photos by Howard Wise
Since 2003, the DGA has hosted Digital Day events dedicated to providing our members with exclusive knowledge and access to innovations designed to enhance and improve productions. On Saturday, August 23, DGA members and guests returned to the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters for Digital Day 2025: Harnessing the Hurricane: The Future of Intelligent Creation.
More than 500 information seekers attended the live and in-person event that featured engaging presentations, panels, exhibits and hands-on demos about the latest developments in VFX, cutting-edge production tools and virtual production.
Welcome
Special Projects Committee Co-Chair/Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Michael Goi began the day by welcoming all the attendees to the 23rd annual event and thanked Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Randal Kleiser and all the members of the Subcommittee for their efforts in educating the Guild’s membership with an eye on the cutting edge. Kleiser, noted the work of the Subcommittee members: Valdez Flagg, Brian Frankish, Julie Gelfand, Scott Rindenow, Oz Scott, Arthur Allan Seidelman, Jay Torres and Susan Zwerman, then gave a quick slide presentation of the exciting lobby exhibits before kicking things off in earnest with an introduction to the day’s first offering, the Spotlight Presentation: Director Joseph Kosinski on F1 The Movie.
Spotlight Presentation: Director Joseph Kosinski on F1 The Movie
Illustrated by clips from the film, Director Joseph Kosinski revealed the revolutionary technology that achieved new heights in cinematic realism and immersion for his latest feature, F1 The Movie.
Kosinski noted the practical and visual effects he utilized during shooting including how he bought F2 cars and refitted them with custom molds of F1 car models for the film instead of purchasing the costly F1 race cars.
He revealed that just as he had digitally reskinned jets in his DGA Award-nominated feature, Top Gun: Maverick, Kosinski took real footage of races and digitally reskinned the cars with the particular model they wanted for F1 The Movie. Dissimilar to Top Gun: Maverick, however, there was a lot of trial and error getting the shots needed for F1 The Movie. Lenses broke from the high-speed vehicles hurling debris, so unusable footage came out of the early rounds of filming. He also shot “dry for wet,” meaning that he shot in dry conditions and later used computer imagery to make wet tracks, preventing potentially dangerous situations for stunt performers and actors.
Kosinski also discussed the technical aspects of shooting, sharing that sixteen camera positions were utilized around a single race car and ended his presentation with the observation, “story and character should drive the innovation and not the other way around.”
The Evolution of Immersive Technology
In this presentation introduced by Goi, Seismiq Ventures Company Co-Founder Phil Galler took the audience on a journey on the evolution of immersive technology through the lens of cutting-edge storytelling environments — from dome theaters to next-generation theme park attractions and shared reality experiences. The viewers learned about advancements in XR, real-time rendering, and spatial display systems, and saw how immersive experiences are conceived, designed, and delivered at scale.
Galler explained how immersive technology enhances the “collective experience for audiences” and “has evolved the way we tell stories and share experiences that are both passive and interactive.” He left audiences with the following to think about, “The future in storytelling lies in seamless integration of space, story, and technology.”
The Invisible Assistant: AI in Post-Production and VFX
During this panel discussion moderated by Adobe’s Head of Film & Television Darren Frankel, Smart Post Sound Owner/Supervising Sound Editor Joe Melody, Post-Production Producer Brian Wankum and VFX Editor Thomas Cabela took the audience behind all the hype and headlines to show how a variety of ethically-sourced AI tools can aid in post and VFX to streamline common tasks, enabling filmmakers to focus on creative storytelling.
Sharing how he uses AI in sound editing to save time Melody noted, “Working in the sound arena is a labor-intensive activity. Jobs that used to seem impossible are done very easily. However, M&Es (music and effects) AI doesn’t really help us that much. You really need a human interface because you’re arranging the material, and you need someone to decide what’s M&E and what isn’t.”
Cabela disclosed, “In the past trying to Frankenstein things out of image searches has had mixed results.” He revealed that AI has supported him with tasks such as “either completely generating something out of nothing or expanding scenes.”
