Visual effects (VFX) have become essential in filmmaking, revolutionizing storytelling and creativity in the film industry with their diverse digital techniques. However, the high cost of VFX tools often leaves independent filmmakers and content creators working with modest budgets struggling to compete with larger productions. A new company, Beeble AI, is turning to artificial intelligence to address this problem.
The South Korea-based VFX startup has developed virtual lighting solutions for filmmakers and visual effects artists. This innovation addresses the high cost of creating top-tier, Hollywood-level visual effects, leveling the playing field in the film industry and empowering indie filmmakers and content creators to compete with larger productions.
Beeble AI has recently secured $4.75 million in seed funding led by Basis Set Ventures, with participation from Fika Ventures, at a valuation of $25 million. Hoon Kim, Beeble AI’s CEO and co-founder, shared this milestone with TechCrunch.
Founded in 2022 by five co-founding members, Beeble AI’s team previously worked at the AI research and machine learning team of the South Korean game publisher Krafton. The co-founders, deeply involved in AI-driven content creation, realized that no AI startup focused on “lighting,” which they considered a crucial element in filmmaking and photography. This insight led to the birth of Beeble AI.
Beeble’s primary product is SwitchLight Studio, a desktop app that offers relighting and composition within virtual environments. This product will be rebranded as Virtual Studio in the third quarter of this year, according to Kim.
Virtual production combines virtual and physical settings in the creation of films. Traditionally, green screens have been used to allow editors to incorporate VFX during post-production. However, a large LED screen has replaced the green screen in high-end virtual production. Despite its advantages, the LED wall remains prohibitively expensive for indie filmmakers.
Kim explained, “Powered by Unreal Engine and giant LED walls, virtual production creates the illusion of on-location shooting without the actual travel. However, this technology has been accessible only to filmmakers with million-dollar budgets due to its high cost and complexity.”
- Virtualization of Real Actors: Unlike traditional virtual production companies that use LED walls to bring virtual environments into the real world, Beeble’s platform virtualizes real actors into the virtual world.
- Accessibility: With just a phone camera, users can access infinite locations, lighting, and camera options, all within a virtual environment.
- Cost Efficiency: The platform aims to reduce costs significantly, making high-quality virtual production accessible to indie filmmakers.
Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” is one example of a film that used virtual production for filming and real-time effects. Virtual production has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing areas of visual effects and filmmaking.
Beeble AI’s virtual production platform targets not just individual content creators and filmmakers (B2C users) but also B2B companies. One potential B2B user is ReelShort, a short-form video streaming app specializing in serialized dramas.
Generative AI companies like OpenAI’s Sora and Runway help create videos from text, potentially disrupting the animation and movie industry. However, Kim highlighted that generative AI models often produce random content and alter the original image or video even for simple tasks. Beeble AI, on the other hand, is designed for predictability and ease of manipulation with AI capabilities. Kim emphasized, “To tell a compelling story, you need to have full control over every little detail of the project, including environment, characters, camera, and lighting.”
A text-based prompt interface does not allow for detailed iteration to perfect shots, which is why Beeble AI aims to enable fully controllable video creation with AI.
The key to achieving significant cost reductions lies in Beeble AI’s foundational AI model. This model enables users to adjust lighting, environments, and camera movements in the post-production stage. According to a report published by the co-founding members at CVPR 2024, the foundational AI model “automatically digitizes 2D footage of an actor’s performance into a physically accurate 3D representation.” The reconstructed actor in a 3D space has precise geometry and textures, allowing artists complete freedom to alter lighting, environments, and camera angles. This capability significantly reduces budget constraints and allows creators to focus primarily on storytelling. Users can create cinematic shots in their living room using just an iPhone.
- Automatic Digitization: Converts 2D footage into a 3D representation.
- Precision: Ensures accurate geometry and textures.
- Flexibility: Allows complete freedom in altering lighting, environments, and camera angles.
Beeble AI started generating revenue in October of last year. The SwitchLight mobile app, an AI photo editor, has been downloaded by around 3 million users. Additionally, Caption AI is integrating Beeble’s SDK to offer advanced relighting features within its app.
With the new capital, Beeble AI aims to expand its business into a virtual production studio platform. The company plans to use the funds to advance its foundational AI model, further product development, and hire more staff. Currently, the team consists of seven employees.
Current and Future Focus Areas:
- Product Development: Enhancing the foundational AI model.
- Expansion: Developing a comprehensive virtual production studio platform.
- Hiring: Increasing the team size to support growth.
| Investor | Investment Amount |
|---|---|
| Basis Set Ventures | Lead Investor |
| Fika Ventures | Participating |
| Previous Investors | Mashup Ventures, Kakao Ventures |
Beeble AI’s innovative approach and significant seed funding mark a promising development in making high-quality virtual production accessible to a wider range of filmmakers and content creators. This democratization of advanced VFX technology could revolutionize the industry, allowing for more diverse and creative storytelling.
Featured Image courtesy of DALL-E by ChatGPT