Brahma, the AI and content technology arm of DNEG, has announced the acquisition of Metaphysic, a company renowned for its AI-driven content creation tools. This strategic move aims to enhance Brahma’s suite of AI-native products, enabling enterprises, IP rights holders, and content creators to produce high-quality content at scale.

Brahma and Metaphysic: A Synergistic Fusion

Post-acquisition, Brahma’s global team will expand to over 800 engineers and creative technologists. This merger combines DNEG’s award-winning technologies, such as Ziva‘s digital human and character simulation tools—recently honored with a 2025 SciTech Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—with Metaphysic’s groundbreaking AI innovations, which have received a VES Award for Emerging Technology. Additionally, Brahma integrates CLEAR‘s AI platform, developed over eight years for content discovery, creation, and management. The executive team steering Brahma includes: Prabhu Narasimhan, Executive Chairman, Namit Malhotra, Founder and CEO of DNEG Group, serving as interim CEO of Brahma and Thomas Graham, CEO of Metaphysic and President of Brahma, set to transition to CEO of Brahma

For more details, visit the official announcement on DNEG’s website.

The post DNEG’s Brahma Acquires Metaphysic first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The FMX 2023 programme is online. With around 50 days to go, the conference is showcasing the diversity of its content, which ranges from new series productions to sustainability in the entertainment industry. The recently confirmed talks include technological highlights, including the “invisible” VFX of the recent four-time Oscar®-winning IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW, the Disney series SHE-HULK and the visual effects for the Netflix series 1899, as well as the track on diversity curated by FMX Programme Chair and Producer Jinko Gotoh and Julie Ann Crommett (Collective Moxie). Other topics include a presentation on the genesis of the animated Netflix fantasy production ONI: THE STORY OF THE THUNDER GODDESS and the risks of artificial intelligence. There’s news in the Recruiting Hub, and Rise FX is on board as a Silver Partner. The discounted Early Bird rate ends on 17 March 2023.

On site: Jan Philip Cramer (Digital Domain) with a case study on SHE-HULK: DIE ANWÄLTIN

Digital Domain will be presenting their work on the Disney series SHE-HULK: THE ADVENTURE at FMX. From day one of the project to completion, the Digital Domain team worked closely with Marvel Studios and the creative leadership team to create She-Hulk, a new kind of superhero who is also a fashion icon and the best lawyer in News York. Visual effects supervisor Jan Philip Cramer will shed light on the development of the main character, the motion studies and the final shots. Visitors can look forward to a detailed case study on facial animation, muscle and cloth simulation, as well as new groundbreaking technologies used on She-Hulk. Specifically, this means that Cramer will talk about facial animation using machine learning. In addition, Jan Philip Cramer will talk about Charlatan, Digital Domain’s neural network for “deep fakes” to exchange faces and the practical application of the network for SHE-HULK.

On site: Frank Petzold on the creation of the “invisible” VFX for IM WESTEN NICHTS NEUES

Frank Petzold, Overall VFX Supervisor for the four-time Academy Award® winner IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW, will talk about the transition from optical special effects to the CG era: He will show how he combined all the techniques he has learnt throughout his career to create the seamlessly integrated VFX for IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW. In his talk, Frank will outline the production process from the first meeting with director Edward Berger to the final round of film correction.

On location: Christian Kaestner (Framestore) about 1899

An adventure journey of epic proportions: this is how production VFX supervisor Christian Kaestner ‘s work on the Netflix series 1899 by DARK makers Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar can be described. Kaestner will dedicate his talk to the creative and technological tour de force that the show has travelled: from concept art, virtual scouting, virtual set walks and virtual art department to the construction and use of the innovative 360° LED Volume Stage from DARK WAYS and the final visual effects. The audience will be up close and personal when Kaestner provides an insight into the use of Framestore ‘s virtual production toolkit, but also introduces the new storytelling possibilities that come with LED technology: A technology that has the potential to put VFX artists, producers and tech experts at the centre of the creative process.

