This and That (Where Great Conversations Are Happening)

[BreakBeatDJ]

1 hour ago, Fortis93 said:

 

 

Do you think it was easier back then, or was it a case of having rose-tinted glasses?

 

 

Well, you asked me, so I'll pontificate a bit . . . 

 

Imo, it was much easier back then for those with real talent and the drive to be professional creatives than it is now.  

Now, it is much easier for mediocre talent to find an audience and crowd out real talent.

 

Most of the gatekeepers back then were pretty good at evaluating talent and putting them on a path to succeed (not perfect).  A close friend who had a very successful agency and taught me a lot (he was too big to sign me, but we were still good friends) used to say, undeniable talent will not be denied.  The system found the talent, the system promoted them, sometimes abused them, gave them the tools, and pushed them out to the public (again, not perfect and there are examples of this not happening).  (Was it a racist, sexist system, absolutely, but I'd argue that the discrimination lay more in talent development than talent promotion, but that's another topic).

 

In those days mediocrity was quickly dismissed.  Now, every truly talented person is competing with every mediocre talent who can manage, through alternate means (kickstarter, YouTube, Reels, etc), to get something created.  But, they, through traditional and non-traditional, promotional channels, find an audience.  

 

When the barriers to entry are removed, it dilutes the audience, and it becomes harder for the truly talented to find an audience, and harder to make money.  Everything moves to the margins : large studios want safe guaranteed, independents get more and more stretched in what they can offer.  The middle, which is what most of us want to see, goes away).

 

But, the whole system has become more egalitarian, and one can argue, and I'd agree, that it has resulted in a landscape where anyone can have a chance (but a 1 in a million one), and that has been great for marginalized communities and I fully support that.  

 

But, we are not done yet . . .

 

I have been following AI for a few years, and it is the beginning of the end of the creative class.  From the Quadra 840AV (the first real multi-media production computer) in 1993 to now, that 30 years saw the rise of a wealthy, influential, class of people serving all creative sectors, and it has only grown.  And that's about to go away in a significant way.

 

No one is sure what will rise from it, but more fragmentation seems to be the consensus.  I have not hired a VO person in a year, which means no studio time, no recording engineers, no assistance, no microphone sales, no VO talent.  The AI VO generators are indistinguishable in most cases.  And, that's only a small part.  AI tools for coloring, for script cleaning, etc are ramping up so fast it's amazing.  A friend who is a novelist is now writing 100k words a month, using NovelCreator and NovelAI.

 

Most have their heads in the sands about this, or, are in that, meh, we've seen this before, "I read an article" and it said it's no big deal, etc.  But we are at a moment of creative evolutionary change, and it's tough to know what will happen.  A lot is riding on the NYTimes vs OpenAI lawsuit, that will probably set the precedent for the copyright viability of AI generated content and could be the game changer we creatives need.  But it is far from settled law.   The WGA contract was a huge win.  But, musicians, artists, designers, etc. do not have nearly the strength of unionization that the WGA provides, and there currently are not those types of protections for most creatives.

 

Yeah, so to answer your question, imo, the filters are gone, and that has created a landscape of content that is almost all, virtually all, forgettable, with very little space for true creatives to breakthrough.  

 

 

Edited March 27 by BreakBeatDJ

[BreakBeatDJ]

@Gary K can you approve the above.  Thanks bud.

 

[Fortis93]

3 minutes ago, BreakBeatDJ said:

@Gary K can you approve the above.  Thanks bud.

 

 

Ditto for mine. 😅

[Hollywood E Rock]

42 minutes ago, BreakBeatDJ said:

@Gary K can you approve the above.  Thanks bud.

 

 

39 minutes ago, Fortis93 said:

 

Ditto for mine. 😅

[BreakBeatDJ]

7 minutes ago, Hollywood E Rock said:

 

 

@Hollywood E Rock hey bud, I corrected one typo and it got unapproved again.  sorry.

[Gary K]

Got

you

[Fortis93]

1 hour ago, BreakBeatDJ said:

 

Well, you asked me, so I'll pontificate a bit . . . 

 

Imo, it was much easier back then for those with real talent and the drive to be professional creatives than it is now.  

Now, it is much easier for mediocre talent to find an audience and crowd out real talent.

 

Most of the gatekeepers back then were pretty good at evaluating talent and putting them on a path to succeed (not perfect).  A close friend who had a very successful agency and taught me a lot (he was too big to sign me, but we were still good friends) used to say, undeniable talent will not be denied.  The system found the talent, the system promoted them, sometimes abused them, gave them the tools, and pushed them out to the public (again, not perfect and there are examples of this not happening).  (Was it a racist, sexist system, absolutely, but I'd argue that the discrimination lay more in talent development than talent promotion, but that's another topic).

 

In those days mediocrity was quickly dismissed.  Now, every truly talented person is competing with every mediocre talent who can manage, through alternate means (kickstarter, YouTube, Reels, etc), to get something created.  But, they, through traditional and non-traditional, promotional channels, find an audience.  

