#the [post]production commentary

[lesbiancarat]

want to give my two cents on the AI usage in the maestro trailer--

i think seventeen doing a whole concept that is anti-AI is very cool, especially as creatives themselves i think it's good that they're speaking up against it and i hope it gets more ppl talking about the issue. i also understand on a surface level the artistic choice (whether it was made by the members, the mv director, or whoever else), to directly use AI in contrast to real, human-made visuals and music in order to criticize it. i also appreciate that they clearly stated the intention of the use of AI at the beginning of the video

however, although i understand it to an extent, i do not agree with the choice to use AI to critique AI. one of the main ethical concerns with generative AI is that it is trained on other artists' work without their knowledge, consent, or compensation. and even when AI generated images are being used to critique AI, it still does not negate this particular ethical concern

the use of AI to critique also does not negate the fact that this is work that could have been done by an actual artist. i have seen some people argue that it's okay in this context because it's a critique specifically about AI, and it is content that never would have been done by a real artist anyway because it doesn't make sense for the story they're trying to tell. but i disagree. i think you can still tell the exact same story without using AI

and in fact, i would argue that it would make the anti-AI message stronger if they HAD paid an artist to draw/animate the scenes that are supposed to represent AI generated images. wouldn't it just be proof that humans can create images that are just as bad and nonsensical and soulless as AI, but that AI can't replicate the creativity and beauty and basic fucking anatomy that's in human-made art?

it feels very obvious this was not just a way to cut corners and costs like a lot of scummy people are using AI for. ultimately it was a very intentional creative decision, i just personally think it was a very poor one. and even if some ethical considerations were taken into account before this decision, i certainly don't think all of them were. at the very least i feel like the decision undermines the message they want to convey

i would also like to recognize that i myself am not an artist, and i have seen some artists that are totally on board with the use of AI in this specific context, so clearly this is not a topic that is cut and dry. but generative AI is still new, and i think it's important to keep having these conversations

#melia.txt #also want to add that as musicians svt are more directly threatened by AI generated audio than they are by AI generated images #and yet AI generated images is what was used in the video #and i guess the MV director/production company are the ones directly responsible for putting that in there #whether it was their initial idea or not #and they work in a visual medium so perhaps that makes it more 'fair' but idk it just feels like #the commentary is around music. which makes sense. and using human produced music/sound #but then taking advantage of AI images #idk just feels weird #i mean i don't like it either way #like i said in the main post i understand the intention behind the creative decision #and i'm still happy svt are speaking against ai at all i do think overall they're doing a good thing here #i just don't agree with the creative decision they/the production company/whoever made #edit: deleted the part about not boycotting svt over this bc ppl were commenting about boycotting bc of the 🛴 stuff #i meant specifically /I/ am not calling for a boycott because of specifically the ai stuff #was just trying to make a general point that im not making this post bc i want to sabatoge svt or whatever #bc kpop fans love to pull that catd whenever u criticize anything #so yeah just removed that bit bc i dont want ppl getting confused what im talking about #respect ppl boycotting because of scooter/israel stuff but thats not what this post was intended to be about #edit 2: turning off reblogs bc im going to bed and having asomewhat controversial post up is not gonna help me sleep well lol #may or my not turn rb's back on in the morning

[callmetippytumbles]

Just write a response they said. It wouldn’t take long to write.

How it’s going:

LOL I honestly believed I was gonna keep that short.

🥴

#so since i cannot annotate your post directly like comments on google docs or word i picked a section and commented #this is just about the black hair section #i am about halfway through the actual essay itself - writing commentary as i read #it started simple enough by asserting kiara’s hair choices are part of how she assimilates into cordonian upper class society #then…it grew #also i never played the ‘drake pranks kiara’ scene in a way that he messes with her hair product…EVER* #*that i remember and i feel like i would remember something like that #3400 words later and i am only *now* getting to talking about actual hair products and how your location can affect access to them #see what you do to me lizzybeth?!? #and i have javascript homework to finish 😳🥴🥲

[confinesofmy]

having some teriyaki tofu with a side of edamame and washing it all down with a big glass of milk (soy milk of course, i'm lactose intolerant) mm-mm! so good! 😊

#the willpower to resist saying uwa~! why am i growing... boobies... 😳 in the post above should be commended to the fullest extent #this post does not have to invite commentary on phytoestrogen vs e #it can just be a funny little post about eating four soy products in one sitting #adam talks too much

[outeremissary]

Oooh how about 18 (if you want to, it looked like a funny question), 32, and 37 for Balthazar?

