, ensuring that Harrisons facial performance translated effectively onto the character.Red Hulks transformation scenes are typically dramatic and intense. How did you tackle these sequences to ensure they felt powerful yet grounded?For Julius, everything in the film had to feel as grounded as possible, and Red Hulks transformation was no exception. One of our early inspirations for this sequence was the iconic transformation scene in An American Werewolf in Londonso much so that some shots in the original previs were direct homages to that moment.Our Red Hulk asset was actually built with the ability to fully transform from Harrison Fords body to RH directly in-camera, capturing a raw and visceral brutality. However, as things evolved in post-production, the decision was made to keep the transformation more mysteriousless gory and mostly off-camera.That said, we still kept the original concept in mind while crafting the final shots, ensuring that even with a more restrained approach, the transformation retained its intensity. So Id say we did a pretty good job! What advancements in muscle simulation, skin shading, or facial animation were applied to achieve Red Hulks realism and expressive range?Creating Red Hulks anatomy and muscle behavior was an evolution of W?t? FXs previous techniques. They captured high-quality body reference, modeled a new high-resolution muscle system, and transitioned to an improved simulation engine. Additionally, they developed a complex multi-layered approach to muscle activation and introduced a new method for adding fine details to the skin.To ensure realism, Wetas Animation, Models, Creatures, and Look Development teams studied a bodybuilder as a key reference. They analyzed his range of motion and how his muscle mass moved and interacted with his skin, helping to ground Red Hulks proportions and movement in reality.For facial animation, a combination of keyframing and facial capture from Harrison Fords performance was used to maintain authenticity. Every effort was made to hand-animate Red Hulks expressions to match specific emotional beats, ensuring that his performance felt unmistakably Harrison.The ultimate goal was to make sure the audience could truly see Harrison Ford behind Red Hulks faceand I think we achieved that.Were there any unexpected technical or creative challenges encountered during the production?One of the things I love about this job is its unpredictability. On a film of this scale, you always have to be ready for things not to go as plannedwhether during the shoot or in post. Thats where having a strong team makes all the difference. Ultimately, our biggest challenge is always time. It constantly pushes us to think on our feet and find creative solutions to unexpected obstacles.That said, this film was an incredible experience. Working with such talented peopleboth on the production side and with our VFX partnersmade it truly memorable. Challenges are what keep us sharp, and each one is an opportunity to grow and get better at what we do.Were there any memorable moments or scenes from the film that you found particularly rewarding or challenging to work on from a visual effects standpoint?We always get asked this question, and my answer is always the same: Choosing a favorite scene or shot is like choosing a favorite childI just cant! That said, theres so much great work in this movie that doesnt always get the recognition it deserves. Luma Pictures did an exceptional job on Stern, and the invisible effects from UPP and Barnstorm were so seamlessly executed that they go completely unnoticedwhich, in a way, is the ultimate compliment for that kind of work.Keep an eye out for their VFX reels when theyre releasedthey deserve all the love!How long have you worked on this show?Exactly 1 year.Whats the VFX shots count?Around 1300.What is your next project?Cant say it yetA big thanks for your time.WANT TO KNOW MORE?Digital Domain: Dedicated page about Captain America: Brave New World on Digital Domain website.Outpost VFX: Dedicated page about Captain America: Brave New World on Outpost VFX website.UPP: Dedicated page about Captain America: Brave New World on UPP website.Weta FX: Dedicated page about Captain America: Brave New World on Weta FX website. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

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As interest in generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues to rise, the 3D printing industry has witnessed growth in text-to-CAD platforms. These tools allow users to create 3D printable CAD files from simple text prompts, making additive manufacturing more widely accessible.Over the past year, Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturerBambu LabandMarkforgeds founder Greg Mark have separately announced newAI 3D model generationsoftware. Other platforms, like Meshy.ai, OpenAI Point-E, neThing.xyz, and Googles DreamFusion, offer similar capabilities. Leading chip designer NVIDIA joined the industry-wide movement at the start of 2023 with its own generative AI tool.Another company active in this space is Zoo. The Los Angeles-based software developer offers a CAD modelling app, model comparison extension for GitHub, and an AI-powered text-to-CAD tool. The latter, an open-source platform that generates CAD files from short text prompts, leverages the firms KittyCAD design API and ML-ephant machine learning API. These create 3D printable models by programmatically analyzing training data.KittyCAD was the companys original name when it launched in 2021. However, in January 2024, the Californian tech firm rebranded to Zoo. According to Co-founder and Executive Chairman Jordan