Todd Terrazas has been part of the AI revolution since the beginning. He started out developing a system to automatically triage 911 calls and then was part of the development team behind the first wave of AI-powered chatbots. Today, Todd has founded FRBC.ai, which empowers storytellers with AI tools. He’s also the mastermind of the AI LA Community, which in turn hosts the AI on the Lot summit.

Todd voices his expert opinion on AI and creativity, covering everything from what AI means for musicians, concept artists, and directors to how it can remove barriers from the filmmaking process and give new voices a space. He also reveals why we need to treat AI with caution and how to think about it. If you’re interested in AI, this is a captivating listen.

A love of computing, music, and cinema has propelled Jeff Kleiser’s career from the earliest days of VFX on movies including Tron, Flight of the Navigator, Stargate, Judge Dredd, Surrogates, and many more. Along the way, he’s helped the late, great Doug Trumbull create eye-popping film-based projects for Luxor hotels and Radio City’s 3D Christmas movie.

Jeff talks through his career, and how he’s seen the industry evolve from optical printers and really slow computers to today’s AI and CG tech, which are making it easier to create low-budget movies that look like blockbusters. He also talks about his fascinating upcoming movie with his brother, Grease director Randal Kleiser, which tells a remarkable true tale of heroic teenage girls in wartorn Amsterdam.

Chad Wanstreet and Chris Nichols have experienced similar career trajectories — but this is the first time they’ve sat down together. Like Chris, Chad transitioned from architecture to VFX, and his experience spans working at notable firms including Blur Studio and FuseFX. Along the way, Chad has contributed to projects that pushed the boundaries of visual effects, such as The Sympathizer, SWAT, The Tick, and the short-lived but brilliant Kill the Orange-Faced Bear.

Chad discusses the challenges and innovations brought by technological advancements, such as virtual production and real-time ray tracing, and highlights the importance of understanding these tools. Additionally, Chad shares personal anecdotes about the highs and lows of his career, including the struggles during the economic downturn of 2008 and the unexpected opportunities that led him to his current role.

Nikola Todorovic always wanted to make films, but encountered a familiar problem: the sci-fi screenplays he wrote would require $200 million budgets. Aiming to reduce this cost, Nikola co-founded Wonder Dynamics with Ready Player One actor Tye Sheridan to develop Wonder Studio, a platform that simplifies the time-consuming tasks involved in adding CG characters to live-action plates.

Nikola breaks down the creation of Wonder Studio, how it ingests and analyses scenes to allow for easy export to software, including Unreal and Maya, and how it generates 3D characters. He also talks through the process of setting up Wonder Dynamics, from its beginnings as a startup company to its acquisition by Autodesk — and what this means for its user base.