Visual effects (VFX) have become an essential part of filmmaking, transforming storytelling and creativity in the film industry with a variety of digital technologies. However, the high cost of VFX tools often leaves independent filmmakers and content creators working on small budgets struggling to compete with large-scale productions. A new company, Beeble AI, is turning to AI to solve this problem.
A South Korean VFX startup has developed a virtual lighting solution for filmmakers and visual effects artists, addressing the high costs of creating top-notch Hollywood visual effects and leveling the playing field in the film industry, empowering indie filmmakers and content creators to compete with big-name production houses.
Beeble AI CEO and co-founder Hoon Kim told TechCrunch that the startup has raised $4.75 million in seed funding led by Basis Set Ventures with participation from Fika Ventures, valuing the company at $25 million.
Beeble AI was founded in 2022 by five co-founders who worked in the AI research and machine learning teams of Korean game publisher Krafton. Having worked on AI-based content creation, the co-founders realized that no AI startup focused on “lighting,” which they believed was an important element in filmmaking and photography, and thus Beeble AI was born.
Beeble’s main product is SwitchLight Studio, a desktop app that provides lighting and configuration within virtual environments. (SwitchLight Studio will be rebranded as Virtual Studio in Q3 of this year.)
“We started out focusing on virtual lighting, but we’re now transitioning to developing a full-fledged virtual (production) studio,” Kim told TechCrunch. “We see a future where small teams of less than 10 artists can create content that rivals major Hollywood studios.”
Virtual production involves combining virtual and physical settings in filmmaking. You may have seen a green screen, a backdrop that allows editors to integrate VFX during post-production. Kim says that while large LED screens have replaced green screens in high-end virtual production, LED walls are still expensive for indie filmmakers.
“Virtual production powered by Unreal Engine and massive LED walls creates the illusion of on-location filming without the need for actual travel, but the technology’s high cost and complexity have made it accessible only to filmmakers with multi-million dollar budgets,” Kim continued.
Unlike traditional virtual production companies that use LED walls to bring virtual environments into the real world, Beeble’s virtual production platform virtualizes real actors into the virtual world, the company’s CEO told TechCrunch. With just a phone camera, users have access to infinite positioning, lighting, and camera options within the virtual environment, he added.
Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” is an example of a film that used virtual production for filming and real-time effects, Kim noted. Virtual production has become one of the fastest-growing areas in visual effects and cinematography.
Kim said potential users of the virtual production platform could be B2C users (content creators and filmmakers) as well as B2B companies such as ReelShort, a short-form video streaming app specializing in soap operas.
Generative AI companies like OpenAI’s Sora and Runway help create videos from text, which could completely disrupt the animation and film industries. But Kim said generative AI models, including Sora and Runway, often generate random content and alter the original image or video even for simple tasks. Beeble is designed for predictability and ease of operation, thanks to its AI capabilities. “To tell a compelling story, you need complete control over every detail of your project, including the environment, characters, cameras, and lighting,” Kim continued.
Text-based prompt interfaces are not the way to do this, and they don’t allow for detailed iterations to perfect the shot. Beeble aims to enable fully controlled video generation with AI.
According to the startup, a key to achieving significant cost savings is its core AI model, which allows it to adjust lighting, environments and camera movements in post-production.
According to a paper presented by the co-founding members at CVPR 2024, the underlying AI model “automatically digitizes 2D footage of an actor’s performance into a physically accurate 3D representation.” The reconstructed actor in 3D space has accurate geometry and textures, giving artists complete freedom to change lighting, environments, and camera angles. Beeble AI claims this feature significantly reduces budget constraints, allowing creators to focus primarily on storytelling. Users can create cinematic scenes in their living rooms using only their iPhones.
Beeble AI says it started generating revenue in October last year. About 3 million users have downloaded its AI photo editing app, SwitchLight, on its mobile app. The startup also says Caption AI is integrating its SDK to provide advanced relighting capabilities within the app.
With the new capital, we plan to expand our business into a virtual production studio platform. We plan to use the new capital to advance our core AI model, add product development, and hire a staff of seven.
Previous investors include Mashup Ventures and Kakao Ventures.
