The hottest Production Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Designing 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians'

Animation Obsessive • 42606 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. One Hundred and One Dalmatians introduced a bold, modern graphic look for Disney, using angular shapes, scratchy lines and loose color so the drawings were meant to be seen.
  2. The film leaned on Xerox to put animators’ pencil lines directly on cels and to layer drawn layouts over painted backgrounds, which saved money and created a lively, hand-drawn texture but required much cleaner drawing.
  3. It was a big collaborative success and a commercial hit, yet its modern style clashed with Walt Disney’s taste and remained a rare experiment rather than a lasting studio direction.

How Accurate Are Learning Curves?

Construction Physics • 19208 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Production
  1. Learning rates often change over time and many cost-versus-production curves show breakpoints instead of a single straight line on a log–log plot.
  2. Early learning rates are weak predictors of later learning rates, so using a single historical rate to forecast future costs is unreliable.
  3. Allowing learning rates to change probabilistically (piecewise models) can improve forecasts for some technologies, but the gains are modest and depend on the product, so combining probabilistic outside-view methods with technology‑specific inside‑view analysis is most useful.

Satoshi Kon's Impossibly Real Tokyo

Animation Obsessive • 21617 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. Satoshi Kon paired exaggerated, cartoony character animation with extremely realistic, photo-based backgrounds. This deliberate contrast heightens emotional impact and makes the characters' performances pop.
  2. The backgrounds were created from heavy photo reference, detailed storyboards, and digital layering techniques like repeated white-on-white snow painting and "harmony processing." Limiting camera moves and reusing angles let the team spend more time adding dense, lived-in detail to each shot.
  3. Contemporary animators are pushing craft and storytelling with mixed techniques — for example, Alina Popescu's music video Other I uses reference-driven animation, strong composition, and layered effects to tell a compact, powerful story. Meanwhile the industry is being reshaped by major news such as prominent passings, shifting box-office patterns, and debates around AI and censorship.

Note from the Editor

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4518 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. A regular segment was paused this week because the host was too sick to record, and it will return next week.
  2. The publication has been light on content lately, and changes meant to fix that will be implemented after the weekend with readers asked to check back Monday.
  3. An apology was offered for the interruption, and readers were wished a good weekend and reminded to tune in Monday morning.

What Is A Production Process?

Construction Physics • 15658 implied HN points • 13 Nov 25
đź’Ľ Business Production
  1. A production process is all about changing raw materials step by step into finished products. It involves a series of steps that transform inputs like sand and glass into something useful, like light bulbs.
  2. There are five important factors to consider in a production process, like how materials are transformed, how fast things are made, and the costs involved. Understanding these factors can help improve efficiency and reduce waste.
  3. Improvements in production processes can lead to big changes, like faster production and lower costs. This can make the final product, like a light bulb, cheaper and more efficient for everyone.
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The Ugly Truth About Spotify Is Finally Revealed

The Honest Broker • 155259 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
🎶 Music Production
  1. Spotify has been using fake artists to fill playlists, leading to confusion about real musicians. Many tracks are distributed under different names, suggesting a strategy to minimize royalty payments.
  2. An investigative journalist revealed that Spotify has a program aimed at promoting cheaper music, often created without the involvement of human musicians. This raises concerns about the ethical treatment of artists.
  3. There is a call for greater transparency and regulation in the music streaming industry. Some believe that a cooperative platform owned by musicians and labels could be a better solution.

A Deep Dive Into 'I Feel Fine'

The Ruffian • 1014 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🎶 Music Production
  1. I Feel Fine compresses a long musical lineage into two minutes — its riff can be traced from Dizzy Gillespie’s Latin-jazz ideas through Bobby Parker and R&B into the Beatles’ pop form.
  2. The Beatles used simple material with bold studio and arrangement choices — a riff-based structure, Ringo’s Latin-jazz beat, three-part harmonies, and the first deliberate guitar feedback — to turn a throwaway tune into something memorable.
  3. The song shows how 20th-century music mixed across genres and borders — Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, R&B and rock fed into each other and then were broadcast worldwide through popular acts.