 

When the barriers to entry are removed, it dilutes the audience, and it becomes harder for the truly talented to find an audience, and harder to make money.  Everything moves to the margins : large studios want safe guaranteed, independents get more and more stretched in what they can offer.  The middle, which is what most of us want to see, goes away).

 

But, the whole system has become more egalitarian, and one can argue, and I'd agree, that it has resulted in a landscape where anyone can have a chance (but a 1 in a million one), and that has been great for marginalized communities and I fully support that.  

 

But, we are not done yet . . .

 

I have been following AI for a few years, and it is the beginning of the end of the creative class.  From the Quadra 840AV (the first real multi-media production computer) in 1993 to now, that 30 years saw the rise of a wealthy, influential, class of people serving all creative sectors, and it has only grown.  And that's about to go away in a significant way.

 

No one is sure what will rise from it, but more fragmentation seems to be the consensus.  I have not hired a VO person in a year, which means no studio time, no recording engineers, no assistance, no microphone sales, no VO talent.  The AI VO generators are indistinguishable in most cases.  And, that's only a small part.  AI tools for coloring, for script cleaning, etc are ramping up so fast it's amazing.  A friend who is a novelist is now writing 100k words a month, using NovelCreator and NovelAI.

 

Most have their heads in the sands about this, or, are in that, meh, we've seen this before, "I read an article" and it said it's no big deal, etc.  But we are at a moment of creative evolutionary change, and it's tough to know what will happen.  A lot is riding on the NYTimes vs OpenAI lawsuit, that will probably set the precedent for the copyright viability of AI generated content and could be the game changer we creatives need.  But it is far from settled law.   The WGA contract was a huge win.  But, musicians, artists, designers, etc. do not have nearly the strength of unionization that the WGA provides, and there currently are not those types of protections for most creatives.

 

Yeah, so to answer your question, imo, the filters are gone, and that has created a landscape of content that is almost all, virtually all, forgettable, with very little space for true creatives to breakthrough.  

 

 

 

Really appreciate the detailed insight, mate.

 

Especially from someone in the industry. I kind of suspected this, but it's hard to gauge as an outsider.

 

When I left high school, I seriously considered pursuing filmmaking as a career, but ended up choosing the "sensible" route of going to university and getting into IT (which in my experience is also becoming oversaturated at the entry-level).

 

But you also end up wondering "What if?"

[Nadam]

Good morning, Psychos!

[hansreinhardt]

2 hours ago, BreakBeatDJ said:

I have been following AI for a few years, and it is the beginning of the end of the creative class.

 

This freaks me out on a near-daily basis, though I've tried to embrace AI in a couple different areas at work: generating transcripts and upscaling footage. 

 

I personally can't envision a future where the work of creative professionals will be entirely replaced by AI. But this may also be a limitation of my feeble human brain, just as it's impossible for one to fully comprehend the scope of an endless universe, or a time before time existed.

 

I'm hoping that embracing it in certain areas can show how it will elevate one's work, not outright replace it. But that could be wishful thinking... 

 

 

[nathan_s82]

9 hours ago, BreakBeatDJ said:

 

Well, you asked me, so I'll pontificate a bit . . . 

 

Imo, it was much easier back then for those with real talent and the drive to be professional creatives than it is now.  

Now, it is much easier for mediocre talent to find an audience and crowd out real talent.

 

Most of the gatekeepers back then were pretty good at evaluating talent and putting them on a path to succeed (not perfect).  A close friend who had a very successful agency and taught me a lot (he was too big to sign me, but we were still good friends) used to say, undeniable talent will not be denied.  The system found the talent, the system promoted them, sometimes abused them, gave them the tools, and pushed them out to the public (again, not perfect and there are examples of this not happening).  (Was it a racist, sexist system, absolutely, but I'd argue that the discrimination lay more in talent development than talent promotion, but that's another topic).

 

In those days mediocrity was quickly dismissed.  Now, every truly talented person is competing with every mediocre talent who can manage, through alternate means (kickstarter, YouTube, Reels, etc), to get something created.  But, they, through traditional and non-traditional, promotional channels, find an audience.  

 

When the barriers to entry are removed, it dilutes the audience, and it becomes harder for the truly talented to find an audience, and harder to make money.  Everything moves to the margins : large studios want safe guaranteed, independents get more and more stretched in what they can offer.  The middle, which is what most of us want to see, goes away).

 

But, the whole system has become more egalitarian, and one can argue, and I'd agree, that it has resulted in a landscape where anyone can have a chance (but a 1 in a million one), and that has been great for marginalized communities and I fully support that.  

 

But, we are not done yet . . .

 

I have been following AI for a few years, and it is the beginning of the end of the creative class.  From the Quadra 840AV (the first real multi-media production computer) in 1993 to now, that 30 years saw the rise of a wealthy, influential, class of people serving all creative sectors, and it has only grown.  And that's about to go away in a significant way.

