By Viveck Vaswani
Dean, School of Contemporary Media
Pearl Academy

After overcoming the gigantic hurdles brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film industry reinforced one thing –it’s here to stay and thrive. Although it is still trying to get back on its feet and regain the crown it once adorned, some developments indicate that the industry is taking a little detour, leading to these trends that will alter the future of filmmaking.

Relationship theatres and streaming services

No doubt the movie theatres were badly crippled during the pandemic. But things turned when on-demand streaming platforms came to our rescue. Even now, when theatres across the world have opened their doors, many prefer to watch their favourite actors come to life on a screen of their choice. Thus, the partnership between these two viewing channels is important to keep track of in the next few years.

Also, we have lately seen that short-form video content platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are dominating the social media space. That trend has had a trickling effect in the movie scene, especially with big-name studios such as Pixar and Dreamworks joining the fray.

Short films will see rare chances for appearances in theatres, but there could be a market in streaming platforms. YouTube is the first name that comes to mind, but other platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are already great sources for short films.

Algorithmic Video Editing

While most new technology in the film industry is disruptive by nature, the future of post-production is intimately linked to its past. Like many advances in film editing technology before it, algorithmic editing represents a marriage between modern science and historical principles.

The process involves editing according to a set of well-defined rules. It’s like cutting your movie using formulae. Although elements of algorithmic editing are already standard in post-production, it is film innovations in computer coding that will fundamentally change the game.

Due to the increasingly digital nature of new film technology, computer programming languages are increasingly integrated into the future of filmmaking technology itself. If computer programs are essentially complex sets of simple instructions, their applications in the world of editing are practically endless.

Massive potential of AI

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning can help in the scriptwriting process, and they could also lend a hand in quickly creating props and visuals. With all the technological advancements and potential innovations, AI is a powerful tool that movie studios can utilize both in pre-production and post-production.

Improvisations in Marketing

The advent of social media has given movie studios, especially independent filmmakers, another platform to promote their work. This has been particularly true in independent film marketing strategies, where focusing on creative branding could bring enormous returns in terms of engagement and reach on social media.

3D Previsualization

3D pre-viz) is there to revolutionise the pre-production process by conjuring fully immersive, digital replicas of the physical sets or locations to be used on a live-action production long before actual cameras begin to roll.

The digital playgrounds of 3D pre-viz give filmmakers the time and space to explore and experiment on their own clock without incurring unnecessary expenses. Through the film technology of 3D previsualization, directors can better refine visual designs, production designers can increase construction precision, directors of photography can take the guesswork out of technical solutions, and producers can optimize the logistical flow of entire productions.

Real-Time Rendering

Real-time rendering is a critical example of the new film technology associated with virtual production, an emerging set of practices through which filmmakers combine virtual and physical elements into one seamless whole. Real-time rendering is a powerhouse technical solution that allows changes to a digital environment to be made near-instantaneously, without the tediously long render times that once cramped the cinema CGI workflow.

Real-time rendering has opened the door on an endless parade of film innovations that could exponentially increase a crew’s capacities for collaboration and experimentation. By being able to both see and alter the interactions between physical and digital components in real-time, filmmakers will be able to work faster with more precision and more options than ever before.

Volume Technology

This type of technology involves the use of massive LED walls to display pre-recorded images in the background of a shot while live-action elements are filmed in the foreground. The intricate process is designed to achieve a seamless, in-camera composition of physical and digital components, and works on the same basic principle as the old-school film technology that is rear projection, except on digital steroids and without any of the major drawbacks.

With the aid of real-time rendering, the Internet of Things, virtual production tools, and the latest advances in camera technology, the Volume’s LED wall technology offers an easily customizable and highly immersive digital filmmaking solution, speeding up production times and amplifying the reality of VFX.

Not to forget, Virtual Reality is lending individuals the ability to immerse themselves in a story by putting them inside the world of the film. Augmented Reality is letting viewers enjoy the real world through the eyes of characters in a film. These technologies are indeed enabling interactions with movie characters in ways that were never possible before, thus making it one of the most important trends filmmakers need to track in the coming future.