Why hasn’t AI replaced visual effects artists? Flame artist and colorist Jan Klier explains it with one simple example: the coffee mug problem.

Jan was the lead VFX artist on GOOD BOY, the indie horror film told from a dog’s point of view that became one of IFC’s biggest openings ever. He talks about how AI is really used in professional VFX, as precise tools inside a real pipeline. The conversation covers ComfyUI, depth maps, ML masking, Foundry’s SmartRoto, and the Flame ML Morph node behind Good Boy’s skeleton shot. He also explains which post jobs AI is replacing and why VFX artists are getting busier, then shares advice for breaking in and where he learns.

0:00 Cold Open: The Coffee Mug Problem 0:28 Intro: How We Built This Episode With Claude 2:04 Meet Jan Klier 2:56 Day-to-Day: Clients & Projects 4:03 Jan’s Toolkit 5:22 How AI Changed VFX 8:31 Can You Actually Control AI? 11:58 Inside ComfyUI 13:12 A Quick Word From Our Team 13:52 The Future: Masks, Depth & SmartRoto 15:44 Good Boy: VFX for an Indie Hit 21:00 Advice for Breaking Into VFX 22:45 Where to Learn VFX 24:20 Claude as a Creative Partner 26:24 Wrap-Up

Jan Klier: https://www.janklier.com Need help with production or post? https://theproductionfront.com/ Try ElevenLabs: https://try.elevenlabs.io/qa1mun4qyosg