In collaboration with director Paul Trillo, I embarked on an exciting passion project to animate "Etherea" using ComfyUI. Our approach seamlessly blended traditional VFX techniques with cutting-edge AI technology.

Our Process
We began with a live-action shoot, capturing real dancers performing carefully choreographed routines. This foundation of human movement was crucial to the project's authenticity. Following the shoot, we moved into a traditional VFX pipeline, creating a rough edit and previs to establish our vision based on the captured footage. Leveraging ComfyUI, we developed a proof of concept utilizing IPadapters and Controlnets. Custom workflows were crafted to enable in-software compositing and independent control of foreground and background elements.

The Result
This short film showcases the powerful synergy between live-action performance, traditional visual effects, and AI-driven animation. It stands as an example of how these worlds can converge, creating visually stunning and innovative work. By bridging the gap between human performance, conventional VFX techniques, and AI capabilities, "Etherea" demonstrates the exciting possibilities that emerge when artists embrace multiple realms of creativity.