In the high-stakes world of real-time visual effects, Beyond-FX is redefining success through a blend of cutting-edge technology and unwavering commitment to collaborative culture. Working with prominent clients such as Riot Games, Skydance New Media, The Coalition, and Respawn, it’s fair to say that they have found the recipe for success. KLASH Founder Fredrik Munthe recently engaged in a candid conversation with Beyond-FX’s leadership team—Keith Guerrette, Becka McIntosh, and Matt Peasley —to explore their unique approach to real-time VFX production, the importance of efficient tools, and their recent acquisition by Virtuos.
Work Culture and Collaboration
Beyond-FX, based in the heart of Los Angeles, is known for its collaborative environment, a feat achieved despite having a global team. “We run multiple art reviews and team events online,” says Matt Peasley, Director of Production. “This creates a harmonious and collaborative culture that keeps everyone working together, even with team members scattered across different time zones. We have artists starting at various times, from 6 AM local LA time to 2 PM, and spontaneous calls, huddles, and meetings are common. Everyone dives into discussions on specific topics, driving the quality of all our products, work, and culture forward.”
The studio’s emphasis on collaboration goes beyond productivity, focusing on the growth and development of its artists. “A big part of our collaborative nature is about progressing and growing together,” says Deputy General Manager Becka McIntosh. “Regular art reviews allow everyone to learn and refine their craft.” Beyond-FX leverages tools like KLASH to facilitate these reviews, ensuring detailed feedback and continuous improvement.
Founder and General Manager Keith Guerrette underscores the studio’s focus on mentorship. “Collaboration and mentorship are the foundations of our culture. The success of everything we do relies on teamwork – it’s not something we can do ourselves. Our clients’ engineers build the tools we use, and their designers create the designs that we attach our visual effects to the animations, art, lighting, everything. So because of this, our culture is based around this premise of collaboration and mentorship opportunities.”
Precision and Flexibility in Production
At the core of Beyond-FX’s operations is the use of productive tools like KLASH, which integrates with the existing pipeline to streamline feedback and communication. “KLASH allows us to share work, provide feedback, and maintain a high-quality bar,” says Peasley. The platform’s user-friendly interface and customization options have made it indispensable for the studio.
The workflow at Beyond-FX is methodical yet flexible. “We work with a lot of different clients that have a lot of different production methods, but what we’re asked to do is deliver x assets by x date,” says Guerrette. “We try to identify all the needs and all the risks around those particular tasks and assets and divide the time that we have remaining. Before we commit to it, we make sure that we feel that it’s a healthy project scope.”
The process involves an initial pass to eliminate risks, a middle phase for creating art, and a final phase for polishing and real-time optimization. “By the end of the first third, we want to have reduced or removed all the risk,” Guerrette says. “The middle third is all about creating the actual art and assets. And the final third is all about polishing and making it efficient because our artwork not only has to look good but also has to run in real-time.”
McIntosh emphasizes the importance of building strong client relationships as an integral part of the production process. “We integrate deeply with our clients’ teams, ensuring no barriers between our artists and clients. This creates a harmonious relationship, allowing us to move forward quickly and effectively.”
Peasley adds, “Our internal VFX directors take pride in ownership and ensure our artists hit the overall quality bar that we require, but our clients expect from our team. We track all notes and feedback inside KLASH. There are three to four iterations of each effect, and since we don’t have a static camera, they’re separate iterations uploaded into the tool for ease of review and iterative collaboration.”
Production Challenges and Solutions
Effective communication is pivotal in overcoming production challenges, especially for a team spread across the globe. “The single most important thing that would have fixed every problem we’ve ever had is proactive communication,” notes Guerrette. “We need processes that support touch points without burdening people. Process for process’ sake is not something we are fans of.”