I fear I'm going to disappoint you on 18- I don't have my ex's encyclopedic memory of B99 even if thanks to them I think I've seen the whole show about five times over. ^^;; But I can do my best for the others!

[prompt]

32. Your character is having a prom night/debs. What kind of outfit do they wear?

Hm, a modern question. Balthazar is so weird to define in modern style because we live in an era where masculine clothing is rather enclosed. I think being trans in a modern setting vs. a fantasy setting also comes with a different kind of weight. But there's a fantasy element to prom, and certainly a certain kind of spite that queer teens bring to it (at least in my own experience). His outfit is cobbled together from a combination of thrifted oddities and ordinary formalwear. The pride of this ensemble is a bright red blouse with ruffly poet sleeves that must have been nearly fifty years out of style. He goes as friends with Linzi and both of them are called vampire lesbians at school for a week afterwards. It's a nightmare.

At this point in his teen years he would have been a true terror if he'd been left in the Catholic school he went to when he was younger.

37. Your character has been kidnapped. Who has kidnapped them and how do they escape?

Hm, a lot of possible answers here. To seize on one that nearly did happen: one of Balthazar's great fears when he was younger and homeless for a time was getting picked up by any of the various cults that valued having a discount celestial on hand for various gruesome reasons- there's a reason the average lifespan of aasimar is so low. He was never very capable of defending himself despite his sorcerous abilities, so he slept with one eye open and was constantly paranoid about anyone he spent the night with. He can vividly remember an evening that he was approached by a pleasant, well-dressed woman who seemed especially set on talking to him; when she bent forward he caught the briefest glimpse of a death's head moth tattoo under her shirt. Even after he made his excuses and left the bar she had cornered him in, he kept thinking he caught saw someone from the corner of his eye following him throughout the evening. He ultimately spent the night on the floor of a temple of Abadar with a concerned young cleric near him. It's frighteningly easy to imagine what could have happened if he hadn't picked up anything strange about that woman. He could have easily gone along with her to her home- or wherever she decided to lead him- and woken up imprisoned who knows where (if he'd woken up at all).

If he was stuck in a situation like that, it would be difficult to escape, and it would have to be done fast. He would seize on the first opportunity he had with one of his captors alone to attempt to charm them into either giving him the opportunity to get away or getting close enough that if he put them under with a spell he could get either the keys (ideally) or a weapon away from them. There wouldn't be much more for it then except making a break for it and hoping he got lucky. Who knows- somehow his abysmally terrible luck somehow always balances out in the critical moment. Despite everything, maybe the gods look out for him after all.

#b99 and community had for years a similar grip on my ex as kingmaker has on me #I don't think I can ever watch b99 again even though I like it because for three straight years it was in the background almost constantly #regarding the modern au question I'm continuing to channel the lore established in 2020 #in a university au defined 90% through texts from last night jokes. premier worldbuilding. everything just for bits. #that's right: childhood friends balthazar and linzi is the product of just one text post that was funny to me at the time #they have a very up and down relationship in high school. this is one of their closer moments though. mlm/wlw solidarity #and since I've done so much commentary while writing already I'll say that a high awareness of exactly how aasimar are useful to occultists #is the reason that balthazar has never been deeper in anything to do with dark gods #why put yourself in a room with your natural predator without being sure you can survive? he's not that confident... not yet. #ask game #ask me emithing #balthazar lucienne #cassynite

[emblazons]

(we) aim to create the kind of stories that inspired the Duffers growing up — stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, & where heart wins out over cynicism.

- quote from the press release announcing the Duffer’s Production company (& something that makes me just a tiny bit more confident that Mike Wheeler & Byler are as important to The Duffers as they are to me ❤️👑🗡️)

#byler #like please #I’m making a whole duffer post but this quote is special to me lol #intimate character work is exactly the point of their story #and it’s what MIKE’S STORY IS #people act like he’s not important or that he doesn’t matter to Matt and Ross #or they they’d KILL HIM?!? #like. be so serious rn #the duffers love that kid as much as we do #and they’ve put him in a position to have an arc as facinating as Will’s #all the things they do are intentional and we see it repeatedly #and now their production company’s opening quote features a line that damn near refernces exactly what he’s going thru even in fandom? #this also lowkey sounds like a samwise gamgee quote LMAO #the duffer brothers #st interviews #my st commentary #st commentary #mike wheeler core #stranger things #duffer brothers

[brother-emperors]

Hi im using mobile so I can't be sure my searches are working... but I was wondering if your comic was avaliable anywhere to read or buy?

hi, thank you so much for asking! none of my long form comic projects are out currently (the cassius comic.....soon......) but I do have a comics tag that has all the shorter/one off comics I've posted so far!