Noone, this move came amid a split within the customer base. A growing number of developers were leveraging the design API to build proprietary tools, while other users were only interested in the Modeling App and Text-to-CAD capabilities. This has left us with a challenge these two customer cohorts are looking for very different things, he stated in a blog post.Noone, the Co-founder and former CTO of aerospace manufacturer Relativity Space, explained that Zoo is now the companys umbrella brand. KittyCAD survives as the name of its flagship design API.Zoo Text-to-CAD user interface. Image via Zoo.KittyCAD becomes ZooKittyCAD launched in 2021 to develop software and API for hardware design. The company set out to build the CAD of the future: fully programmable, user friendly, multi-threaded, and fast. Backed by Embedded Ventures, Noones deep tech venture capital firm, the startup has claimed to be the worlds first and only company to build hardware design infrastructure for the internet.In addition to a pre-seed financing round led by Embedded, KittyCAD was also part of NVIDIAs Inception program. This initiative is designed to help startups achieve growth and innovation during product development, prototyping, and deployment. It offers access to NVIDIA expertise, while facilitating connections with venture capitalists, AI organizations, and industry experts.During KittyCADs 2024 rebranding and the introduction of Zoo, the new-look company also unveiled its machine learning API, ML-ephant. The interface reportedly bridges the gap between machine learning and hardware design by shortcutting from design intent to a CAD model. It is trained on the companys proprietary data and uses the KittyCAD Design API. This is built on Zoos GPU-native Geometry Engine, allowing the machine learning API to generate CAD files by programmatically analyzing training data.Jordan Noone, Co-founder and former CTO of Relativity Space alongside the Stargate 3D printer. Photo via Relativity SpaceZoos AI text-to-CAD platformCentral to Zoos digital design ecosystem is its free-to-access, open-source Text-to-CAD platform that can convert short, text prompts into 3D CAD models. These can be exported as STL, PLY, OBJ, STEP, GTLF, GLB, and FBX files, ready for 3D printing or editing on external CAD software.We tested the CAD generation tool, and achieved mixed results. In its current form, the platform requires users to avoid prompting vague and nebulous concepts. It is also limited to single objects, and assemblies cannot yet be handled. Users are encouraged to describe objects that can be represented in geometric shapes and to be as explicit as possible by clearly outlining size, shape, and feature requirements.These requirements were confirmed when we gave vague prompts like Make a classic 3D benchy, Make a front brake disk air scoop for a motorbike, and Steering wheel for a car. These models either came out incredibly simplistically or failed to resemble the target shape altogether.It is worth recalling that generative AI image-based tools produced an inordinate amount of far-from-photo-realistic imagery when initially breaking through into wider public consciousness; AI text-to-CAD may chart a similar course.A 3D Benchy CAD model generated by Zoos Text-to-CAD tool. Image via Zoo.However, we achieved improved results when refining the prompts to include more specific details. For instance, Make a 10cm diameter helical gear with 20 teeth produced a much better part that could be functional if 3D printed.Zoos machine learning models are reportedly fine-tuned on user input. According to Zoo, this allows designers to leverage existing data and create specialized Text-to-CAD generators without having to build or maintain their own infrastructure. Looking to the future, the tech startup plans to grant users the ability to fine-tune Text-to-CAD based on their proprietary data sets for exclusive use.A helical gear CAD model generated using Zoos text-to-CAD tool. Image via Zoo.AI-powered 3D printing softwareText-to-CAD tools are a growing theme in the additive manufacturing sector, allowing those with minimal digital design experience to create 3D printable models. Earlier this year, AI software startup Backflip made headlines after raising $30 million in funding. Founded by CEO Greg Mark and CTO David Benhaim, the new generative AI tool can convert images and text prompts into 3D printable parts.Backed by venture capital firms NEA and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the new platform reportedly allows designers to create high-resolution models of complex designs in minutes. Once generated, the files can be 3D printed in metal, carbon fiber, or plastic. According to Mark, Backflip represents a giant leap forward in bringing design and manufacturing back to the US.This followed the launch of PrintMon Maker, Bambu Labs AI-powered 3D model generator. Available through MakerWorld, the free tool allows users to create 3D printable Pokemon-style characters from text and image prompts. The tool is integrated into Bambu Labs Bambu Studio software. As such, generated models can be imported directly into the slicer without adjustments, optimizing them for multi-color 3D printing.Elsewhere, 3D printing materials specialist polySpectra offers neThing.xyz. This AI-powered generative design tool allows users to create 3D printable CAD files using straightforward prompts. The tool seeks to make 3D CAD creation more accessible, lowering the barrier of entry to additive manufacturing in the process.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows a helical gear CAD model generated using Zoos text-to-CAD tool. Image by 3D Printing Industry.

Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Scorethese were the three Oscars Awards Brady Corbets The Brutalist took home last night in Los Angeles. The film architecture critics love to hate came up short, however, of reeling in the big fish: Best Picture went to Sean Bakers Anora. Why didnt The Brutalist win? And did Anora really deserve the nights highest honor? To the former, it may be the controversy which marred its makers. In January, it was reported producers used generative AI to make Adrien Brodys (Lszl Tths) Hungarian accent more authentic. The Brutalistmay have also been snuffed thanks to criticism from Jewish Currents, Forward, The New Yorker, and other outlets which said Corbet warped Jewish history and trauma into an unrecognizable caricature of itself to make a Hollywood hit, a lamentation this editor is sympathetic with.Independent filmmaker Rebecca Pierce called The Brutalist an unproductive ambiguity. In conversation with Pierce, Siddhartha Mahanta said the movie felt deliberately structured to be a piece of Zionist propaganda. PIN-UPs Whitney Mallet had similar criticisms; she also said Corbets rendition was so surface level, The Brutalist feels as though it was made by someone with a Pinterest-understanding of Brutalism [].Anora is played by Mikey Madison ( NEON)Anora wasnt without its own fair share of flak either, and rightfully so. The Kyiv Independent railed against it for featuring Yuri Borisov, who had previously starred in Russian propaganda films. (Borisov is also known to have visited illegally-occupied Crimea several times, and vocalized support for Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.) Pjotr Sauer, writing in The Guardian, said that Russian state propagandists [are] overjoyed at Anoras Oscar triumph. Sauer critically added Anora was a victory for Russian culture.Triumphs and FailuresJudy Becker, The Brutalists production designer who conceived Tths architecture, spoke with Susan Morris for AN last December. Morris, a filmmaker and longtime AN contributor, called The Brutalists production design an alluring bricolage that collapsed multiple peoples and buildings into a single parafiction.Despite Beckers stellar work, the Oscar Award for Best Production Design went to Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Wickeds production designers were Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandalesarchitecture buffs gave kudos to them for sneaking in Hans Poelzig references, namely Poelzigs Groes Schauspielhaus in Berlin. The Brutalists Lol Crawley did however come out on top for Best Cinematography. Crawley and Corbet were recognized for reviving Vista Vision, a widescreen technique of shooting horizontally rather than vertically on 35mm film stock. At a press preview attended by AN this winter, Corbet said Vista Vision was an endangered species these daysnot many people today have the knowledge to work with it, making The Brutalist that much more special.Adrien Brody as Lszl Tth, the protagonist of The Brutalist (Lol Crawley)David Lynch was sorely missed at the Oscars this year, after having passed just a few weeks ago, but not before seeing Dune: Part Two finish, which was also nominated for Best Cinematography. All in all, The Brutalist ultimately beat out Dune: Part Two, Emilia Prez, Maria, and Nosferatu for that category.Previously, Emilia Prez was a real contenderthat was until racist and Islamaphobic tweets by Karla Sofa Gascn resurfaced, sparking controversy. Emilia Prezs French writer-director Jacques Audiard caught criticism for making an inauthentic and stereotyped portrayal from a crew made up mostly of Europeans, a criticism not unlike what was hurled at The Brutalist and Anora.Making SenseIndeed, much has been said already about The Brutalists triumphs and failures, as well as that of Anoras. But what is it that threads these two films together?It could be that neither work really addresses the gargantuan elephants in their respective rooms: Corbet lets Zionism off the hook for the sake of making Brutalism punk, and Baker whitewashes Brighton Beacha.k.a. Little Odesaas a Russian enclave; he makes no mention of the catastrophic invasion thats ravaged Ukraine for over a decade now, which sparked Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyanskys criticism on social media. All this begs the question: If a film wins an Oscar, or is even nominated for one, can it really be that radical? Mohammed El-Kurds new book, Perfect Victims, stakes such a claim against No Other Land, despite that documentarys praise by progressives at The New York Times.Another thread that connects Anora and The Brutalist is that they both deal one way or another with Jewishness. In regard to Anora, almost half of Brighton Beach is Jewish; theres that scene when the oligarchs idiotic son (played by Mark Eydelshteyn) has a menorah tossed at him during a fight.Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain ( 2024 Searchlight Pictures)To this editor, the only Oscar-nominated film that really did this delicate subject justice, that of Jewish trauma and tragedy, and what it means to negotiate that hardship today, was A Real Pain, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. For his part, Culkin took home Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.A Real Pain is far less sensational than Anora or The Brutalist. It moves much slower, and is the hardest to watch. It follows two cousins who take a trip to Poland to visit their grandmothers house, where she lived before fleeing to escape the Shoah. It deals with intergenerational trauma in a way that struck home with this writer, who also lost family in the Holocaust. Eisenberg, A Real Pains director and writer, whose family is from Krasnystaw and d, knows this feeling. What made me a true believer wasnt A Real Pains Oscar win, however, but rather a speech Eisenberg recently gave at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards after winning Best Original Screenplay.On stage in London, Eisenberg thanked his wife, Anna, for teaching him my grief is unexceptional, compared to the rest of the world, which is what this film is about. Certainly, while works by Corbet and Baker (neither are Jewish) remain vastly superficial, only Eisenberg breaks the fourth wallhes the only one who really got it right, at at time when Jewish suffering is weaponized to justify unspeakable war crimes in Gaza by Israel, Elon Musk and Steve Bannon wave Nazi salutes, and anti-Semitism is at a record high. A Real Pain resonates on a deep level, and critically prods these painful antagonisms far more than Eisenbergs peers ever could.

