By: Alyssa Heater
The 2024 HPA Tech Retreat, now in its 29th year, showcased a program chock full of presentations, panels, and roundtables spanning a wealth of topics. One primary area of focus at this year's conference was Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the future of production and post. While the topic is often polarizing, the AI-focused Supersession on Tuesday provided a deep dive into how these tools can help in the content creation process.
Corridor Digital co-founder Niko Pueringer, alongside Caleb and Shelby Ward of Curious Refuge, Tim Simmons of Theoretically Media, director/producer Ruby Bell, composer Isy Lauf, VFX producer/animator Shaman Marya, and virtual camera supervisor Jackson Hayes, all participated in Tuesday's Supersession. Each presenter an expert in their own niche fields of VFX, AI, animation, production, and beyond served as a representative of how these elements all tie together to create a stunning final product.
Over the past year, Pueringer has been researching and educating himself on AI tools for visual effects and filmmaking. To him, he saw it as another way of rendering that had the potential to revolutionize visual effects, much in the same way that CGI did in the 90s. So, when Seth Hallen, HPA President approached him to participate in the session, Pueringer jumped at the opportunity.
While Pueringer recognizes that many people feel concerned about the power of the technology, he explains that it is ultimately just another tool in the toolbox. Seeing this huge spectrum of reactions between fear and misconception, as well as the excitement, really motivated me to do this presentation at the HPA Tech Retreat. I really wanted to teach people the philosophies and techniques I've discovered, because online, there are a lot of people telling you what to think, and I just wanted to show the reality of it. I try to peel away all the hype and emotion and the way people build it up to sound super crazy. I want to get rid of all of that.
During the Supersession, Pueringer introduced audiences to concepts, pipelines, and even hitting on the challenges the tools can impose. He premiered Trapped in a Dream, an AI-generated animated short that served as a case study for how AI tools have incredible potential in aiding in content creation. His presentations helped to demystify many of the concerns people feel about utilizing this technology. He notes, Seeing that people were excited about what I was presenting was really gratifying. I look up to the people who attend the Tech Retreat. These professionals are truly at the top of their game. I felt a bit of imposter syndrome being a YouTube guy. Everything I do is very independent and I haven't really been a part of the studio system, so it felt very fulfilling to be recognized by those in that part of the industry.
Pueringer and his friend Sam Gorski started their production studio Corridor Digital because they, quite simply, enjoyed making short films. The shooting, production, and VFX skills they learned while making these shorts throughout junior high and high school helped prepare them for a move to Los Angeles to produce an independent monster movie. In 2010, they shifted their focus to producing ad-driven content with YouTube as their partner platform, and have been doing that ever since.
Since its inception, Corridor Digital has produced dozens of AI-generated animated videos. Their work has positioned Pueringer and Gorski as thought leaders in the evolution of the technology. When asked where he expects future developments and sees it most utilized, Pueringer explains AI, in its most general form, has been a visual effects and animation tool for many years. It's been used to clean up motion capture with an intelligent prediction system or use a camera to do a rough skeleton capture for motion capture. AI is a bit of a misnomer because it's a very broad term. What we're really talking about is just training a computer to give you a statistical result based on statistical data.
He elaborates that generative AI can be used for everything from simplifying the rotoscoping process to generating fully cohesive images. While many companies are pushing a one-size-fits-all generative AI model, it is limiting because these models can only reproduce what they have already seen before, then mix and match visual elements. If you're trying to create something that's truly new, not just a mashup of other elements, these tools won't serve you until you can train your own data in and use these models for yourself. And that's a step that I don't think people have realized is crucial and key. But we'll get there; generative and media-based AI is only about a year old. Over the next few years, people will learn the technology, it will be incorporated into production pipelines, and slowly become adopted.
With the industry shifting, Pueringer notes that what is most important for content creators is to embrace whatever tools help them realize their vision. An AI tool will only be useful to an artist if it enables them to create better. AI tools should not be doing the creativity, but rather, the tedious tasks. He states, At the end of the day, we're trying to deliver compelling movies, TV shows, and content. It's the writing, the creativity, the directing, the acting - all things that you don't use AI for.
Concludes Pueringer, I hope people feel encouraged to go out and create. It's becoming easier than it ever has been before. iPhones are starting to look amazing as video cameras. In the world of filmmaking, it might seem scary that there are thousands of different creators and channels for thousands of different niches and audiences. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. If we put aside the business aspect and just look at
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
By: Alyssa Heater