#ive thought about compiling them all into a pdf with commentary/behind the scenes notes for $$ but i've been holding off #on doing that until I can get either the cassius comic or the shakespeare adaption posted #the pitfalls and perils of doing the entire production line for comics by yourself: it takes so much time 😩 #ask tag

[un-pearable]

this post

HEYO THE GREAT DEVOURER WAS RELEVANT TO THE SERIES FINALE. FULL CIRCLE BABY

#i have not. actually watched it. but let me have this agshdjfj #ninjago #text✨ #i’ll make some needlessly long and convoluted post about this one day but ooogh does it haunt me #it’s both genius symbolism and NEVER elaborated on in the actual series it’s fascinating #s1 lloyd wears the ​symbol of the very thing that cursed his father and burdened them both with the prophecy to kill him. #it haunts the entire series. trying to tell a new story constantly at odds with chasing the original status quo and the success of the early #series. keeping the story accessible to new kids but buckling under the weight of a hundred episodes of story and character and audience #investment. the story is eating itself. profitability demands it. prophecy demands it #idk where that’s going. hm. cloud kingdom as commentary on the state of the Industry and specifically childrens media production….. huh

[siixkiing]

“I’d say go for his knees but he’s short enough as it is...”

#To Do Some Scheming | IC {Macaque} #Give It All You Got | {Open Post} #Smiles Everyone Smiles | {Dash Commentary} #siimians | {mention} #inmiasma | {mention} #Macaque VC: Really test that immortality at times #I WAS GOING TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND I COULDN'T RESIST; HE HAD TO COMMENT

[unproduciblesmackdown]

the sense of having any lore about the ancient [ten to thirteen years ago] of marble hornets times like granpa granpa tell us a greentext story....the only hitch is not having stories and instead having "i guess you had to be there" tales from the fringes, unless instead of a hitch you frame this as a bit

#like what's crucial info from then? who knows. smthing neat abt mh is its iterative resurgences apparently lol. got a wavelength #from the start it was always [queer fans queer fans trans fans trans fans] etc to be sure #by ''thee start'' i mean i showed up a couple of months? weeks? before s2 started. i think amnesia: the dark descent was partly to thank to #i mean of course it is in all things no matter the topic. and i feel manesia the dark manscent in this chili's tonight #one of the more [umm] first true spikes in New Ppl was when that game with the pages got streamed a lot #not a lot to work with there re: [you are already at mh hq] but brought ppl in like umm yea it's a little youtube movie here.... #Back In Those Days...when youtube had a Reply feature for videos which i would have forgotten was anything if not for tta really.... #the saga of [we didn't have any crisp behind the scenes pics of tim's mask for a while so deciding what its design seemed to be was tricky] #or [lucky that alex's striped hoody had both the inner seam highlights & the patch on the waistband] re: identifying it.... #the hoody was already Out Of Production lol the base masks were from michael's crafts which i hear has recently discontinued them; pensive #paper mache cosplays here we go.... #anyways nothing makes a good story. one time i sprinted to beat everyone on unfiction to solve a scrambled dvd cover #i managed to post it first (here on tumblr) And Then on unfiction; where it was also first lol. this was ignored #(one reply did a nominal shoutout like ''[other user] and others'' lmao) #i blog to this day....where's unfiction (rhetorical) #they were great for crowdsourcing codes but the Analysis(tm) left many things to be desired (i mean on tumblr too sometimes of Course) #unfiction would be like ''why is this entry delayed [thinking emoji]'' & truly the answer like ''they explained the behind the scenes reaso #in this linked facebook post here (the funy saga of joseph losing the distinctive out of print hoodie before its Part Two appearance)'' #and the unfiction thread would continue apace like ''hmm guess we'll never know'' yeah apparently not #unsurprisingly my best Retro Tales From Behind The Scenes would be like; that fun mh viewing party commentary bit live event.... #that there was overlap w/my first coming out transly times & probably had my Best Experience w/that from the mh creators lol #that thesis simply Is the tale. the bit abides

[biggest-dickest]

Every little thing reminds me of Latil & Sonnaught. I watched Thor Love and Thunder and when I see Thor & Valkyrie, I thought of LatilxSonnaught. Why? Because the main character (Latil,Thor) has something going on with this side potential LI character (Sonnaught,Valkyrie) but got putting aside in order to the main character being together with the other love interest

#turns out that #i have a type #sonnaught situation was not as bad as valkyrie though. he still got strong fans. with not few amount. #but valkyrie's was awfully erased. by the production themselves. the fans feeding themselves by hard work. #my villain origin story #all those must die *draw the necrosword* #latil x sonnaught #men of the harem #thor x valkyrie #thorkyrie #thor #rj commentaries #rj post

[elphael]

why the fuck do people blaze the stupidest things

#like. idk maybe I’m a pessimist but why are you spending 5+$ telling people to celebrate and be blessed by the moon #this isn’t a commentary on the spirituality aspect this is just like. #i don’t know Why people choose to make a 5$ #‘don’t worry you are loved’ post instead of yaknow. doing something productive with their money.