Wankum mentioned the possibilities available to filmmakers in the future when utilizing AI and said, “One of the things that I’m responsible for is keeping track of the old insert, pick-up and reshoot list. The idea that you can have three hours of dailies of a scene and then use that as reference material to generate something without having to go back to the set, without having to have the actor there.”
AI in Real-Time Live Demo
Digital Day 2025’s final theater presentation was a live demonstration of Real Time AI Rendering where Director Randal Kleiser and AI Programmer Ellenor Argyropoulos showed the real-world applications of using AI technology. During the demonstration moderated by Goi, the audience both watched and participated as Kleiser and Argyropoulos showcased the possibilities and current limitations of the technology.
Kleiser explained that he sees himself incorporating AI into his workflow when he finds that he’d like to extend a shot. However, when showing an example, he found that there were a few defects. When he extended a shot he took of people walking through a subway station the program, “kept the grain structure of the footage the same. What it did – which was not expected – was it was unable to fill in the background because it didn’t have any material to do that with. So, as you watch here, the guy comes forward, and now there’s the new part of the shot. But, look at the guy behind him – he has no body!”
Argyropoulos prefaced the demo with a disclaimer about the AI application and said, “What it does is changes things in a scene. You can change the lighting; you can change the background. So, we’re going to experiment today and hope it works. But you’ll get to see in real time how finicky that can be or how easy that can be. We’ll find out!”
During the demo, actress Tanna Frederick was videoed running onstage with her phone held out like a torch. The video was put in the program with the prompt, “Put this person in a colosseum running with an Olympic torch.” Within minutes they had a video with the inputted vision. Other pre-rendered demos were shown including removing cars from a street, various weather effects in different scenic locations, and changing clothing on people in real time.
Wrap:
Digital Day 2025: Harnessing the Hurricane: The Future of Intelligent Creation closed with wrapping comments from Goi and Kleiser, who thanked the audience for their participation and the Subcommittee members for all their support in making the event possible and encouraged everyone to take advantage of all the hands-on demos still going on in the DGA Los Angeles Lobby, Atrium and Theater 3.
Exhibits & Hands-On Demos:
Digital Day 2025: Harnessing the Hurricane: The Future of Intelligent Creation also featured Exhibits & Hands-On Demos including:
- Adobe — Adobe presented apps and features enhance your creativity and bring your vision to life with ethical AI-powered innovation, accelerated productivity, a next gen, agile system that connects directly to VFX and isn’t stuck in legacy workflows.
- AR-51 — showcased the AR-51 motion capture system, an AI application that has the ability to recognize and track body structures allowing real-time markerless performance tracking of multiple people.
- ARRI — To inspire your vision, ARRI showed their ALEXA 35 and Ensō Prime lenses that can combine ARRI’s latest innovations to empower Directors across motion pictures, scripted series, and high-end commercials with unmatched image quality and creative control.
- Beeble AI — demonstrated how you can shoot in flat light, relight in post with their platform which is designed to simplify complex visual effects tasks.
- Cinelytic — showed their cloud-based, business intelligence platform for the film industry that provides leading industry data, analytic tools and predictive intelligence in an integrated project management system to help film professionals better inform their creative, development, casting, greenlight, marketing, and distribution decisions across a film’s value chain.
- Cinema Devices — demonstrated how they can provide innovative production equipment in camera support and stabilization designed for body mounted floor to ceiling, ultra steady shots, as well as a never seen before hard pattern-soft lighting effect system.
- Evercast — lets filmmakers review and collaborate remotely in real time with secure video chat and studio-quality content streaming in one effortless app.
- Funicular Goats — A behind-the-scenes look at Live Television Production — All day in DGA Theater 3, Funicular Goats showcased a flypack TV control room set-up which offers a more intimate proximity to talent allowing creatives to work close to the action while still maintaining the superior technical needs required on high level productions. Observers were able to see how one can manage a production’s visual aesthetic with state-of-the-art engineering, cinematic workflows, and customizable tech to achieve creative vision.
