Asteria, the AI studio co-founded by filmmaker Bryn Mooser and Natasha Lyonne, has struck a strategic partnership with ZeroSpace, a virtual production studio, in the hopes of transforming hybrid models of filmmaking.
The partnership between the two coastal studios — Asteria is based in Los Angeles, while ZeroSpace is based in Brooklyn, New York — aims to streamline the filmmaking process by developing new hybrid production workflows and physical facilities to help filmmakers move through different elements of a production, including story development, visual effects and virtual production (ala those involving the Volume) itself.
The two companies will also work together on original productions, research initiatives and education programs, while giving ZeroSpace access to Asteria’s suite of products, such as its AI operating system Continuum. The deal also gives Asteria access to ZeroGen, ZeroSpace’s generative AI platform that aims to let studios generate content within legal guidelines, helping enterprise customers avoid the legally murky areas of copyright issues.
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“Virtual production transformed where movies could be made. The next transformation is who can wield the technology to make them,” said Asteria CEO Benjamin Michel, another co-founder. “We believe the future is hybrid production, where the latest generative technology works in concert with tactile filmmaking, utilizing actors, cinematographers, production designers, VFX artists and the like. This isn’t about automating away artists or making productions cheaper; it’s about giving filmmakers the ability to tell stories that were once out of reach, letting the technology disappear into the creative process so their vision reaches the screen more fully than ever. ZeroSpace has built one of the world’s leading virtual production facilities, and we’re excited to build that future together.”
“ZeroSpace was built on the idea that technology should remove barriers between imagination and execution,” ZeroSpace CEO and foudner Jon Kreutzer said. “Asteria shares that vision. Together, we’re exploring how virtual production and AI-enabled creative tools can expand what’s creatively possible while keeping filmmakers and artists firmly at the center of the process. The goal isn’t to change who tells stories. It’s to give storytellers more powerful ways to bring their visions to life.”