Abstract
Artificial intelligence is beginning to play an increasingly important role in post-production, particularly in visual effects workflows that have traditionally relied on time-consuming manual processes. In recent years, AI-assisted tools have been used to support tasks such as background removal, masking, rotoscoping, motion tracking, and compositing, helping filmmakers work more efficiently and with greater flexibility. Rather than replacing conventional VFX methods, these tools are better understood as part of a hybrid workflow in which automation supports, but does not eliminate, creative and technical decision-making. This study explores the use of AI-assisted visual effects in contemporary filmmaking through a qualitative case study of Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). The film provides a useful example because it achieved complex and imaginative visual results within the limits of an independent production. Its post-production process reflects a practical combination of established digital compositing methods and selected AI-enabled tools, showing how filmmakers can adopt new technologies without abandoning conventional craft. Drawing on published interviews, trade discussions, production commentary, and relevant scholarship on emerging post-production technologies, the study examines how AI-assisted tools contribute to workflow efficiency, creative experimentation, and problem-solving in effects-heavy filmmaking. Particular attention is given to background removal and related compositing tasks, while also considering the limits of current AI applications, including questions of precision, artistic control, labor, and ethical responsibility. The study argues that AI is most useful when treated as a supporting tool within existing VFX practice rather than as a complete substitute for it. In this sense, AI-assisted workflows may be especially valuable for independent and mid-budget productions seeking to achieve ambitious visual storytelling under practical and financial constraints.