Jeff Desom Reflects on ‘Everything everywhere all at Once’ success and AI’s Impact on VFX

Luxembourg City – Jeff Desom, celebrated for his visual effects work on the Daniels’ Oscar-winning film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is currently serving as a jury member at the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival. Desom, who works between Los Angeles and Luxembourg, is known for blending live-action, found footage, and digital effects in his projects. The festival jury, led by Mohammad Rasoulof, also includes screenwriter paul Laverty and Danish star Trine Dyrholm.

Desom’s involvement in Everything Everywhere all at once, starring Michelle Yeoh, has considerably impacted his career. Speaking at the Luxembourg City Film Festival,Desom shared insights into his journey and his outlook on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in visual effects.

The Impact of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Before working on the Daniels’ project, Desom primarily focused on directing and writing, using visual effects as a tool to realize his creative vision. I didn’t do visual effects as my main job. I was a director, a writer, and visual effects work was just a means to an end, Desom explained. I was doing a lot of it for my own projects, and I’d never really done it for someone else’s project until the Daniels came along. We have been friends for a long time, and I had done visual effects for them before, but only on music videos.

The Daniels chose a specialized approach, assembling a bespoke VFX team rather than relying on a large company. Desom recalled, They asked Zak Stoltz, the visual effects supervisor, and Ben Brewer and Ethan Feldbau. They were the other core team members who were also directors before. They asked: ‘Hey, do you guys wont to do the visual effects instead of us using a big company?’ There are so many out there that have an army of visual effects artists. And they had done a movie that way before, and the experience was okay, but they lacked a bit of the direct contact.

The film’s ambitious scope presented unique challenges. It was 500 shots and four people – you do the math, Desom said, smiling. You’ve seen the movie. There’s a lot of them, and nothing is straightforward. Everybody knew it was a very special film. I remember seeing the first rough cut. I’d never worked on a movie before that was so ambitious in its ideas and execution, and so it was very daunting. But we would have never expected that the film would go on this trajectory.

Venturing into Pretend VFX

The film’s success led to numerous opportunities, prompting Desom and his colleagues to consolidate their efforts. Directing is not off the table,and I still like writing and trying to get projects done,and I’ve done some music videos meanwhile, Desom stated. But the success of the movie brought us so much work individually that we decided we needed to pull all those requests together and filter out what we wanted to work on.So we created a company called Pretend VFX and started to see what we are interested in doing, and also pick projects that we can actually do. And we’ve been very busy ever since. this year we’ve already got two features that we’re working on though he couldn’t disclose specific details.

AI’s Looming Presence in Visual Effects

Addressing the growing influence of artificial intelligence in Hollywood, Desom shared his perspective on its potential impact on the VFX industry. At the moment, the traditional pipeline is still what is most stable and trusted, he explained.It’s a very iterative process, and directors require very particular revisions of certain elements, and AI is still at a stage where it’s still better, more time effective and just safe to use the old method. But you know it’s going to get to a point where AI will [become more common in VFX]. You can see a tsunami wave coming.

Desom anticipates meaningful changes across the filmmaking landscape. things are going to change. But it’s hard to predict how… It’s very hard to position oneself right now and say, ‘Okay, I think we shoudl focus on this area of the process.’ As AI is not just going to change visual effects. It’s going to change the work of the cameraman, the director, everyone. It’s going to affect every part of the process,if not replace certain things. What’s very interesting to see at the moment is what it can simplify, especially processes that are tiresome, very time-consuming, and aren’t very creative.You know, it would be great to have AI as a tool there.

though, he also raised ethical concerns. There are also other things where you are wondering how much of the creative work is going to be replaced with this technology that is actually trained on people’s creative work.That feels a little icky. Once it gets to a point where you are using AI to render something that is a final product where you are not sure where it comes from. Is it ethically sourced? Do I have any ownership of that?

A Considered Approach to AI

Desom emphasized the need for a thoughtful approach to integrating AI into creative processes.

Everybody is praising AI as a tool, but you must have [a considered approach]. At the end of the day, you might be robbing a bank, and you’re not realizing it. You are complicit in a crime essentially, in something that, if it was done human to human, it would be frowned upon.

Desom’s insights offer a glimpse into the complex considerations surrounding the future of visual effects and the broader implications of AI in the film industry.