On site: FMX Programme Chair and Producer Jinko Gotoh and Julie Ann Crommett curate “Cultivating Inclusion” track

The Cultivating Inclusion track, curated by Jinko Gotoh, FMX Programme Chair and Producer, and Julie Ann Crommett, Founder and CEO of Collective Moxie, is all about how diversity, equality and inclusion are at the heart of a path towards true sustainability and growth in the global entertainment industry.

Julie Ann Crommett (USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Women in Animation) will moderate a fireside chat on “Landscape Look: WIA/USC VFX Study & Industry Accountability”. The conversation will address the current diversity in the global VFX and animation landscape using the 2021 WIA/USC VFX Industry Gender Study as an example. One of the key demands of the study was that institutions and the industry commit to taking responsibility – FMX will focus on the steps that have already been taken as a result.

Crommett will also be part of a panel discussion with independent studios and producers, including Deepa C. Joshi (Incessant Rain Studios), Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt (Chocolate Tribe), Christina Lee Storm (Netflix). The discussion will centre on “The Business of Inclusion”, i.e. the need to invest in diversity, equality and inclusion even in economically uncertain times. The FMX audience will be provided with concrete statistics, case studies and information.

In the third talk of the track, FMX Programme Chair Jinko Gotoh also invites Hidetaka Yosumi (Studio Nowake Canary Islands S.L.), Rob van den Bragt (Chocolate Tribe), Kiran Bhakta Joshi (Incessant Rain Studios) and Su-Jin Song (Cologne Game Lab of TH Köln) to talk about allyship based on concrete experiences under the headline “How to be an Inclusion Accomplice”. Visitors to the “Cultivating Inclusion” track can therefore look forward to taking home specific tools that can be directly applied to their organisations, technical expertise and creative work.

On site: Robert Kondo on shaping the world of ONI

Robert Kondo(Production Designs/Tonko House) will talk about the genesis of ONI: THE STORY OF THE THUNDER GODDESS, a Netflix fantasyanimation series inspired by Japanese mythology.

On location: Dave McKean talks about the discrepancy between art and artifice

Artificial intelligence is here, it’s here to stay and it will change everything – as with all technological changes, we will slowly say goodbye to some things, but also discover completely new possibilities. The English artist Dave McKean, who is at home in various media, fears that this time, however, the loss will affect the essential core of humanity: Namely, the question of why we do what we do. He believes that now is the time to define frameworks in which we allow AI to make the most of its inherent possibilities, but also set ethical and territorial boundaries to mitigate the worst collateral damage.

Forum News. Space has been made available in the fully booked Recruiting Hub for a few newcomers, and the first company suites have also been booked. Here are more new additions to the FMX Forum:

Recruiting Hub: DNEG, Jangled Nerves, Umedia.

Marketplace: Basilic Fly, Digital Production, InstaLOD, ScannedReality.

Workshops: Pixar’s RenderMan, Ranch Computing (online).

Company Suites: Foundry, Framestore, Side FX (Houdini).

Silver Partner: Rise FX !

With RISE, another multiple award-winning company is now a Silver Partner of FMX. RISE has been covering the entire spectrum of digital production design and visual effects since 2007. You can find more information here.

The post The FMX programme is online first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: VFX service provider DNEG has released a one-minute VFX breakdown of the 13th season of the cult British sci-fi series Doctor Who.

In toto: In the 13th season of the long-running TV series from the United Kingdom, space and time get mixed up – and the past threatens the present. Divided into six episodes, season 13 is called Flux, a threat that disrupts the structure of the universe. Lead actress Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch, Attack on the Block, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold), who plays the Thirteenth Doctor here, is the first woman ever to play the titular heroine of a Doctor Who series.

Click to continue: In the past, Digital Production has repeatedly referred to VFX breakdowns from DNEG’s visual effects forge.