- Lightcraft — demonstrated their Lightcraft Jetset, the only virtual production app that both tracks cinema cameras and automates VFX post production.
- RED Digital Camera — showcased their RED Digital Camera, and the latest technological break though of their Cine-Broadcast system which empowers Directors and broadcasters unlock the full potential of the Power of RED for live events and live-to-tape productions.
- Scriptation — demonstrated their app that instantly transfers your script notes — including shotlists, set plans, photos, and facing pages — into new drafts in seconds.
- Scripto — demonstrated their cloud-based collaborative writing, media data, and script management system that integrates with other API-enabled tools, connecting the writing process to production and beyond.
- Shamel Studio — showed how you can accelerate your production workflow with Shamel Studio and instantly break down scripts and build schedules, budgets and call sheets in just a few clicks.
- Sony — demonstrated their A95L TV, the FX2 mirrorless cinema camera, the new Rialto Mini camera, and VENICE 2 camera. And their Sony XYN™, an integrated software and hardware solution that accurately captures the real world and combines the content with a wide range of third-party tools to enable flexible workflow construction.
- Tata Communications — showed their service made to power hyperconnected ecosystems with globally scalable glass-to-glass media-focused solutions.
- Tech Savvy Tools — was a demonstration by the Digital Day Programming Committee on how to be tech savvy with tools to take on and off set to improve work productivity.
- Think Crew — demonstrated their software that uses cutting edge tools including AI scene descriptions, calendar views, multiple boards, editable scripts, customizable layouts and a powerful strip designer in ten different languages to schedule your show.
- Viz — showed how their technology can transform smartphones into powerful spatial computing and AI-enabled 3D visualization tools that can be used for camera blocking, shot finding, virtual location scouting, and stunts and gags, among other film techniques.
See video from this event in the gallery below.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
Spotlight Presentation: Director Joseph Kosinski on F1 The Movie:
Joseph Kosinski
In addition to F1 The Movie, Kosinski's other directorial credits include the feature films Spiderhead, Only the Brave, Oblivion and TRON: Legacy. He was also nominated for the 2022 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for Top Gun: Maverick. Kosinski has been a DGA member since 2007.
The Evolution of Immersive Technology:
Phil Galler
A pioneer at the intersection of film, entertainment and technology with a proven track record in managing and orchestrating complex production solutions, Galler founded one of the most influential virtual production businesses and coined the phrase “ICVFX.” He has extensive experience in developing and launching innovative projects and a deep understanding of the entertainment, creative and technology landscapes. He is currently working with the Entertainment Technology Center at the USC Film School on a live action/AI hybrid project and serves as a Teaching Assistant for Curious Refuge’s AI Advertising and Advanced AI Filmmaking courses.
The Invisible Assistant: AI in Post-Production and VFX:
Thomas Cabela
Cabela is a Visual Effects (VFX) Editor with over 20 years of experience in post-production. He has worked on a wide range of projects, collaborating with Directors such as Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus, James Cameron, and Todd Phillips. Cabela specializes in high-level shot “temping and finaling; managing complex and technical post-production workflows, post stereo supervision and stereo correction, always with the primary focus of serving the Director's vision throughout the process.
Joe Melody
Melody is an eight-time Emmy Award–winning sound supervisor and the President of Smart Post Sound, Inc. which he founded in 2005. Prior to Smart Post Sound, he was Executive Vice President of Technicolor Creative Services, overseeing television sound operations and long-range strategic planning. Based in Los Angeles, Melody remains hands-on, mentoring teams, and supervising key projects, where he shares industry experience alongside fellow award-winning artists.
