Interviewer: Hello and welcome to The AI Summit London. Today we have the pleasure of introducing Emma Kolasinska, Executive VFX Producer at Lux Aeterna. For those who do not know you, how did you come to Lux Aeterna, and could you share a little of your background?

Emma: I started my career as an actor, touring theatre around the UK and in Hungary for about five years. I realised I was naturally organising as I went, and I wanted a more stable life rather than living out of a suitcase. I began as a receptionist at a post house in Soho about twenty years ago and worked my way up through different roles, including production in Yorkshire. I spent around fifteen years in advertising, working on visual effects and motion graphics.

I moved to Bristol ten years ago and have worked in visual effects for broadcast and high end television ever since. Bristol is the green Hollywood of TV and film. I have worked on many projects narrated by David Attenborough, including Blue Planet 3, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, as well as Solar System with Brian Cox and The Crown. We are also doing more unscripted work at the moment, such as Squid Game, The Final Challenge. 

Interviewer: How do human elements such as on set performances, direction, editorial judgement and design choices shape the story and emotional impact of productions with significant VFX?

Emma: In my view, the human element is at the heart of every successful production. Visual effects work best when they enhance what has been created, rather than dominate it. When VFX serve the story and are woven into the craft, the result feels seamless and emotionally resonant.

Interviewer: How do you think VFX will evolve to balance human emotion with the effects audiences seek as they look for new experiences?

Emma: For some directors, visual effects can be a dirty word, and they claim not to use them, but VFX are in almost everything you watch across natural history, television and film. At its best, the work is invisible. Audiences can tire if there is too much VFX or too much green screen. Some audiences want to spot the technology, especially in science fiction, but for me it works best when you do not realise you are watching it. If viewers are picking apart the technology, the film or series has not done its job. It should blend as one and take you on a journey. I watch to escape, and if I am analysing, that moment of escape is lost.

Interviewer: Your panel session debates whether AI is a creative revolution or a threat to human originality. From your perspective, how can AI be used as a collaborative tool in VFX?

Emma: There are two strands, creative and technical. First, idea creation. I have seen AI used successfully as a sounding board to explore different perspectives. It can surface legal considerations or cultural differences a director might not have considered. That works when it is collaborating with a human. If someone simply prompts and expects AI to do the whole job, it does not work as well. You need to be a master of your craft to get the best out of AI.

Second, shot creation. In VFX, AI is another tool in a toolkit that is always evolving. When a full shot is generated by AI, audiences tend to notice, and it can take them out of the emotional journey. It works better when AI contributes a small element within the shot, much like traditional VFX. Used sparingly and in collaboration with humans, it is most successful.

Interviewer: Timelines are shifting. VFX has traditionally been associated with post production, but with AI there is more that can be done upfront, from previs to character creation. How is that impacting the workforce and the process for VFX artists and producers?

Emma: I deliver a lot of VFX masterclasses because VFX is often not taught as part of the filmmaking process. Filmmakers might get a day on what VFX are, which means directors sometimes lack the language to brief us effectively. In some respects, AI can help them express their creative vision when specialist language is missing. For storyboards and previs, AI is very good at getting a director about 80 per cent of the way there.

In my opinion, today’s AI cannot get you 100 per cent of the way. There is a disconnect with some commissioners and producers who think AI will save a lot of money and happen in five minutes. That is not the case. It can accelerate aspects, but it does not replace the craft.

Interviewer: There is a lot of discussion about ethics, copyright and ownership. How is that affecting the work, and how are you addressing it?

Emma: At Lux Aeterna we have a creative technologist, and we have been working with the University of Bristol on copyright and ethics. Broadcasters have largely done the work to catch up, and the first conversations between a producer and a channel should cover what is permitted on a production and which tools are appropriate for both teams. Many channels are already developing their own tools for post teams.

Larger VFX houses and broadcasters generally have it in hand. If you are a smaller content creator engaging a freelancer, have an upfront conversation and put a contract in place that defines what can and cannot be used, and where any AI generated element originated. That protects you if something later comes to light. I feel confident about the frameworks at larger companies, but there is still an education gap for producers. As with VFX, some do not yet know what AI is, what it means or how to use it. They assume it shortens timelines and budgets, and sadly that is not the reality.

Interviewer: The Summit has a section dedicated to creative AI. What exciting opportunities are you starting to see?

Emma: It is still quite early in the AI journey for VFX. In the last two years, the big VFX houses have begun creating their own tools. Netflix has recently taken on Ben Affleck’s company, which is training a model. I am interested to see what happens in the coming years. Will VFX houses train tools in specific areas so productions are split across specialists, or will companies become more generalist and do everything?

At present, VFX is responding to AI rather than fully using it. It is not yet settled in our toolbox because we are still working out what we can and cannot do. At the start of a production, directors and VFX supervisors are sitting down to decide what is relevant for that particular project, because it is not relevant everywhere.

Interviewer: Looking ahead at AI and the broader landscape, is there anything you hope it will solve in your day to day work or within your workflow?

Emma: I am seeing it used when we create storyboards. Directors can use it to explore how shots might move, so I see it as a useful tool for communication and creative communication. What worries me is leaving younger team members and juniors behind. Some of their tasks are moving to AI tools that handle rotoscoping, which is cutting out elements, or tracking, where cameras follow objects in frame. These are the tasks where juniors usually learn their craft, learn how to operate in the workplace and understand how a visual effects company runs, and that is not happening. If any money is being saved, we should use it to educate and nurture younger talent, because I can see a staffing gap in about five years.

Interviewer: And the importance of retraining or starting new training programmes to facilitate that?

Emma: It is not happening in schools. It is not happening even though our teenager has just done homework with AI, and I can tell because he got everything right when he should not have. Now he knows how to use AI, but he does not know how to use it properly. It is the same at universities, especially in VFX. AI is another tool in the toolbox, but when and where should I use it, and what are the ethics behind it? From a business perspective we are in a good place. From an education perspective we are years behind and need to catch up quickly.

Closing

Emma’s take is clear. Visual effects are most powerful when they serve the story and preserve the viewer’s emotional connection. 

AI can be a strong collaborator for idea exploration and targeted shot work, provided skilled artists lead the process and ethical frameworks are in place. The craft remains human led, and the smartest use of AI is to enhance, not replace, the creative vision.