"The Infrastructure of the Recording Industry Is About to Fail”

The Honest Broker • 35074 implied HN points • 30 Jan 25
🎶 Music Production
  1. The Hollywood industry is facing major problems, with many production companies moving away from California to other states and countries. This shift is caused by a mix of factors, including declining investments in new movies and changing viewer habits.
  2. Movie theaters aren't attracting audiences like before; ticket sales are dropping significantly. Creators, including famous directors, are considering other platforms like theater, which offer more stability and better audience engagement.
  3. Streaming services are prioritizing profits over original content, making it harder for creators to earn money. The industry needs to support creative talent more and explore new, independent platforms that give creators a bigger share of profits.

Every news outlet should produce a video podcast

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 224 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. News organizations should make video podcasts because they’re a relatively low-effort way to turn reporting into full episodes and short clips that reach audiences on YouTube and social platforms, while also helping reporters build personal brands.
  2. Newsrooms are increasingly using AI assistants to draft articles from reporters’ materials, which can expand coverage and speed up production but changes workflows and raises questions about training and oversight.
  3. Long-form podcasts attract major tech executives who often avoid hard scrutiny, yet those conversations still yield useful quotes for journalism, and media companies chasing short-form vertical video are mostly repurposing clips rather than investing in true mobile-first original content.

The Film and Studio That 'Should Not Exist'

Animation Obsessive • 13095 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. Cinema Fantasma, a unique stop-motion studio in Mexico, created the first Mexican stop-motion feature film called 'I Am Frankelda.' Their work shows how creativity can thrive even with tight budgets.
  2. The film has a fun, imaginative storyline with memorable characters and songs that resonate with audiences. Its premiere at the Annecy Festival was met with excitement and applause.
  3. The Ambriz brothers, who run Cinema Fantasma, faced many challenges but remained determined to bring their vision to life. They hope their success inspires more stop-motion projects in Mexico in the future.

The Don't Cha Edition

Why is this interesting? • 542 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🎶 Music Production
  1. The original recording was darker and more experimental than the radio hit, and critics noticed how unique and artful it sounded.
  2. A dispute over rights led the original performer to relinquish the song, after which the label reworked it into a polished pop version and gave it to a mainstream act.
  3. The original still gets rediscovered and appreciated, showing how production choices and legal control can completely change a song’s character and reception.

Hitting pause for a month!

Odds and Ends of History • 670 implied HN points • 01 Jan 26
đź“° News Production
  1. The paid newsletter is being paused for exactly one month so the creator can finish another work project and avoid overcommitment.
  2. Existing paid subscribers won’t lose time — subscriptions will be automatically extended by one month and no action is needed.
  3. The podcast will continue (with a new name), occasional urgent or guest posts may appear, and full newsletter publishing will resume in February.

The Abundance Agenda: The Best Of 2025

Odds and Ends of History • 469 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. The episode is a year-end roundup that collects four favorite segments from 2025 into one special show.
  2. Listeners are encouraged to share the pod and leave a nice review, with the episode available on major podcast platforms.
  3. Links are provided to newsletters, YouTube, and social profiles so people can follow and connect with the creators.

How The Dossier will stand out in a sea of AI slop

The Dossier • 89 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. AI is flooding the internet with quickly generated, low-quality content that often looks like human writing, so creators must adapt or get lost in the noise.
  2. Authentic video and audio—especially podcasting—are the clearest ways to prove a real human is behind the work and to stand out from AI-generated “slop.”
  3. Pairing traditional writing with verifiable multimedia keeps journalistic quality while highlighting genuine human insight, turning the AI surge into an opportunity for creators who can prove they’re real.

Zac Brown Show At The Sphere

Points And Figures • 532 implied HN points • 13 Dec 25
🎶 Music Production
  1. The concert is a narrative journey from darkness to light that emphasizes personal growth, forgiveness, and life after failure.
  2. The Sphere's bold visuals and symbolic moments — skeletons, King Neptune, poems and Roosevelt interludes — build a coherent story rather than anything satanic.
  3. The show urges people to take agency: face fear, take risks, be the 'man in the arena,' and stop being a passive spectator in their own lives.

