Episode 526 - Hoon Kim of Beeble AI: How Switchlight Creates 'Relightable Footage' for Real-Time Filmmaking
AI is revolutionizing cinematic lighting control with Beeble AI's Switchlight. Founder Hoon Kim explains how his tool, originally a general AI concept, became a powerful VFX asset by tackling the difficult process of relighting. Switchlight "unlights" any video footage to figure out the fundamental physical properties, like the shape (normals) and texture (metalness/roughness) of objects, and then uses this data to apply new, photo-realistic lighting instantly and securely. The desktop application is quickly becoming indispensable for both small production teams and major studios who need precise creative control over their shots. The conversation reaches a pivotal point when host Chris, an expert in real-time rendering, mentions his work with the real-time ray tracer Vantage, leading to mutual excitement about integrating their technologies. Switchlight provides the control that other generative AI tools lack, and Hoon sees its PBR data as a perfect control signal for future generative video models. They agree the tool's true value is creating "relightable footage" that can be manipulated layer by layer, just like in professional compositing software. This technical precision promises to blend the creative freedom of AI with the consistency and detail demanded by professional filmmaking. Beeble AI Official Website > Hoon Kim's LinkedIn Profile > Google Research Total Relighting paper > Paul Debevec's Parthenon project (2004) > Chaos Vantage (real-time ray tracing) > This episode is sponsored by: Center Grid Virtual Studio Kitbash 3D (Use promocode "cggarage" for 10% off)
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Episode 525 - Dennis Berardi on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein & Resurrecting Mr. X
Visual effects veteran Dennis Berardi joins the podcast to discuss the resurrection of his legendary studio, Mr. X, and his latest collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein. Dennis shares the technical and artistic challenges behind the film, detailing how his team blended massive physical builds with digital artistry to create the film's "invisible" effects. From creating expansive Arctic icescapes in a Toronto parking lot to blowing up 20-foot "bigature" miniatures for the climactic tower sequence, Dennis explains how they achieved an operatic scale while maintaining the emotional intimacy of Del Toro's father-son narrative. The conversation also navigates the complex business of visual effects, as Dennis recounts the dramatic story of selling Mr. X to Technicolor and his subsequent fight to reclaim the brand and IP after the parent company's collapse. He outlines his philosophy for rebuilding Mr. X as a boutique, filmmaker-focused studio that values artistry over volume. Finally, Dennis, Chris, and Daniel speculate on the future of the industry, discussing the impact of AI, the fracturing of the VFX market, and why relationship-driven, smaller shops may be the key to sustainable high-end filmmaking. Mr. X Website > Dennis Berardi bio > Dennis Berardi on IMDB > Frankenstein on Netflix > The Empty Man Trailer > This episode is sponsored by: Center Grid Virtual Studio Kitbash 3D (Use promocode "cggarage" for 10% off)
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Episode 524 - VFX Soldier & Scott Ross: The Subsidy Wars
The anonymous "VFX soldier in the trenches" who took on the studios is back, and the fight he started is far from over. Two legends of the VFX labor rights movement, Daniel Lay (the formerly VFX Soldier) and veteran exec Scott Ross, join Chris and Daniel Thron to revisit the pivotal moment their fight began. The conversation goes back 10+ years to when the VFX Soldier blog became the rallying cry for an industry in crisis, detailing why Lay started it, his reasons for anonymity, and how he and Ross ultimately "merged forces" to fight for artists. The group dives deep into the history of their legal battle, revealing how their "Jedi Knight" law firm nearly won a tariff war against the studios, a fact later confirmed by the 2014 Sony hack. They also connect this past fight to the present, discussing the new Trump administration tariff proposal, the disruptive force of AI, and whether the collapse of the studio tentpole model finally creates an opportunity to rebuild the industry. Original VFX Soldier Blog > Scott Ross on LinkedIn > "Leaked Sony E-mails Reveal Execs Feared "VFX Soldier" (Cartoon Brew) > VFX Grunt on YouTube > This episode is sponsored by: Center Grid Virtual Studio Kitbash 3D (Use promocode "cggarage" for 10% off)
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Episode 523 - David Morin, Executive Director of the ASWF, on His Journey from Softimage to Securing Open Source
What was it like to be inside Softimage during the Microsoft acquisition? How did Bill Gates' "big pivot" to the internet change everything overnight? Industry veteran David Morin joins Chris to share his fascinating origin story, from programming with punch cards and an 8-year art detour to working with ILM on Jurassic Park and navigating the seismic shifts at Softimage, Microsoft, Avid, and Autodesk. Today, David leads the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), and he details its crucial mission: providing a permanent, secure home for the industry's most vital open-source software. He discusses the importance of the foundation's "stamp of approval," the massive recent addition of ACES, and how open source works with commercial tools to democratize filmmaking, enabling independent, Oscar-winning animated films like Float to be created with tools like Blender. Academy Software Foundation > Join the ASWF > David Morin on LinkedIn > History of Softimage > This episode is sponsored by: Center Grid Virtual Studio
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Episode 522 - Gabriel Regentin: How Ingenuity Studios Made Weapons Unbelievably Real
For our special Halloween episode, we sit down with VFX Supervisor Gabriel Regentin to discuss his work with Ingenuity Studios on the smash-hit horror film, Weapons. Gabriel details his close collaboration with director Zach Cregger, whose primary goal was to ensure every visual effect felt 100% "in-camera" and unquestionably real. He shares the challenge of creating the film's signature terrifying effects and how Ingenuity Studios was brought in early to develop the look for such a massive, director-driven vision. Gabriel also walks us through his fascinating "origin story," from studying Performing Arts Technology in Michigan to navigating the 90s dot-com boom in New York with Macromedia Director and After Effects. He recounts his big break on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, where he earned the nickname "Gatlin Gabe" for his rapid temp comps and created a shot so good it became the benchmark for the final vendor, landing him a job at Framestore and launching his career in feature films. Ingenuity Studios > Weapons on HBO Max > Gabriel Regentin on IMDB > Gabriel Regentin on LinkedIn >
This podcast is part of the Chaos Group Labs. In this podcast, we talk to our friends, find out what they are doing, talk about what we are doing, and generally look at all things that interest us including CGI, VFX, Design, Rendering, Raytracing, an d any other CG Nerdy stuff.
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