Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies (MARZ), the visual effects (VFX) studio and AI technology startup helping Hollywood deliver feature-film quality VFX on TV timelines, announced its first AI for VFX solution, Vanity AI. Vanity AI is the first completely automated, end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) solution for Hollywood VFX. Vanity AI is a production-ready solution that empowers VFX teams and Hollywood to deliver large volumes of high-end 2D aging, de-aging, cosmetic, wig, and prosthetic fixes. The technology is 300 times faster than traditional VFX pipelines, significantly more cost effective, and has no capacity constraints.
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“Hollywood studios are facing massive competitive pressure and growing consumer demand for more high end content, but they have also navigated significant VFX capacity issues that are driving up costs and delaying delivery”
MARZ is on a mission to solve the systemic and growing challenges facing the entertainment industry including global VFX supply shortages, condensed timelines, and compressed production budgets.
Under the research leadership of world-renowned academic and Chief Scientist, Danny Cohen-Or, and Director of Research, Ali Mahdavi-Amiri, MARZ brings together generative AI, computer graphics and computer vision to develop solutions that automate different VFX use-cases and make VFX scalable for the first time.
With this pioneering approach to VFX, creating a feature-film caliber shot is now as simple as adjusting dials on a single frame. Instead of taking anywhere from one to five days for a VFX artist to complete a shot, Vanity AI can complete a shot in about three minutes, with output and consistency that is on par with highly talented VFX artists.
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“Hollywood studios are facing massive competitive pressure and growing consumer demand for more high end content, but they have also navigated significant VFX capacity issues that are driving up costs and delaying delivery,” says Jonathan Bronfman and Lon Molnar, Co-Presidents of MARZ.
“VFX needs to evolve to address the challenges of this new entertainment environment, and that’s why we’re on a mission to democratize VFX by developing next-generation AI solutions,” says Matt Panousis, COO of MARZ.
Vanity AI has been used by the MARZ internal VFX team on over 27 Hollywood productions, saving clients roughly $8 million in costs and shaving nearly 100 weeks off production schedules. The technology was used to deliver work for shows including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Stranger Things (S4), Gaslit, First Ladies, Being the Ricardos, and others for studios such as Marvel, Disney, Apple TV, Netflix, AMC, and NBC Universal.
“Hollywood doesn’t want AI – they want faster, cheaper, on demand, and limitless capacity. We view AI as the perfect vehicle to solve those problems,” says Molnar, Bronfman, and Panousis.
MARZ will complete beta testing of Vanity AI midway through 2023, during which time the technology will be offered as a service. Once Vanity AI emerges from beta, it will become available for license to Hollywood studios and artists around the globe.
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