The Dawn of AI in VFX: A Conversation with Leading Visual Effects Expert, Dr. Anya Sharma

Is the film industry on the cusp of a visual effects revolution, or is the hype surrounding AI overblown? The answer, as you’ll see, is far more nuanced than you might think.

World-Today-News.com Senior Editor: dr.Sharma, thank you for joining us. Jeff Desom’s experiences working on “Everything Everywhere all at Once” highlight a interesting intersection of conventional VFX artistry and the burgeoning influence of AI. Can you elaborate on the current state of AI’s role in visual effects?

Dr. Anya Sharma (Visual Effects Expert): The role of artificial intelligence in visual effects is indeed a captivating subject. Currently,AI acts more as a powerful supplementary tool rather than a complete replacement for human artists. Think of it like this: AI excels at automating tedious, repetitive tasks—like rotoscoping, cleaning up footage, or even generating basic textures.This frees up artists to focus on the more creative, nuanced aspects of their work, enhancing their efficiency and allowing them to work on more complex aspects of visual effects within the allocated timeframe. It streamlines the workflow and can also handle massive datasets with greater speed compared to traditional methods.Though, the creative vision, the artistic judgment, and the ability to adjust elements based on the feedback of filmmakers and other artists – these remain fundamentally human-driven aspects.

World-today-News.com Senior Editor: Desom mentions a “tsunami wave” of AI coming to VFX. Is this a realistic assessment, and what are the potential long-term implications for visual effects artists?

Dr. Anya Sharma: Desom’s analogy of a “tsunami wave” is apt. The transformative power of AI in visual effects is undeniable. In the long term, its impact will likely be profound. We may see certain roles become more automated, even as new, higher-level jobs requiring expertise in AI-assisted VFX creation come to the forefront. It’s not about human obsolescence, but rather about adaptation and evolution. The visual effects specialists of the future will be those who can effectively leverage AI tools, integrating them into their creative processes while retaining the human element behind the project’s artistic direction. it’s a question of collaboration, not replacement.

World-Today-News.com Senior Editor: The article also touches upon the ethical considerations of AI’s growing influence which includes the possibility of AI stealing creative works; how can the industry ethically navigate this emerging technology?

Dr. Anya Sharma: Absolutely; the ethical implications are paramount. One major concern revolves around the training data for AI algorithms. Many of these algorithms are trained on existing visual effects work, raising questions about intellectual property and artist ownership. Openness and proper attribution are crucial. Similar to the issue with plagiarism in any other art form, developing robust safeguards against AI unfairly appropriating human creativity, including the implementation of clear copyright and licensing frameworks, is essential. This will involve establishing industry standards, ethical guidelines, and legal frameworks to ensure AI technologies are developed and used responsibly. This requires careful consideration of the provenance and intellectual property rights of the data used to train these algorithms.

World-Today-News.com Senior Editor: What specific strategies can VFX studios employ to adapt to this changing landscape?

Dr. Anya Sharma: VFX studios should adopt a multi-pronged strategy.

• Invest in training: Upskilling existing artists to work with AI tools is paramount.
• Embrace collaboration: Combine human creativity with AI’s strengths for optimized outcomes.
• Focus on critical thinking: Develop the ability to analyze AI-generated outputs critically, ensuring quality and artistic integrity.
• Foster innovation: Encourage experimentation with AI,discovering new creative possibilities.
• Advocate for ethical guidelines: Contribute to industry discussions about AI ethics and develop appropriate standards of practice.

World-Today-News.com Senior Editor: What is the most crucial takeaway for our readers regarding AI’s impact on the VFX industry?

dr. Anya Sharma: The future of visual effects isn’t a battle between humans and machines; it’s a partnership. AI provides powerful tools that should empower human artists to push creative boundaries much further than before. By embracing ethical considerations and proactive adaptation, those in the industry can navigate this transition successfully, creating a future where technology and artistry intertwine seamlessly.

World-Today-News.com Senior Editor: dr. Sharma, thank you for these insightful and forward-looking perspectives. This discussion has certainly shed light on the multifaceted nature of AI’s influence on visual effects.

What are your thoughts on the future of visual effects and the role of AI? Share your comments below, or join the conversation on social media using #AIinVFX #VisualEffects #FutureofFilm.