The ETC think tank inside the School of Cinematic Arts has folded the AI toolmaker’s relighting, compositing, and scene-reconstruction tech into courses and research for hands-on work in VFX, virtual production and visual storytelling.
USC‘s Entertainment Technology Center has brought Beeble‘s AI production tools into its filmmaking courses and research, putting hands-on AI workflows for VFX, virtual production, and storytelling in front of its students.
A think tank inside USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, ETC teams with studios, technology companies, and filmmakers to test new technologies and shape production practice. Beeble now runs in two courses — Introduction to Special Effects in Cinema, taught by Habib Zargarpour, and Directing with AI, taught by Fred Grinstein — as well as in experimental filmmaking work within USC’s Media Arts + Practice program, including PhD projects and research funded by Amazon.
Beeble develops AI tools for filmmakers, VFX studios, and technical artists; its technology covers relighting, HDR imaging, and scene reconstruction, and the company earned a Webby Award this year for its use of AI and machine learning. Beeble released an AI-powered background remover this past April and launched its node-based Canvas compositing system in May.
“One of the most exciting outcomes has been seeing students pursue ideas that would previously have been beyond the scope of a class project,” said Tom Thudiyanplackal, an ETC producer and industry mentor. “They could dream about creating visual effects at this scale, but they rarely had the opportunity to make them. Giving students access to these tools opens entirely new creative possibilities.”
In addition to the classroom, the collaboration reaches into production research; one example is Pathways, a film written and directed by Felipe Vargas and shot by cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, which tests AI-assisted world-building, cinematography, and virtual production approaches.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
Tags
Getting Schooled in AI
Beeble
Entertainment Technology Center
ETC
USC
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Tom Thudiyanplackal
Habib Zargarpour
Fred Grinstein
Felipe Vargas
Roberto Schaefer
Pathways
Amazon
virtual production
Technology
AI
Artificial Intelligence
machine learning
VFX
Visual Effects
People
More From News:
Next Post
WildBrain Acquires Kid-Safe Character AI Company Personality AIPrevious Post
Indie Series ‘The Heir of Time’ Sets August 29 Pilot and Kickstarter Debut