[consciouschunkofmoss]

screaming my lungs out why do people make subtitles completely different from the actual audio ?? the fuck is wrong with you

literally thats so fucked on so many levels and im just plainly tired

#please let me watch a video with proper subtitles who are not seemingly pathetic attempts at fixing your script post-production #just let me actually know what the fuck is going on #bc otherwise its just a new milestone towards making it even more needlessly difficult to understand your shit #also i know its not my place to say that as fiercely as im not disabled in such a manner #but for those who truly cannot have access to the audio i think its pretty gross of you to change the entire structure of your words #even if to fix how linear and coherent your video is #why would you choose to do that when you Know that the main demographic of people who use captions are solely dependent on it #there is no excuse to cut entire pieces of your commentary to add ''smarter'' takes when you could just. do what youre meant to #(on the terms of this specific task. if youre so set on doing it) #which is just pass down the words one by one without changes ! #literally i am so on edge because that stresses me out so much #im not sure if im just being mean on this subject #because i do know there is *a lot* of work around developing fully working and well timed captions to a video #(specially if its long like those essay types) #but dude i dont want to get a headache every time i try to watch a video and fight for my life to understand the whole context to it #to which a nt person already has complete access to #its frustrating how this manner of editing never seems to have nd/disabled people in mind when exercising it on an actual video #(sorry for repeating video a lot. im not sure what else to use)

[biancabelairs]

the becky/damage ctrl fight in the merch stand was so fucking funny

#commentary as bayley attacks becky: that's a money in the bank lunchbox! #pops me when they do blatant product placement during angles tbh #it's so shameless but it was so funny #wwe #text post

[quincytical]

yall were way too quick to hop on tumblrs dick like now theyre embracing the hellsite moniker and not even getting shit for the premium subscription thing theyre doing

like what happened how is tumblr now the social media site with the most monetized features even over twitter blue... some of the staff seem legitimately chill but i wish yall didnt need to be reminded that the more u trust and praise social media companies the further theyre going to push that trust and the more theyre going to try to profit off of you

#tumblr #tumblr blaze #tumblr staff #we let that dennys shit go on for far too long #but even that stopped or at least slowed to a trickle after people started talking shit on dennys ceo #like i remember the official account making some half assed attempt to make a like seize the memes of production joke or something #and then i remember never seeing another post on my dash again from them with mocking commentary or otherwise

[dinahdoeeyes]

Having Greaseball & Dinah break up after the 1st race due to an argument they had instead of him randomly dropping her for her best friend during “The Rap” will never not be the right way to go.

And yeah, he probably only raced with Pearl to screw over Electra, because he never showed interest in Pearl before that (other than dancing with her during “Pumping Iron,” but that was all of them), but still.

#Like we know Greaseball is a philanderer but my point still stands. #(I'm not talking about the 2017 London Workshop where he hits on Pearl in the beginning. *sighs* That production... 😒) #greasedinah #greaseball x dinah #starlight express #stex #stex commentary #commentary #text post

[helicarrier]

Abuse of Visual Effects Artists is Ruining the Movies

I’ve seen a lot of backlash towards Marvel Studios for their business practices lately. This is warranted, and it’s good that Marvel Studios is being taken to task for it, because public awareness and pressure can do a lot of good.

However, many news articles and stories are overlooking something important. Marvel Studios is a preeminent company in pop culture, and they release many movies and shows every year. They’re very easy to fixate on. But this is not a one-pronged problem where if Marvel Studios just straightened up and changed their businesses practices, everything would be fixed — their business practices are a symptom of a much bigger problem in the industry, and one that has existed for years. Many other production houses and visual effects studios are to blame. Marvel Studios is the most visible house right now, but we need to keep in mind that Marvel Studios is only doing what they’re doing because there is a precedent for that stuff, and it’s something that so many other houses are doing right now, too.

I want to ask everyone who is concerned about the wellbeing of us VFX artists, and everyone who is concerned about content quality, not to scapegoat Marvel to the point where every other issue in the industry (which is ultimately why Marvel Studios is conducting its business the way it is now) is dismissed.