"Baby Blue" by Badfinger (1972) with Todd Rundgren as producer

Rock 'n' Roll with Me • 339 implied HN points • 20 Jul 24
🎶 Music Production
  1. Todd Rundgren took over as the third producer for Badfinger's album _Straight Up_, stepping in after the previous producers faced challenges. He worked quickly to finalize the album in under two weeks.
  2. The hit song 'Baby Blue' was written by Pete Ham about a woman he met on tour. It became popular, hitting #14 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. and was later featured in _Breaking Bad_.
  3. Todd's approach to production was more controlling than the previous producers, which caused some tension with the band. However, his work led to successful singles and helped build his reputation as 'The Fixer'.

"We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad (1973) with Todd Rundgren as producer/engineer

Rock 'n' Roll with Me • 299 implied HN points • 19 Jul 24
🎶 Music Production
  1. The song 'We're an American Band' by Grand Funk Railroad, produced by Todd Rundgren, became a major hit and solidified Rundgren's reputation in the music industry.
  2. The recording of the song was quick, done within a few days, and it topped music charts, marking a successful moment for the band.
  3. Personal memories connected to the song highlight family dynamics and how music can create lasting memories, even amidst sibling rivalry.

5 lessons pop music can teach us about creativity

Make Work Better • 152 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🎶 Music Production
  1. Creative work comes from showing up and making a lot of stuff; persistent output and practice give you the few big wins.
  2. Being together in person helps creativity because small, quiet cues and half-formed ideas get noticed and built on.
  3. Creativity thrives in messy, relaxed, playful spaces and from outside inputs, so embrace chaos, laughter, and unexpected sources to get unstuck.

I’m Pausing for January, Help Keep Going Alive

Startup Strategies • 57 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. The Keep Going podcast and The Innovators will pause for the rest of January so other work can be finished.
  2. The break isn’t permanent but will help decide how much of the show can continue and how often it will appear.
  3. Readers are being asked to become paid subscribers to help keep the show alive, with a 20% discount on the annual plan.

"Sunny" - The inspired song that has, in turn, inspired so many other artists

Rock 'n' Roll with Me • 199 implied HN points • 26 Apr 24
🎶 Music Production
  1. Bobby Hebb's song 'Sunny' became a huge hit in 1966 and has been covered by over 500 artists. Its unique sound influenced many songs across different genres.
  2. The inspiration for 'Sunny' came to Bobby after a personal tragedy and seeing a beautiful sunrise, showing how powerful creativity can arise from tough times.
  3. Bobby's career was deeply influenced by his musical family and key figures in music, highlighting the importance of support and mentorship in achieving success.

Announcing the ESP32 ZX Spectrum

Single Board ESP32 ZX Spectrum • 99 implied HN points • 13 Jun 24
đź•ą Technology Production
  1. The ESP32 ZX Spectrum is a recreation of the ZXSpectrum using ESP32-S3 based PCB, with unique features like capacitive touch pads and a colorful display.
  2. Challenges faced include variability in displays and the need to improve the keyboard functionality to avoid ghosting of keys.
  3. Production risks include the complexity of larger production runs, the need for a stable display vendor, and the dependence on individual initiative for the project.

Introducing Storypunk...

Development Hell • 572 implied HN points • 01 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. The post introduces a newsletter called Storypunk that focuses on TV development and production.
  2. The process of TV development and production is portrayed as a challenging and lengthy one.
  3. The post offers a 7-day free trial to access more content on the newsletter, Development Hell.

Important Question

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 14 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎙 Podcasts Production
  1. There’s a worry that essays attached to podcast episodes don’t show up in podcast apps, so subscribers might not see them.
  2. A specific attached essay is cited as an example and readers are being asked whether they received and read it.
  3. If those essays aren’t being seen, it’s upsetting because they’re valued content and could make people rethink subscribing.