Lexi Lane, Dystopia (2022), photograph, limited edition of 105 Artwork Themes to Explore at The Other Art Fair ChicagoMarch 3, 2025SponsorThe Other Art FairThe Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, returns to Artifact Events in Ravenswood, Chicago, from March 27 to 30. This exciting event will feature over 115 independent artists showcasing fresh artwork and new talent.Highlights include a portrait experience with artist and New York Times bestselling author Anna Marie Tendler, an interactive stamp scavenger hunt designed by Chicago-based artist Joe Kraft, and a new section dedicated to decorative ceramics, glass, metal, and wood art.Ahead of the main event, were highlighting five categories of artists based on shared themes, offering a look at the diverse range of artistic practices at this years fair.Award-Winning Photographers: Underwater, on the streets, courtside, or in nature these photographers capture it allLexi Laine, a U.K.-based underwater photographer, creates surreal, ethereal images influenced by baroque painting, fantasy, and environmental themes.Finn OHara, from Canada, explores the relationship between urban, rural, and natural landscapes to inspire reflection on humanitys connection to nature.Delphine Lebourgeois, Shot at Love (2023), screenprinting on paperEmpowered Female Figures: Bold representations of female main character energyDelphine Lebourgeois, a French artist, blends digital media, collage, and watercolors to explore feminism, power dynamics, and cultural references.Marisa Mu celebrates diversity, womanhood, and expression through therapeutic paintings, aiming for joy and positive change. She co-founded Tits & Co. in 2019 to amplify female-identifying artists.Patrick Skals, Special Price (2025), mixed mediaText-Heavy Work: Tongue and cheek work you can read intoPatrick Skals, a Toronto-based conceptual artist, challenges perspectives on culture and mental health in his In Other Words series. Inspired by urban decay, he incorporates recycled paper to symbolize the immortality of ideas. Terrence Payne explores community and identity through bold oil pastel drawings, blending humor and narrative into thought-provoking portraits.Dara Schuman, Adams (2023), ceramicNot for Your Walls: Art designed for shelves, desks, and tablesDara Schuman pushes the boundaries of ceramics, designing luxurious vases inspired by cityscapes with sharp edges and curves that modernize urban architecture.Paola Gracida creates gravity-defying clay sculptures that explore transformation and belonging.Daria Eibert, Magenta (2018), oil on canvasFlorals: Reimagining natures beautyDaria Eibert uses the iris flower as a self-portrait to explore emotion and transformation in vibrant colors. Her work blends introspection with rich artistic tradition.Flannery Thompson, a stained-glass artist from Chicago, modernizes traditional craftsmanship with nature-inspired designs that capture light and color.See these artists and more at The Other Art Fair Chicago, March 27-30.Grab your tickets at theotherartfair.com!Next article

weerapat1003 - stock.adobe.comNewsCMA urged to expedite proposed targeted interventions against AWS and MicrosoftAWS has doubled-down on its claim that subjecting it to targeted curbs to bolster competition in the UK cloud market is an unwarranted step, while its rivals call on the CMA to speed up the processByCaroline Donnelly,Senior Editor, UKPublished: 03 Mar 2025 14:30 Amazon Web Services (AWS) has hit out at the UK competition watchdog for presenting no credible evidence to support its claims the public cloud giants anti-competitive behaviour is harming how the domestic cloud infrastructure market operates.The Competition and Markets Authoritys (CMA) published the provisional findings from its multi-year antitrust investigation into the inner workings of the UKs cloud infrastructure market in late January. And the CMA has now published the responses it has received from AWS, Microsoft, Google and several other market stakeholders.As previously reported by Computer Weekly, the CMAs provisional findings indicated that it could introduce targeted interventions against AWS and Microsoft so they are subject to controls to curb behaviours the CMA claims are contributing to making the UK cloud services market uncompetitive.This would involve the CMA calling on powers conferred on it through the roll-out of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on 1 January 2025 to mark AWS and Microsoft out as suppliers with strategic market status.This would mean the CMA could impose legally binding conduct requirements or pro-competition interventions on both firms to limit and remedy the toll their activities have allegedly had on the market.At the time, AWS described the prospect of finding itself on the receiving end of targeted interventions as not warranted and