Back from NAB - it was a whirlwind of a week; so great to meet many of you in person.

Still a lot more videos in the pipeline coming out, but we’ve already got some great coverage on a variety of new gear (some that I believe has gone under the radar from other outlets).

We’ve also talked a lot about the need for original movies that are not based on existing IP.

Well, over the next two weeks, we’ve got four coming out: Warfare, Drop, The Amateur, and Sinners. As this X user pointed out, go support original cinema (and see Sinners on IMAX 70…if you can. Only 10 theaters in the world are playing this).

Alright, let’s jump into the updates

Joey

Virtual Projection, GSplats, Cinema Robots, and More. What We Saw at NAB

Let’s dig into the trends and new tools we saw at NAB

Virtual Production Continues to Evolve

VP hasn’t slowed down, there were still a lot of updates, especially with smaller, more flexible, and more affordable solutions.

• The industry is seeing more complete, integrated solutions rather than separate components

• Educational markets are becoming a major focus for virtual production vendors

• Simpler 2D and 2.5D plate backgrounds are finding more practical use cases than full 3D environments

• Gaussian Splats technology was widely discussed as an efficient way to bring real-world environments into digital production

VP Product Launches

• Sony OCELLUS - A new camera tracking system

• Vu One Mini - A fully self-contained mobile LED screen with integrated lighting and built-in camera tracking that requires no calibration

• Lightcraft Jetset - Showing impressive improvements with interesting use cases in animation projects and short films

• Vu x Samsung Partnership - Samsung launches impressive LED tiles

• ARwall Infinite Studio and Production Bundle - ARwall creates an AI powered chat interface for creating VP elements

• Nuke Stage - Popular VFX software expands with their own virtual production software using the same familiar pipeline. More targeted for plate playback, another common trend we heard.

The Other Buzzword: Gaussian Splats

Lots of updates and talk about Gaussian Splats

• Lightcraft Jetset can run GSplats natively on an iPhone

• Volinga brings ACES color management to GSplats

• Mo-Sys has their own scan-to-shoot workflow working with GSplats

Virtual Projections: An Alternative to LED

An interesting alternative to LED walls emerged at the JB&A pre-show. Christie showcased their projection technology working with Kino Flo MIMIK lights for virtual production applications with frame remapping.

AI: Features Not Products

Despite expectations that AI would dominate NAB 2025, the reality was more nuanced. Most updates were AI powered features in existing apps, not groundbreaking standalone products.

Unlike the buzz that followed announcements like Sora last year, this NAB showed a more practical approach to AI integration:

• DaVinci Resolve 20 introduced several AI-powered features, including IntelliScript, which can create rough cuts based on scripts and automatically stack multiple takes; AI Multicam SmartSwitch for easy podcast edits with scene detection; and AI Audio Assistant for audio mixing.

• Avid demoed Quickture, an AI-driven tool that helps video editors quickly assemble rough cuts

• Adobe Premiere added AI-powered footage analysis capabilities

Once Expensive Tech Gets More Affordable

Another trend is new gear that’s drastically bringing the cost down of what was extremely expensive film gear.

• PIXBOOM: A high-speed camera that can shoot 1800 FPS at 2K and 1000 FPS at 4K

• EVO Cinema Robot: $10K cinema camera robot from Motorized Precision (but the $10K in software licenses bring it to about $20K total)

• XGRIDS LiDAR Scanner: A handheld scanner that costs $15K and can create Gaussian Splats right in the app

• Beeble (formerly SwitchLight): Showcased their AI-based relighting tool now available as a full web app that can integrate with Blender and Unreal

• Strada Agents: Turn your hard drive into cloud accessible storage

The last trending topic is something no one really wanted: tariffs. Blackmagic had a series of pricing updates for their new PYXIS 12K camera throughout the show. Every other manufacturer had to give their pricing with an asterisk - their final price could be different for US customers.

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Cameron on AI: Focus on Outputs, not Inputs

James Cameron has called for the film industry to leverage AI technology to significantly reduce blockbuster production costs without replacing creative talent.

On the Boz to the Future podcast (with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth), the acclaimed director believes production expenses need to be cut by approximately 50% to ensure the economic sustainability of big-budget filmmaking, positioning AI as a solution that enhances efficiency rather than eliminating jobs.

Cameron, who is also on the board of Stability AI, also challenged the prevailing concerns about AI models using copyrighted material for training, likening human creativity to a "meat computer" that processes influences over time. He asserted:

• Human creativity inherently builds on influences, much like AI models trained on existing works.

• Policing every input—whether for humans or machines—is impractical. Instead, outputs should be judged for originality and ethical adherence.

• He highlighted that artists already operate under ethical filters, ensuring their work is distinct from their inspirations.

Image Source: Meta’s Boz To The Future Podcast

👔 Open Job Posts

🆕 Virtual Production Instructional Specialist
College of Motion Picture Arts - Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

AI Architect & Technical Strategist
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Cuebric
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Art Director, Generative AI - Avatars
Meta
Los Angeles, CA

XR Instructor
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Ontario, Canada

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LumeXR
Kerala, India

Virtual Production Intern
Orbital Studios
Los Angeles, CA

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