Eliot Mack, Emmy-winning founder of Lightcraft Technology, is making virtual production accessible to indie filmmakers by putting Hollywood-level camera tracking in a smartphone app. His latest innovation bridges virtual production with AI, creating what he calls the "chocolate and peanut butter" combination that could reshape how content gets made.
Watch the full interview here:
Speaking with us at AI on the Lot for our Inside the AI Studio series, Mack shared how his company went from building expensive rack-mounted systems to democratizing the entire virtual production pipeline through their iPhone app, Jetset.
From Emmy-Winning Hardware to iPhone Innovation
Lightcraft Technology started in 2004 with a singular focus: solving the camera tracking problem that plagued visual effects production. Mack, who previously designed the original iRobot Roomba, brought his robotics background to filmmaking.
The company's early systems enabled shows like Once Upon a Time to dramatically scale their visual effects work—jumping from 30 shots per episode to 300 shots, delivered in just two weeks. This success earned them an Emmy in 2013, but Mack wasn't satisfied with the exclusivity of six-figure systems.
Jetset: Virtual Production in Your Pocket
Five years ago, Mack partnered with Bill Warner, founder of Avid, to completely rethink virtual production accessibility. Their solution was Jetset, an iPhone app that provides professional camera tracking capabilities at a fraction of traditional costs.
All that stuff that used to be in racks of equipment and carrying cases in the whole nine yards is now in an iPhone.
The latest version of Jetset doesn't require shooting on the phone itself. Instead, it calibrates with cinema cameras—Red, Arri, and others—using the iPhone as a tracking device while maintaining high-quality capture on professional equipment.
The AI Bridge: Solving Virtual Production's Detail Problem
Mack identifies a fundamental challenge in traditional virtual production: achieving photorealism in 3D backgrounds requires weeks of work, while generative AI can create photorealistic images quickly but lacks precise control.
Virtual production in 3D has almost the same strengths and weaknesses... You have camera control... but getting 3D to have the level of detail and all the light shining through the leaves... can be weeks. Now, generative AI has almost the exact inverse properties.
Lightcraft's solution uses proxy 3D geometry that can be built quickly, then applies AI image-to-image conversion to add photorealistic detail while maintaining camera control. This approach lets filmmakers direct performances and control framing while AI handles the time-intensive detail work.
Real-World Success Stories
The technology is already enabling remarkable independent productions. Mack highlighted the work of 19-year-old Roman Dowling and his team on Entrenched, a Star Wars fan film that combines Jetset tracking with AI relighting through tools like Beeble AI.
They're using extremely advanced techniques for all the different pieces... constructing backgrounds... using Beeble for AI relighting of the scenes, because otherwise for a lot of the very dramatic lighting shots... there is days of work to get all that stuff.
Another success story involves recent USC film school graduates who pivoted from traditional pitching to creating their own spec commercial using Jetset. Their boxing trailer landed them representation with a major advertising team.
The Full-Stack Creative Revolution
Mack predicts these tools will create "full-stack creatives"—artists who can handle both storytelling and technical execution. This shift mirrors what happened in the technology industry when startup costs dropped dramatically.
The days of doing it the old ways... that world is changing and everybody's looking for how do we keep the creative control while making the most use of what's coming up.
He sees parallels to Roger Corman's studio system, which trained directors like James Cameron through low-budget productions. The difference now is that creators can "greenlight themselves" when production costs drop from hundreds of millions to manageable budgets.
The Final Cut: Hollywood's Inevitable Evolution
The physics of creativity, money, and technology all point toward the same conclusion: independent creators will increasingly bypass traditional gatekeepers. Mack predicts the next breakthrough will be a hit series created entirely with these democratized tools.
Someone's gonna have a series that's gonna be a hit and it's gonna scale... because the physics of it and of art, money, and creativity all go in that direction.
As virtual production technology becomes more accessible and AI handling detailed work, the line between major studio capabilities and independent production continues to blur. For busy professionals in the industry, understanding these tools isn't just about staying current—it's about recognizing where creative opportunities are expanding beyond traditional studio systems.
