In an era of instant gratification, research shows 96% of people rank speed as a primary factor in their purchases. 88% of consumers are willing to pay for same-day or faster shipping.
That concept of immediate results isn’t reserved for commerce. It has spilled over into other, less obvious areas, too. Art is a great example. The realm of patience and innovation has slowly been changing for years now.
Take a photograph as an example. Once upon a time, you had to wait for a photo to be developed. Now, anyone can take a crisp photo on a smartphone. Certain smartphone users can even take a “live” version and choose the best shot from the extended moment (in high-definition, no less).
This ability of hardware and software to enable people to create in real-time is impacting the world of video too, and in many ways even more than its still image alternative. The best place to see this in action? The bleeding-edge artistic worlds of cinema production and game development.
Cinema Has Benefited From Instant Creativity for Years Now
Before exploring the current capabilities of real-time creative tools in film and gaming, it’s worth noting that real-timecreativity influencing the film industry is not a new development. As far back as the late 2000s, large film productions were already using performance capture to allow cameras to record an actor’s motions in the moment.
Even more instant? Teams were developing ways to view composite digital characters while shooting live-action scenes, rather than waiting for post-production.
During this period, handheld virtual cameras were introduced that functioned as monitors with game-style controls, tracked in physical space. By using these tools during motion-capture shoots, filmmakers could see performers represented as digital characters directly in the viewfinder instead of actors in capture suits.
At the time, the ability to see a computer-generated character rendered in real time while filming was extraordinary. A few years later, similar approaches were used again on large-scale productions.
Just as important, the use of the technology became less remarkable. It didn’t raise as many eyebrows. The technique had been seen before, and it was spreading. Fast forward to the present, and real-time visibility into the creative process has become commonplace.
Real-Time Creativity Is Setting the New Gold Standard
Despite the impressive track record, earlier breakthroughs pale in comparison to the creative power available to modern filmmakers. One need look no further than the latest generation of AI-driven video tools to see how far the industry has progressed. These systems can take a simple prompt and deliver high-quality footage within seconds.
And yet, it turns out this is just a layman’s version of the actual firepower that creative professionals have on studio sets and in their VFX setups. Companies like JangaFX have helped push real-time visual effects from experimental fascinations to consistent, indispensable tools.
For instance, the real-time VFX simulation software’s EmberGen, LiquiGen, IlluGen, and other simulation tools allow game designers to experiment with water, clouds, smoke, fire, and explosions in real-time as they create. The team behind the popular MMORPG EVE Online described the real-time VFX platform as “the perfect tool to meet the challenge” of modern instantaneous design due to its ability to simulate complex things like clouds “at insanely fast (real-time) speeds.”
The Transition From Pioneer to Standard
Instant results in real-time settings are influencing more than shopping. It is becoming a hallmark element of modern creativity, too. This has the potential to not just speed up the time it takes to create. It opens up new frontiers in the creative act itself.
Artists no longer have to wait for paint to dry, photos to develop, or even computers to render. They can expect to see results nearly immediately after having an idea. They can see if the idea works, make adjustments, and try again, mere moments later. This allows for faster iteration, leading to a more fluid and continuous innovative process.
For movies, the result is literally there, on the screen, clear for all to see. Games are similarly improving at breakneck speeds. Is this just another step in a long string of creative evolution, or is this the mark of something new? Perhaps, rather than seeing technology take another stride forward, we’re seeing it turn a corner, take a leap, enter a new era — an era that marks the end of waiting to create.