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AI takes center stage again but the program will attempt to delve deeper into the hot-button topic this year, presenting eight industry case studies examining innovation across the audiovisual value chain.

“While AI is a common thread running through the projects, the session takes a broader view of innovation, covering new business models, emerging technologies and evolving production and creative workflows,” said Teresa Azcona, managing director of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster.

“Together, they show how innovation is transforming the industry and opening up new opportunities across the value chain.”

But as Iberseries & Platino Industria co-Director Samuel Castro pointed out: “The ability to create stories should always be based on a fully human, author-driven concept and development. AI should be used as a tool, not as an end in itself.”

Under the banner Innovation ‘Case Studies in the Audiovisual Industry: New Business Models, AI and Emerging Technologies,’ the eight case studies will illustrate how companies are applying technology to address practical challenges across the industry. Running from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, the workshop will feature eight case-study presentations, with approximately 12 minutes allocated to each.

The next day, Sept. 30, takes in a conversation between producer Rosa Bosch and Tanja Meissner, Director of Berlinale Pro, which encompasses major industry platforms including the European Film Market, Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund.

Case Studies:

1. PLIA: Applying PLIA Technology to Script Breakdown, Pre-Production Planning and Production Tracking on “Playback”

PLIA, an AI-powered production platform for film and audiovisual projects, has developed an integrated production-management solution designed to bring the information generated across the creative and production process into a single platform.

The company will present its application on the feature film “Playback,” covering script breakdown, pre-production planning and production tracking. The platform brings together scripts, notes, budgets, location photography and production breakdowns, with the aim of streamlining information management across the production workflow.

Presenting: Jose Velasco — CEO, PLIA

2. TBS (Telefónica Broadcast Services) Tech Brand Stories: From the Physical Studio to the Virtual Production Environment: Virtual Production, AR, Motion Graphics and AI

TBS – Tech Brand Stories, formerly Telefónica Broadcast Services, is the Telefónica Group’s creative production company and audiovisual agency. The company operates across live production, broadcast services, branded content and entertainment, combining creative and technical capabilities. Its team of more than 450 professionals works across major sporting and live events as well as non-fiction, entertainment, documentary and current-affairs programming.

The case study will examine the convergence of virtual production, augmented reality, motion graphics and AI, and how these technologies are being integrated into contemporary production environments.

Alberto Gonzalo — Graphics Supervisor
Luis Miguel Boedo — Technical Coordinator

3. Hark Media – Go Global: When AI Learns to Move Us: Hybrid Dubbing for Global Distribution

Go Global specializes in localization for the entertainment industry, providing translation, subtitling, dubbing and voice-over services to streaming platforms and production companies.

The company will look at the emerging role of AI in dubbing and how hybrid workflows combining technology and human expertise could support the localization of content for international markets.

Paula Ferrari — Founder & CEO

4. Xpost Studios – Secuoya Content Group: Innovation in VFX and Post-Production Workflows

Xpost Studios, part of Secuoya Content Group, is a Madrid-based post-production and VFX facility operating from Madrid Content City. Its infrastructure includes facilities for editing, color grading, sound post-production, VFX and digital workflows.

The session will focus on the application of new technologies to VFX and post-production workflows, examining how innovation is changing the way content is processed and delivered.

Marcos Requena — Post-Production Manager

5. Story Pitcher: Connecting Audiovisual Creators and Producers Through a Digital Platform

Story Pitcher has developed a digital platform designed to connect screenwriters, directors and other audiovisual creators with production companies and content platforms.

Its model combines AI-powered matching with legal-protection tools, with the aim of facilitating more direct connections between creative talent and industry decision-makers.

Frank Belyeu — CEO, Story Pitcher

6. Mercedes Santalla: From Talent to Market: Strategy and Business for Creative and Technology Projects

Creative strategist and talent manager Mercedes Santalla works with projects and talent operating at the intersection of creative practice and technology. Her session will examine the commercial and strategic considerations involved in taking creative and technology-led projects from development to market, alongside the evolving relationship between talent, technology and business.

Mercedes Santalla — Creative Strategist & Talent Manager

7. Scoutters – Scout & Film: A Digital Platform for Location Scouting and Production

Scoutters is a digital location-search and management platform developed by Spanish company Scout & Film. Built on Scout & Film’s experience managing locations for film and advertising productions, the platform connects location scouts, agencies, production companies and film commissions with locations suited to their production requirements.

The case study will explore how digital tools are changing the traditionally location-based process of sourcing, managing and presenting filming locations.

Rubén Souto — Co-Founder, Scout & Film
Jose Díaz — Co-Founder, Scout & Film

8. HaMo – Paramotion Films: HaMo Real-Time Animation System: Digital Puppetry and Next Lab R&D

Developed by Paramotion Films through the Next Lab Generation R&D initiative, HaMo is a real-time motion-capture system designed for 3D animation and digital puppetry.