Brian Wankum
Wankum is a Post-Production Producer with over two decades of experience on scripted series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Once Upon a Time, Amazing Stories, and more. A lifelong fascination with media and entertainment technology recently led him to explore the creative and practical potential of generative AI. His recent work includes freelance AI projects for major brands and AI-assisted reenactments for documentaries. He is currently working with the Entertainment Technology Center at the USC Film School on a live action/AI hybrid project and serves as a Teaching Assistant for Curious Refuge’s AI Advertising and Advanced AI Filmmaking courses.
Darren Frankel (moderator)
Frankel brings 35+ years of experience in visual effects and post-production in television and media, to both domestic and international clients. Prior to joining Adobe as Head of Film & Television, Darren was Head of Post-Production and Visual Effects for Marvel Television working in both studio oversight and creative capacities. Prior to Marvel, he was President of Stargate Studios and was responsible for overseeing operations at all ten facilities in seven countries. He was a freelance producer and post producer before joining Stargate. Frankel consults for various visual effects companies including Untold Studios, and helped to build the episodic division of Framestore, along with two stints on the Executive Committee at the Television Academy in visual effects.
AI in Real-Time Live Demo:
Director/DGA Special Projects Digital Day Subcommittee Chair Randal Kleiser
Internationally known since his first feature, Grease, Kleiser's other directorial credits include The Blue Lagoon, Flight of the Navigator, Big Top Peewee, North Shore, It's My Party and White Fang. Always involved in cutting-edge technology, he worked in 70mm 3D, for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, for the Disney Theme Parks, and developed a virtual reality simulator to train American soldiers encountering IEDs in the Middle East. In 2019, he released the 12-part virtual reality series Defrost, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was shown at Cannes. Experimenting with Paramount and Intel Studios, he reimagined the song "You're the One That I Want" using 20 dancers captured with volumetric technology. Kleiser has served as Chairman of the DGA's annual Digital Day for the last two decades and on the Academy's Science and Technology Council. He is currently the Senior Creative Advisor for Occidental Entertainment. Kleiser joined the DGA in 1974 and has served as an alternate on the National Board and as a member of the Western Directors Council.
AI Programmer Ellenor Argyropoulos
Argyropoulos is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and Director whose credits include the short films Garment Worker, Meat and Potatoes and Life Through a Lens. Forbes named her a trailblazer in AI for filmmaking, and she now consults for the ASC’s AI Committee. In 2019, Argyropoulos joined forces with producer Aphra Williams to launch Mermaid Toast, a female-driven creative agency and production company dedicated to fresh storytelling and innovative tech.
DGA Special Projects Committee and Digital Day Subcommittee Co-Chair Michael Goi (moderator)
Goi’s directorial credits include the DGA Award-nominated pilot and first live-action episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender in addition to serving as producing Director. He also executive produced and directed The Rookie: Feds; directed the season one finale of Doc, four episodes of American Horror Story, three episodes of Big Sky, eight episodes of The Rookie and many other shows. Goi’s feature film directorial credits include the viral internet sensation Megan Is Missing and directing and photographing the feature film Mary. As a cinematographer he has compiled over 75 narrative credits and received four Emmy nominations and four ASC Award Nominations. Goi is a three-time past president of the American Society of Cinematographers, serves on the Board of Governors of the ASC, and is the editor of the 10th Edition of the ASC Manual. A DGA member since 2014, he is the Co-Chair of the Television Diversity Task Force, the Asian American Committee and the Special Projects Committee and has served as an alternate to both the National Board and Western Directors Council.
About the Committee
Special Projects is the educational and cultural arm of the Directors Guild of America, providing its members opportunities for creative exchange to advance their craft and celebrate the achievements of directors and their teams. The Committee is co-chaired by Directors Michael Goi and Rachel Raimist. The Digital Day Subcommittee is co-chaired by Randal Kleiser and Michael Goi; and the Digital Day Subcommittee members are Valdez Flagg, Brian Frankish, Julie Gelfand, Scott Rindenow, Oz Scott, Arthur Allan Seidelman, Jay Torres and Susan Zwerman.
