SUPERMAN & LOIS: PUSHING LIMITS WITH AI RELIGHTING

Since its establishment in 2009, Boxel Studio has worked on major productions from the likes of Sony, Lionsgate, and Disney. When Founder Andrés Reyes Botello and Creative Director Freddy Chávez Olmos started work on HBO Max's Superman & Lois, they needed lighting software that would speed up delivery time while retaining high quality, as creating VFX for a television show requires meticulous planning and fast turnarounds.

Behind the Scenes

Q_Can you explain a little bit about your work on Superman & Lois?

Andrés:
We were across a lot of different shots. Some involved full CG environments, creature animation, and digital double creation, and others had more subtle effects added, like destruction, scenery augmentation, and compositing. Luckily, we worked very closely with the producers and showrunners, so we could align creatively and agree on workflows.

HBO Max's Superman & Lois needed relighting software that would speed up delivery time while retaining high quality.

Why Beeble

Q_When did you start using Beeble?

Freddy:

I came across it in 2023 and saw its capability for VFX professionals. I reached out to Hoon Kim, Beeble's CEO, met him at SIGGRAPH that year, and our working relationship began. Since then, we've been integrating Beeble into several of our projects. Initially, we used it for smaller parts like green screen comps, then we saw how fast and flexible relighting made a difference.

What began as a chance meeting at SIGGRAPH 2023 grew into a partnership reshaping VFX.

Andrés:

Once we understood its potential, we implemented it into our main project pipeline. It was one of the first machine learning-assisted tools we ever used in a real production setting. Those early tests on green screens worked great, and since then, it's become our go-to solution for a much broader range of compositing work.

Beeble was one of the first machine learning-assisted tools we ever used in a real production setting.

Q_Why did you use it for Superman & Lois?

Freddy:

We wanted to use Beeble on the production because, when we introduced it to our comp supervisor, we realized it was essentially performing footage virtualization. That means different AOV passes (normal, albedo, specular, and roughness) could be generated straight from the live-action plate. We did all of this within Nuke without CG and digi-doubles, so we knew it would completely shake up our workflow.

Our comp supervisor realized Beeble was essentially performing footage virtualization, generating different AOV passes straight from the live-action plate.

Andrés:

We showed the results to the VFX Producer on Superman & Lois, and he was very impressed. The team is always looking for ways to boost production value while staying mindful of financial constraints, and Beeble could do just that.

Beeble in Production

Q_What kind of work did you do with Beeble?

Andrés:

The software enabled us to create truly intricate, interactive lighting, no matter how small the detail. For example, we relit the edges of Superman's eyes for his laser vision, simulated subsurface glows, and made characters react to nearby explosions. In a traditional pipeline, FX like this would be more difficult to create and would involve the appropriate lighting on-set. But using Beeble, we didn't need any complex 3D setups.

We relit the edges of Superman's eyes for his laser vision, simulated subsurface glows, and made characters react to nearby explosions.

Using Beeble, we didn't need any complex 3D setups. Beeble enabled us to create truly intricate, interactive lighting, no matter how small the detail.

Freddy:

The artists we worked with found Beeble to be a game-changer. Our compositing team had direct creative control over the lighting, something relatively unheard of before, especially without going back to rendering or requiring additional passes. It really helped to tighten the feedback loop and enabled the team to iterate faster and more freely.

Q_What challenges did Beeble solve during post-production?

Andrés:

We handled many shots in a short amount of time during Superman & Lois, so deadlines were a big factor in our work. We mean hundreds of shots to be delivered in under three weeks, so Beeble's ability to generate AOVs almost instantly was absolutely crucial. It completely removed the need for rotomation and geo-tracking, saving us a lot of time and labour while retaining the quality.

Beeble's ability to generate AOVs almost instantly was absolutely crucial.

Freddy:

It also helped us in a creative sense, not just operationally. Because we had shorter render cycles, we could use lighting in unique ways to drive the narrative forward, which helped us convey the emotional tone and polish many of the shots we delivered.

Beeble helped us in a creative sense. Because we had shorter render cycles, we could use lighting in unique ways to drive the narrative forward.

Q_Superman & Lois was released before the SwitchLight 2.0 launch. Have you tried it yet?

Freddy:

Yes! We've been actively integrating SwitchLight 2.0 into our pipeline. It's even more artist-friendly, and the AOV generation and UI responsiveness have seen massive improvements.

SwitchLight 2.0 is more artist-friendly, and the AOV generation and UI have seen massive improvements.

Andrés:

What's been truly valuable is the support from Hoon Kim and his team at Beeble. They've been listening to our feedback and implementing the suggestions they find useful. That level of responsiveness has not only made the tool better, but has made using it a great experience.

—

Learn more about SwitchLight 2.0.

Superman & Lois Season 4 – All Episodes Streaming Now on HBO Max