iPhone 17 Pro gets ProRes RAW

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Welcome to VP Land! New product launches are already coming ahead of IBC, including the C50 from Canon and the Nikon ZR. We'll have more on them later this week.

But for today, the latest camera updates come from the iPhone 17 Pro: ProRes RAW, genlock, and a new Blackmagic dock.

Last week’s poll ended in a three-way tie on Alex Proyas’ take that AI can “fix” the movie industry—split between those who see it as democratizing access, those calling for regulation, and those who see it as a threat. Check out today’s poll below.

In today's edition:

iPhone 17 Pro adds even more pro-level video features
AI panel at TIFF
XGRIDS and Volinga streamline 3D Gaussian Splatting workflows
Beeble launches iPhone app for real-time camera tracking

iPhone 17 Pro Gets Genlock, ProRes RAW, and Open Gate

Apple's keynote yesterday dropped new updates to AirPods Pro (live translation!), Apple Watch, and the iPhone 17, including the new ultra-thin Air.

In the video world, the iPhone 17 Pro (and Pro Max) got some upgrades.

The iPhone 17 Pro now supports ProRes RAW recording directly from the camera sensor, giving maximum flexibility for color grading and post-production work.
Also added is Open Gate recording that captures the full sensor area, letting you reframe shots and choose aspect ratios after filming without losing image quality.
The device includes genlock support for frame-accurate synchronization with other cameras and equipment (but you’ll need to use the new Blackmagic Dock).
Apple Log 2 expands the color gamut capture compared to the previous Log format. Plus, broadcast framerates are supported.
Blackmagic's new Camera ProDock transforms the iPhone into a more professional rig with BNC genlock input and timecode output, HDMI monitoring outputs, 3.5mm audio in and out, and external storage connections with multiple USB-C outputs.

Specs on the Pro and Pro Max are identical; however, the Pro Max now has a max available storage size of 2TB (but it comes at a price - $2K)

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TIFF Panel Reveals AI Filmmaking Future

An AI panel at TIFF (produced with AI on the Lot) gathered Adobe, Moonvalley, Transitional Forms, and filmmaker Ryan Patterson to map what’s real (and sellable) in AI-for-film right now.

Here's a recap of some of the key takeaways:

Proof of speed: Ryan Patterson premiered Dreamer, made in under two weeks using Adobe’s Firefly stack and finished in Premiere.
Guardrails you can dial: Moonvalley's models ship with safety rails (no celebrity likeness, no violence, no adult content). Enterprise clients can request certain rails off for permitted use cases (e.g., fights/action), while IP-blindness remains by design.
Adobe’s custom model play (bring a budget): Adobe confirmed studios and top creators can train Firefly-based custom models on their own IP/styles and own the result. It’s expensive, but it shortens iteration, protects franchises, and supports final-frame changes with clean manifests.
Where AI fits now: Teams are starting in ideation and previs, but Adobe’s push is to final-frame assists (missed shots, location swaps, FX tweaks) with full legal manifests and rights-clean pixels.
Hybrid filmmaking, not prompt-to-movie: Expect artist-first tools (camera controls, paint/roto, animation helpers) rather than one-prompt films—so directors can make precise, note-driven changes at scale.
New workflows: “fix it in pre” — As model behavior becomes predictable, more decisions shift earlier. Think lightweight previz that flows directly into finals, plus faster turnarounds on “shoulder content” (social clips, teasers, alt endings).
What’s next: Transitional Forms is pushing real-time, generative, interactive media where audiences meaningfully steer outcomes. Near-term (12 months): wider VFX/animation use at scale, more “fix-it-in-pre” workflows, and de-stigmatization as more AI use is adopted (and talked about).

XGRIDS and Volinga Partner for Scan to LED Wall Pipeline

XGRIDS and Volinga partnered to create a streamlined pipeline that takes real-world locations from LiDAR scan to production-ready 3D environments in Unreal Engine within hours. The integration combines XGRIDS' mobile capture hardware with Volinga's Unreal plugin for direct 3D Gaussian Splatting import.

XGRIDS' mobile scanners eliminate the specialized skills traditionally needed for high-quality 3DGS capture, letting you scan environments with minimal training.
The Volinga plugin imports scan data directly into Unreal Engine 5.3-5.6 with full support for re-lighting, ACES color management, and virtual production features like nDisplay and VCam.
You can take environments from initial scan to shoot-ready LED wall deployment in record time, dramatically cutting the cost and complexity of building photoreal virtual sets.
The workflow is straightforward: scan with XGRIDS hardware, process in LCC Studio, export as PLY files, then import directly into Unreal Engine.
Both companies will demonstrate the pipeline at IBC Amsterdam with a launch event on September 13.

Beeble's iPhone App Brings VP to Your Phone

Beeble released a free iOS app that turns your iPhone into a mini virtual production studio with real-time camera tracking and AI-powered VFX processing. Beeble Camera uses your phone's LiDAR and ARKit to capture footage anchored to real-world space.

The app tracks your iPhone's position and depth while filming, then uploads recordings directly to Beeble's web platform for instant processing.
You get camera-tracked, rotoscoped, and relightable VFX passes generated automatically through AI without manual work.
Processed footage can continue in Beeble Studio or export to Blender for seamless integration with existing workflows.
The technology targets indie creators and previs teams who previously couldn't afford professional camera tracking systems.
Beeble plans a local studio version as their next major update to serve larger production teams.

Watch Joshua M Kerr FIX build his own retro-reflective green screen

Stories, projects, and links that caught our attention from around the web:

🤖 Reese Witherspoon explores the impact of AI on the entertainment industry in a Glamour cover story for The Morning Show.

👥 AI-powered studio Promise, has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of three new senior executives, including Mariana Acuña Acosta as Vice President of Product.

⚖️ Warner Bros has filed a lawsuit against AI startup Midjourney alleging unauthorized use of Superman and other IP's likeness.

Addy and Joey dive into XGRIDS’ $5K spatial camera, Krea’s Realtime Video, Apple’s AI research, Wan’s speech-to-video avatars, Adobe Premiere on iPhone, Google Flow’s unlimited Veo 3 Fast, and why sound still matters for AI worlds.

Read the show notes or watch the full episode.

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