has now expanded further on its reasons for feeling that way in a 30-page written response that states the CMAs provisional findings present no credible evidence to support some of its claims.Specifically, AWS said there is no interoperability issues or technical barriers preventing cloud users from switching providers, or from making use of multicloud setups, and the CMAs report has not identified any specific interoperability concerns in respect of any AWS services either.There is no interoperability problem in cloud services, and the provisional decision report presents no evidence to support its concerns either, said AWS, in its response.It also claimed data transfer fees do not hinder switching and multiclouding and that again, the PDR [provisional decision report] presents no credible evidence in supports of its concerns.AWS said it welcomed the part of the CMAs provisional decision report that acknowledged competition in the cloud services market enables innovation, investment and improved productivity among all customers for the benefit of people, businesses and the UK economy.However, AWS went on to state that the reports contents fails to reflect this reality by recommending unwarranted intervention applicable to only two players in one of the most competitive, well-functioning and fast-growing sectors of the UK economy. Its proposed interventions risk damaging the UK economys broader prospects for growth, innovation and productivity.Microsoft was similarly scathing in its 101-page response to the CMAs provisional findings, and said it should come as no surprise that we disagree with substantial portions of the report, and claims it needs deep revision.This is because, in Microsofts view, the CMA is focusing on issues that are largely peripheral to cloud computing competition today, which include egress fees, interoperability issues and Microsofts licensing tactics.It is hard to see how intervention in these three areas will meaningfully boost competition in cloud computing, said Microsoft. There is a real danger that intervening in the market based on [the CMAs] misunderstanding will backfire, leaving the UK with the opposite of the CMAs goal of a healthy, well-functioning market, rich in growth and investment.In contrast, the Google Cloud team said it was broadly supportive of what the CMA had initially concluded in its report, and stated the CMAs findings are further reinforced by customer feedback, analyst reports and the CMAs profitability assessments.No credible evidence in relation to the structure of the market and the market positions enjoyed by AWS and Microsoft has been put forward that contradicts these provisional findings, said Google.It added: The extensive data and evidence gathered as part of this CMA market investigation and the preceding Ofcom market study provides a clear and compelling evidence basis for the Digital Markets Unit to conclude quickly that AWS and Microsoft have strategic market status in the cloud infrastructure market.This is a sentiment echoed in the response of the pro-cloud market competition lobbying body, the Open Cloud Coalition, who further called for an acceleration in the time taken to confer SMS status on both Amazon and Microsoft.The CMA should work to accelerate the DMU process and explore interim measures or clear guidance to ensure public sector procurement authorities actively consider the anti-competitive impact of restrictive software licensing and excessive egress fees when awarding contracts, said the OCC.The CMA cannot impose conduct requirements until an SMS designation is in place, [but] it can take steps to ensure that regulatory intervention is as swift and effective as possible. Proactive measures are needed to prevent further entrenchment of restrictive licensing practices while the DMU process is ongoing.Read more about competition in the cloud marketMicrosofts claims that the newly formed Open Cloud Coalition is not all it seems, and merely a front for Google Cloud to mislead competition authorities over the state of the public cloud market, are being challengedThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has appointed former Amazon UK boss, Doug Gurr, to chair its board on an interim basis, as the deadline for the organisation to publish the provisional findings from its long-running investigation into the UK cloud market nears.In The Current Issue:An action plan for net zero compatible with budget constraintsWhat is Dunelm doing for women in tech?Download Current IssueSLM series - IBM: Why smaller AI models unlock value at the edge CW Developer NetworkDigital Disruption, the Future of Work, and the Evolving Role of Print Quocirca InsightsView All Blogs

Energy Department scientists joined a one-day 'AI Jam Session' to evaluate new models' ability to solve 'our nation's most pressing scientific challenges.'