 

No one is sure what will rise from it, but more fragmentation seems to be the consensus.  I have not hired a VO person in a year, which means no studio time, no recording engineers, no assistance, no microphone sales, no VO talent.  The AI VO generators are indistinguishable in most cases.  And, that's only a small part.  AI tools for coloring, for script cleaning, etc are ramping up so fast it's amazing.  A friend who is a novelist is now writing 100k words a month, using NovelCreator and NovelAI.

 

Most have their heads in the sands about this, or, are in that, meh, we've seen this before, "I read an article" and it said it's no big deal, etc.  But we are at a moment of creative evolutionary change, and it's tough to know what will happen.  A lot is riding on the NYTimes vs OpenAI lawsuit, that will probably set the precedent for the copyright viability of AI generated content and could be the game changer we creatives need.  But it is far from settled law.   The WGA contract was a huge win.  But, musicians, artists, designers, etc. do not have nearly the strength of unionization that the WGA provides, and there currently are not those types of protections for most creatives.

 

Yeah, so to answer your question, imo, the filters are gone, and that has created a landscape of content that is almost all, virtually all, forgettable, with very little space for true creatives to breakthrough.  

 

 

As a content creator on YouTube for 7 years, I've seen these changes as well, and they affected how I show content as well. Depending on your audience and their taste of entertainment, will determine how you reach them now (and if the algorithm suggests your videos). A lot of us had to change through the times to make shorter videos/reels/shorts that appeal to a bigger audience. This is due to the mainstream audience does not have the attention-span for long videos, but short to the point and catchy. We have long-time subscribers that ride or die, but even those are starting to fall off over time as well.

Edited March 27 by nathan_s82

[nathan_s82]

@Gary K, can you approve my post above?

[Veum]

Good night to you who need to 🛌 

 

[Gary K]

2 hours ago, nathan_s82 said:

@Gary K, can you approve my post above?

Sorry for the delay 

[LeadFarmer]

goodnight guys. can't believe it's been a year already today since joining. time sure does fly by these days.

[nathan_s82]

Happy Thursday All! Have a glorious day!

3 Days Until Easter

51 Days Until Texas Frightmare Weekend

71 Days Until Fan Expo - Dallas

107 Days Until Retro Expo

212 Days Until Cowtown Comic Con

217 Days Until Halloween

245 Days Until Thanksgiving

273 Days Until Christmas

279 Days Until New Year

323 Days Until Valentine's Day!

354 Days Until St. Patrick's Day

[Veum]

🤠 So it looks to be a promising Thursday for you, however for Mike he has to get out and cut their ornamental grasses today, ugh 😩 

 

 

 

3/28

59° /43°

8%

Mostly sunny and milder

RealFeel®58°

RealFeel Shade™54°

Max UV Index6 High

WindWSW 8 mph

Edited March 28 by Veum

[LeadFarmer]

Good morning guys reporting live from the office where the micro managers are in a heated exchange over who micro manages more effectively and why they should have the bigger personal office....amusing as they use colorful and professional language to express themselves. Then a few isles over there's block wars between competing departments as to who will occupy a coveted area with seating next to the windows that comes with the better functioning coffee machine. Amidst the chaos I'm at my desk with a cup of tea eating a bacon sandwich with additional bacon that happens to identify as bread for said sandwhich....scrumptious. Have a good day.

 

Edited March 28 by LeadFarmer

[Heywoodmoutaw]

15 minutes ago, LeadFarmer said:

Good morning guys reporting live from the office where the micro managers are in a heated exchange over who micro manages more effectively and why they should have the bigger personal office....amusing as they use colorful and professional language to express themselves. Then a few isles over there's block wars between competing departments as to who will occupy a coveted area with seating next to the windows that comes with the better functioning coffee machine. Amidst the chaos I'm at my desk with a cup of tea eating a bacon sandwich with additional bacon that happens to identify as bread for said sandwhich....scrumptious. Have a good day.

 

There’s been a literal million dollar screwup where I work and everyone is scrambling around trying to gather the evidence to demonstrate that it isn’t their fault (I’m not in the running on this one, just a spectator who wishes no one ill).  They’re probably all sending out resumes too, just in case, at least if they’re smart.

[Veum]

Good night to you who need to 🛌 

 

 

Why is it always when you do yard work at my age , YOU FEEL IT! 😂 😆 😝 

 

[LeadFarmer]

Later guys hope you had a chill one.

[Veum]

🤠 A beautiful Friday it is my friends, I hope you enjoy it!

 

FRI3/29

71° /52°

2%

Warmer with times of clouds and sun

RealFeel®71°

RealFeel Shade™68°

Max UV Index6 High

WindWSW 9 mph

[Heywoodmoutaw]

No work today, *and* no kid.  Hope to catch a couple of movies, now the lawn, catch a couple more movies.

[Veum]

🤠 A few errands to run now 🏃‍♂️...

 

 

see ya...

 

[LeadFarmer]

good morning guys......

[Veum]

Good night to you who need to 🛌