Please remember that Marvel Studios is not the problem. It is a problem, and it is a symptom of a sickness that has been in the industry for decades.

Want to learn more? Here’s a great piece of journalism:

https://gizmodo.com/disney-marvel-movies-vfx-industry-nightmare-1849385834

This article is well worth the read. It’s very recent, and it paints a comprehensive picture of the main issues with production houses and visual effects houses, the lack of regulations in the industry as a whole, and how those issues culminate in mistreatment of the artists themselves. This is why Marvel Studios has become so notorious for abusing VFX houses and artists, and why many VFX houses abuse their artists too. The whole system is rigged against the little guys.

Some notable excerpts:

In 2013, the visual effects studio “Rhythm and Hues” won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects for work on Life of Pi. But just eleven days before winning the Oscar, the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. Partway through the movie, the director [Ang Lee] made a big change to the tiger, so Rhythm and Hues had to go back and redo almost all their work. And it cost them so much money to do so, and they were already working on such a thin profit margin, that it bankrupted them. So the studio literally went bankrupt just before they won the Oscar for Best VFX. (I’ll link a relevant documentary called Life After Pi here).

Marvel Studios, like just about every other production company, hires studios to produce VFX. And in order to work for Marvel, or any of the five or so production companies out there that are offering big-budget VFX work that keeps VFX studios afloat, studios continuously underbid each other in order to appeal to an increasingly-small client base. First, the production company sends out a dossier of shots that need VFX work. Studios might get a shot description that simply reads “an alien spaceship appears.” A bidding producer at a studio will review those shot descriptions in order to create an estimate for the bid, but this is more of an art form than a science. It’s a race to the bottom. Because when the big [production companies] say they need work done, [the VFX studios] undercut each other so much that by the time they finally get that contract, they’ve bid so low they’re lucky to break even. And so that forces these VFX studios to operate at very low margins.

The UK doesn’t have any paid overtime in any industry, and because they don’t have to legally pay anyone overtime, when they bid a show that might cost them $15 million to do the work, a UK studio might say, ‘Well, we’ll do it for ten.’ So if they rack up 200 hours of overtime a week in London, it doesn’t affect the bottom line… It’s not costing the studio any money to force you to work through this crunch delivery.

Many sources stated that Marvel deliberately shoots their films in such a way that they are able to change details, both big and small, up until the very last minute. Very little is shot practically, and even the stuff that is practical goes through touch-ups. “When you get a plate of just someone’s face against a poorly lit screen, there’s really nothing you can do to make it look realistic,” explains H. A plate is the untouched frame, exactly what was captured on camera, mocap suit and all. “That’s something that never gets commented on. Everyone just goes, ‘Oh, the visual effects look shit.’ And I’m like, No, you should have seen the plate. You should have seen what we were given, because that’s what was shit.”

Unionizing is completely stacked against us. The VFX studios go through so many artists so fast that by the time you get enough people to sign cards and hold a vote, there might not be popular support, or even the kind of internal volunteer structure needed to form the union. If a shop is unionized (meaning that artists can demand more money, better working conditions, and limit the amount of control clients have to demand changes) it means that big production companies like Marvel will be less likely to accept a bid from that VFX studio. And if an artist from a union shop tries to get work somewhere else, there’s nothing in place that would stop VFX studios from looking at their union history and deciding not to hire them, because, again, most artists are digital nomads that cycle through multiple studios a year chasing work. The threat of being blacklisted, for any reason, hangs over the entire industry.

On top of that, you have studios like MPC (Technicolor) forcing their artists to return to the office using a “RAG” system. This system has been panned across the VFX industry, because there has just been a massive shift towards work-from-home for artists, which even juniors have been able to utilize in many cases. Recently, MPC has also scrapped its 2022 raises for artists.

It is undoubtedly a race to the bottom. And every time older artists become jaded about the industry, because they burn out or become fed up with the treatment, there’s a new wave of bright-eyed artists ready to replace them, and the cycle will repeat — unless enough people are aware of just how deep-seated the problems are, and speak up about it. People are doing that now with Marvel Studios, but we need to inform ourselves more and remember this is much, much deeper than just Marvel Studios.

When it falls out of style to hate on Marvel Studios, these problems will still be there, and artists will still be suffering at the workplace.

#commentaries #visual effects #marvel #marvel studios #vfx #vfx industry #film #movies #mcu #phase five #i've seen a lot of people under the impression the whole thing with marvel is an isolated incident so i felt obligated to post this. #the whole industry is really rigged against artists and there aren't many production companies and vfx houses that do their own thing.