The system uses inertial sensors to capture an operator’s physical movements and Unreal Engine to transfer them in real time to a CGI character. The technology enables virtual characters to perform live alongside human presenters and audiences, with potential applications across studios, live events and social media.

This case study will look at the development and practical application of the system as an example of R&D moving from prototype to production technology.

Jose Luis Farias — CEO, HaMo
Alfonso Fulgencio — CTO, HaMo %!s()

Earth's Core and Mantle Trade Momentum

For roughly three decades, scientists have known that Earth's liquid core does not always rotate at the same rate. Changes in the planet's magnetic field have revealed that the liquid core can gradually speed up over several decades, then slow down during the following decades.

At the same time, the mantle, the roughly 3,000 kilometer thick rocky layer that includes the crust, responds in the opposite direction. When the core speeds up, the mantle slows slightly. When the core slows, the mantle speeds up.

This exchange happens because Earth's total angular momentum must remain constant.

Even very small changes in the mantle's rotation are enough to alter the length of a day by a few milliseconds.

A Hidden Gravitational Tug Inside Earth

Scientists have long struggled to explain exactly how the core and mantle exchange this rotational momentum.

In a new study published Sept. 23 in Nature, University of Alberta physics PhD student Huifeng Zhang and professor Mathieu Dumberry present a possible answer.

Their work shows that small changes in the rotational speed of Earth's inner core, the solid region at the planet's center, can create what scientists call a "gravitational torque." Because the inner core is not perfectly spherical, changes in its motion can gravitationally interact with uneven distributions of mass in the mantle.

That interaction can slightly alter how quickly the mantle rotates, producing small changes in the length of a day.

Competing Forces Control Earth's Rotation

Another force also acts at the boundary between the core and mantle.

Known as core mantle boundary torque, it produces friction and electromagnetic drag that oppose the gravitational pull. This resistance helps limit how much Earth's day length can change.

According to the researchers, the small observed variations in the length of a day arise from subtle shifts in the balance between gravitational torque and core mantle boundary torque.

Earth's Inner Core May Be More Dynamic Than Expected

Beyond helping explain a long standing mystery about Earth's changing day length, the findings also offer new insight into what is happening deep inside the planet.

Zhang and Dumberry say the inner core appears to "deform viscously" on a time scale of about 10 years, suggesting that Earth's deepest interior may change shape and respond to forces far more dynamically than its solid composition might imply. %!s()

That reputation made one population in the Galápagos especially surprising. Rather than roaming across vast stretches of ocean, these turtles appeared to spend much of their time close to home.

"Here we show that 'yellow-morph' green sea turtles - one of two genetically distinct forms - occupy individual foraging areas which span one or more islands in the Galápagos. We expected them to migrate to distant beaches in the western Pacific to reproduce, yet interestingly, none of our satellite-tagged turtles even left the Galápagos Marine Reserve over the three years of our study," said Dr. John W Rowe, a professor at Alma College in the United States and the corresponding author of a new study in Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science.

Two Distinct Types of Green Sea Turtle

Green sea turtles stand apart from the other six living sea turtle species because adults are primarily vegetarian. Young turtles begin life eating both plants and animals, but as they mature, their diet shifts mainly to seagrasses and algae.

Scientists recognize two genetically distinct forms involved in this study. Yellow morph green sea turtles are generally found across tropical and subtropical parts of the western Pacific, while black morphs occur in the eastern Pacific west of the Americas and south of southern California.

The Galápagos is the only known place where both forms share the same waters. There, yellow and black morphs mingle and feed on the same types of marine vegetation.

They are not completely alike, however. Young yellow morphs tend to grow more quickly than young black morphs, suggesting that there may be physiological differences between them that scientists have not yet fully characterized.

Tracking Turtles Across the Galápagos

Rowe and his colleagues wanted to better understand where yellow morphs spend their time, how much territory they use, and whether they travel between islands within the 198,000 sq km Galápagos Marine Reserve.

In 2015, the team carefully captured nine adults in shallow water near four islands. The group included seven males and two females. Researchers gave the turtles nicknames and attached electronic transmitters that sent location signals to the low orbit Argos satellite network.

The turtles were followed for as long as 418 days. Tracking generally ended when a tag detached or stopped sending signals.

The results revealed a strong preference for shallow coastal habitat. Although the turtles occasionally traveled as far as 25km from shore, most remained much closer to the islands.

Five of the nine spent most of the study near a single island. Bernardo and Sara moved between Isabela and San Cristóbal, while Leandro traveled between Isabela and Española.