The Making of Twilight

Crewdson Trail Log • 334 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. The production of 'Twilight' by Gregory Crewdson was improvised and done on a shoestring budget
  2. 'Twilight' marked a turning point for Gregory Crewdson and influenced all his subsequent work
  3. Gregory Crewdson found a sense of freedom and infinite possibility while creating 'Twilight'

Eveningside: T&A Tools

Crewdson Trail Log • 393 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Production
  1. The photographer revisits locations, themes, and casts in their work over time.
  2. The narrative elements of a photograph often come together through a process of returning to a location.
  3. Using consistent crew members and actors can add depth and continuity to the storytelling in images.

Surface Noise

Dada Drummer Almanach • 9 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🎶 Music Production
  1. Analog recordings keep both the music and the marks of their use — surface noise, tape hiss, and studio sounds — and those imperfections make listening feel tactile and time‑bound.
  2. Digital formats remove physical friction and surface noise, giving cleaner sound and huge libraries, but that intangibility often encourages skipping and shallower listening instead of close, time‑rich attention.
  3. New technologies from the player piano to magnetic tape and multitrack recording transformed how music is made and edited, enabling creative splicing and overdubs while also introducing limits like tape hiss and prompting changes in copyright law.

Tina Turner, The Link Between Legends, 1966: Phil Spector's "River Deep-Mountain High"

Front Row & Backstage • 353 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🎶 Music Production
  1. Tina Turner was a legendary artist who inspired other musicians like Phil Spector.
  2. The song 'River Deep-Mountain High' marked a significant collaboration between Tina Turner and Phil Spector, showcasing their talents.
  3. The recording process for 'River Deep-Mountain High' was intense and intricate, leading to a masterpiece in pop music history.

Audio Autopsy, 1986: XTC "Season Cycle" from Skylarking LP, Produced by Todd Rundgren

Front Row & Backstage • 334 implied HN points • 10 May 23
🎶 Music Production
  1. XTC's song 'Season Cycle' from the 1986 Skylarking LP is deeply influenced by 1960s music and the Beach Boys.
  2. The album 'Skylarking' by XTC was a loose concept album produced by Todd Rundgren.
  3. The songwriting and recording process of XTC, especially during their Dukes of Stratosphear project, showcased a creative homage to 1960s music.

Studio Notes: Gloaming

SJF • 137 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🎶 Music Production
  1. The new track 'Gloaming' showcases a change in composing style since 'Meditations.'
  2. Attention to frequencies and layering helped improve the sound quality of the music.
  3. Blending electronic and orchestral instruments adds an organic feel to the music.

Becoming Led Zeppelin

Dada Drummer Almanach • 264 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🎶 Music Production
  1. Led Zeppelin found success by ignoring negative reviews and focusing on their live performances. They believed that word of mouth from fans was key to their popularity.
  2. The band took control of their music by producing their own recordings and owning their masters. This allowed them to avoid pressures from the music industry and shape their own path.
  3. Jimmy Page's vision for Led Zeppelin as an album band was ahead of its time. He wanted to create music that could be fully appreciated on albums, not just through hit singles.

Musical interlude

Disaffected Newsletter • 359 implied HN points • 10 Jun 23
🎶 Music Production
  1. Music can express feelings and emotions deeply. It often connects with personal experiences and thoughts.
  2. Songs can serve as a source of comfort, especially during tough times. They can remind us that we are not alone in our struggles.
  3. Listening to music can be a way to reflect and find peace. It helps us process our feelings and understand our situations better.

dancing martial arts masters of the bicycle factory

Dan Davies - "Back of Mind" • 216 implied HN points • 31 May 23
đź’Ľ Business Production
  1. Assembling a folding bicycle involves over a thousand components and skilled bike builders for final assembly.
  2. Piecework payment system led to highly skilled assemblers who could work at incredible speeds.
  3. Transitioning to a production line system from piecework can be culturally disruptive and challenging, impacting the identity and skills of employees.