• 18.06.2020: Godzilla meets Atlantis – The VFX breakdown for Godzilla: King of the Monsters by DNEG!
• 14.07.2020: The robots from Westworld: The latest visual effects breakdown from the British VFX company is all about machine people.
• 4.05.2021: Cutting-edge VFXs: Like sabering through a cartridge with a katana.

Sources: geek-germany.de ( report by FictionCat), doctorwho.fandom.com ( entry on the term Flux)

Doctor Who Flux | VFX Breakdown | DNEG

The post Doctor Who Flux | VFX Breakdown first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The VFX service provider DNEG is making its playback and reviewing software xStudio available as open source. This is according to my report, which was published by Dan Sarto on awn.com on 20 January this year. This is a beta version of xStudio. According to awn.com, xStudio is suitable for a wide range of production steps – from the film set to the production office, or even for remote reviewing sessions.

In toto: xStudio can be obtained via the GitHub account of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) and is provided as part of the Open Review Initiative. The announcement on awn com also states that xStudio is highly customisable and can be used both as a standalone player and integrated into pipelines via a C plug-in framework or the Python interface. The fact that users also have access to an extensive, open-source library is also emphasised.

Who is behind it? The open-source reviewing software xStudio is managed by a technical steering committee under the direction of DNEG. The committee is made up of engineers and contributors from the community. Chas Jarrett, Senior VFX Supervisor and Creative Director at DNEG, is quoted in the press release: “We encourage our customers, industry colleagues and partners to use and develop xStudio”; Jarrett emphasises that the community can benefit from xStudio.

Academy Softwaer Foundation (ASWF): The idea behind the initiative is standardisation – as Digital Production also reported on 9 August 2022 . The Open Review Initiative is a sandbox project of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), which is committed to building a standardised, open-source toolset for playback, reviewing and project approval. DNEG is a founding member of the ASWF, which was founded in 2018 under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation. Further information at aswf.io.

Outlook: In the coming months, the reviewing software itview from VFX house Sony Pictures Imagesworks will be made available as open source.

Click back: Just last week Thursday, 19 January 2023, Digital Production reported on how software developer Autodesk has made its reviewing & playback software Open RV accessible as part of the Open Review Initiative.

Click further: To the GitHub of xStudio. Further information on xStudio can be found at dneg.com .

Sources: awn.com ( announcement by Dan Sarto), dneg.com/xstudio/ ( official announcement)

The post Open source reviewing tool from DNEG? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The Academy Software Foundation is launching its Open Review Initiative. The idea behind this is standardisation. The aim is to create an open-source toolset for playback, reviewing and approval loops within professional film production. The Open Review initiative is currently in the sandbox phase. Just the day before yesterday, on 9 August 2022, Digital Production reported on Autodesk’s reviewing and playback tool RV, which was made open source – also as part of the Open Review initiative.

Background information: The Open Review initiative is driven by well-known companies, including Autodesk, DNEG and Sony Pictures Imageworks, which make RV, xStudio and parts of the itView ecosystem available as open source. The Technical Steering Committee (TSC) plays a central role in this. It brings together decision-makers from the participating companies, who work together to bring together the various components provided by the companies – with the aim of creating a modern playback-slash-reviewing-slash-release framework.

Speech: Erik Strauss, TSC Chairman of the Open Source Initiative, emphasised that the current reviewing and release landscape comprises a large number of interconnected systems (e.g. production tracking, asset management, transcoding). According to Erik, the merger of the companies involved is intended to help meet the changing needs of the creative industries.

Clicked on: Companies wishing to join the Open Review initiative can find all further information at tac.aswf.io . On 5 August 2022 , Digital Production also reported on the Academy Software Foundation. At that time, it was the open source standard developed by The Foundry called OpenAssetIO that received support from the foundation. The video below promotes the Academy Software Foundation.

2022 Academy Software Foundation Reel

The post Open-source playback & reviewing tools for creative professionals? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.