Ainoa was the most adventurous of the group. After being tagged near San Cristóbal, she later traveled to Santa Cruz and then to Isabela.

The researchers also noticed a seasonal pattern. Movement between islands occurred only during the cooler period from April through October.

On average, each turtle used a home range covering 1,498 sq km, although the size of that territory differed considerably from one animal to another.

Surprisingly Reluctant To Leave

Taken together, the tracking data suggest that yellow morph green sea turtles living around the Galápagos can be remarkably homebound.

The researchers cautioned that their observations capture only a limited period in the turtles' lives. Longer migrations could occur at other times and therefore may not have appeared during the study.

That possibility is especially important for females.

"Since female yellow-morph green sea turtles are not known to lay eggs on the beaches of the Galápagos, we believe that they will eventually leave the area to return to their natal beaches in the western Pacific. In contrast, some female black-morph green turtles do nest in the Galápagos: depending on the individual, those may be year-round residents in the archipelago, travel to other nearby oceanic islands, or even to feeding grounds off Central and South America," said coauthor Dr. Juan Pablo Muñoz Pérez, a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.

Protecting a Network of Turtle Habitat

The findings also carry implications for conservation. Because some turtles move among several islands, protecting only one favored feeding location may not be enough.

Researchers emphasized the importance of preserving the coastal waters and routes between islands that the turtles depend on as they move throughout the archipelago.

"Since individual turtles may rely on waters around multiple islands, the quality of habitat that is available for foraging should be maintained intact across all islands, and not allowed to degrade anywhere," said Rowe. %!s()

The discovery, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, grew out of efforts to understand why about 30% of patients with symptoms suggestive of Dabie bandavirus (DBV) infection test negative for the tick-borne hemorrhagic fever.

A Search for the Cause of Unexplained Tick Illness

DBV causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a potentially deadly disease found across Asia. The infection has a case-fatality rate of 10% to 30%. Thrombocytopenia refers to an abnormally low level of platelets, the blood cells involved in clotting. The World Health Organization has identified DBV as a priority pathogen for research.

To investigate unexplained cases, researchers collected samples from people who had been bitten by ticks and were treated at sentinel hospitals in regions of China where tick-borne viruses are known to circulate. Using RNA sequencing and viral isolation, the team detected the previously unknown virus.

"The cocirculation of ALTNV and DBV in the same areas, coupled with their shared tick vector, underscores the need for improved differential diagnosis between infections with these viruses in regions where SFTS is endemic."

Genetic analyses placed ALTNV within the orthonairovirus genus in the family Nairoviridae. Its proteins shared less than 80% of their amino acids with those of other species in the genus, supporting its identification as a distinct virus.

Researchers also exposed laboratory cells to human serum containing ALTNV RNA. The virus grew in the cells and was identified as ALTNV using immunofluorescence to detect viral antigens. Electron microscopy revealed features typical of orthonairoviruses, while additional experiments showed that the virus could replicate in several types of cells.

ALTNV Found in More Than 10% of Patients Tested

Among 3,163 patients included in the study, 10.4% tested positive for ALTNV based on the presence of viral RNA or immunoglobulin M antibodies, which can indicate a recent infection.

The proportion was even higher among people who tested negative for DBV. In that group, 15.1% were positive for ALTNV.

Among patients infected only with ALTNV, the most common symptom was fatigue, reported by 84%. Gastrointestinal (GI) problems occurred in 80%, while 38% developed thrombocytopenia. Elevated aminotransferase concentrations were found in 36% (indicating inflammation or injury of the liver or other tissues; 36%). These patients ultimately recovered completely.

Coinfections Were Linked to More Severe Complications

Researchers also identified 38 patients who were infected with both ALTNV and DBV.

Compared with people infected only with DBV, those with both viruses experienced respiratory symptoms more often, affecting 61% compared with 38%. Kidney impairment was also more common in coinfected patients, occurring in 84% compared with 66%.

Seven of the 38 coinfected patients died, representing 18.4% of that group.

Virus Detected in Ticks Across 15 Provinces

The researchers also tested 47,428 ticks collected from 15 provinces. ALTNV RNA was present in 1.3% of them.

The highest prevalence was found in Haemaphysalis longicornis, commonly known as the Asian longhorned tick, with 1.8% testing positive.

Laboratory experiments provided further evidence that this tick species can spread the virus. Researchers showed that H longicornis was capable of transmitting ALTNV to mice.

Because ALTNV and DBV occur in the same regions and can be spread by the same tick vector, the researchers say distinguishing between the two infections could become increasingly important.

"The cocirculation of ALTNV and DBV in the same areas, coupled with their shared tick vector, underscores the need for improved differential diagnosis between infections with these viruses in regions where SFTS is endemic," the authors concluded. %!s()