The Filmmakers at Wonder Dynamics Building AI for Filmmakers

Wonder Dynamics co-founders Tye Sheridan and Nikola Todorovic join GG Hawkins to explain how their filmmaking backgrounds shaped the development of AI-powered production tools for artists. They trace the company’s evolution from an interactive storytelling startup to Autodesk Flow Studio, a tool designed to transfer live-action performances to CG characters while preserving creative control and compatibility with established VFX pipelines. The conversation covers Hollywood’s changing relationship with artificial intelligence, the potential for lower-cost sci-fi filmmaking, Autodesk’s acquisition of Wonder Dynamics, the continuing importance of marketing and distribution, and how emerging filmmakers can prepare for an AI-integrated industry.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Tye Sheridan and Nikola Todorovic discuss...

How Sheridan and Todorovic met while working on Last Days in the Desert and bonded over their interest in making independent science-fiction films

Why the expense of CG and visual effects inspired them to pursue a lower-budget, “Blumhouse model” for sci-fi and animation

Wonder Dynamics’ pivot from interactive narratives to AI tools focused on film production

Why AI filmmaking technology should be developed by people who understand professional production and post-production workflows

The differences between tools made for social media content and tools made for long-form narrative filmmaking

Why editability, control, and compatibility with established VFX pipelines became central to Autodesk Flow Studio

How Autodesk Flow Studio captures a performance from single-camera footage and transfers it to a CG character without a traditional motion-capture stage

Why Sheridan and Todorovic do not believe an actor’s performance should be generated entirely through prompts

Hollywood’s pushback against AI during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and the industry’s gradual shift toward discussing responsible use

How filmmakers can evaluate AI tools according to their ethics, usefulness, and respect for artistic control