Integrating different communication methods, particularly Slack, has been crucial for the team. “As remote tools have evolved, we’ve adapted and grown with Slack as our central communication hub. Much of our core communication happens there,” explains Guerrette. “KLASH was a very relieving tool for us because of the connections back into Slack that streamlined into our culture and made it easy for our team to use and rely upon as a formative tool. Previously, our artists would drop a video in a channel and say, ‘Hey, guys, have any feedback?’. Now, with KLASH’s integration, we encourage everyone to upload videos there instead, and when they do ‘throw it on KLASH,’ we’re enabling our team to leave comments, draw on frames, and make the feedback more valuable by relying on KLASH’s tools, all while syncing back into Slack so our team has native visibility through the heart of our team’s communication methods.”
Emerging Production Technologies
Beyond-FX is continuously adopting new technologies to enhance their production processes. Tools like SyncSketch and KLASH cater to their specific needs for art reviews and feedback in a collaborative environment. “Asynchronous art reviews and feedback are crucial for us,” says McIntosh.”Ensuring that we are working with the right tools that continue to evolve with our production processes and the emergence of new technology is critical for us.”
Despite the differences between VFX for film and games, Guerrette sees a convergence in the future. “We predict a future where tools and techniques overlap,” he says, highlighting the potential for cross-industry innovation.
McIntosh adds, “We monitor and keep an eye on tools used in both industries because of this and get excited when we find a tool that is maintained and continually evolved through constant support. KLASH is exactly that for us, and we’re excited to see how it continues to develop and find utility in our studio’s processes. There’s massive value in a tool actively evolving and growing with teams that use the tool, which sets KLASH apart from others we’ve worked with to date.”
The Importance of the Los Angeles Studio
While remote work has become more viable, Beyond-FX recognizes the value of in-person collaboration. “We’ve chosen to keep and grow our LA studio,” says Guerrette. “We see so much positivity from being able to collaborate in the same space.” The hybrid schedule allows for a balance between remote work and the benefits of face-to-face interactions.
Guerrette further emphasizes, “We often use collaboration in a way that excludes this, but for us, support is perhaps one of the most important parts of the concept of collaboration. Everybody has a bad day and areas where they don’t know the answers. The point of collaboration for us is that when any team member ends up in one of those moments, we’re surrounded by resources that can help us. So that is not a problem or a detriment to anybody, but an opportunity.”
McIntosh continues, “COVID taught us a lot, but the joy of working next to each other is irreplaceable. Our LA studio is the heart of our collaborative culture, which spills over to our remote artists worldwide. To help maintain this, we need to rely on tools like KLASH that bring people together, regardless of where they’re actually sitting, and make them feel that while using that tool, they’re right there in-studio with the rest of us.”
Integration with Virtuos and Future Directions
The recent acquisition by Virtuos, one of the most prominent and trusted content production companies within AAA gaming, marks a significant milestone for Beyond-FX. “Merging with Virtuos will help us focus on VFX development, mentorship, and training,” says Guerrette. “This partnership aims to set new standards for remote and local collaboration within Virtuos’s extensive network.
“For the past nine years, we’ve been a small business trying to survive in a big ocean,” says Guerrette. “Working with Virtuos will allow us to focus more on our passion for VFX.”
McIntosh is excited about the opportunity to influence and empower their sister studios within Virtuos, fostering collaborative solutions that enhance the quality of life and art for their artists. “Something that I’m excited about is that Virtuos is starting to focus on North America, and North American development,” she says. “We have an opportunity to set the standard for one of the largest service groups in the world. Having that opportunity to impact and guide others to tools like KLASH, which have helped our artists' quality of life and art, is very exciting.”
Looking Ahead
The future looks promising for Beyond-FX as they integrate with Virtuos and continue to innovate in the VFX industry. “Right now, we’re focusing on integration and ensuring we can continue to make great art by encouraging our artists to push themselves and also ensuring they have the right tools to collaborate and iterate,” says McIntosh. Guerrette adds, “I’m hoping to get closer to production again and focus on training and mentorship.”
The team’s attendance at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March marked the beginning of a transformative year. “We’re focusing on integration and making sure we can positively collaborate and influence our sister studios in North America and beyond,” says McIntosh. “We want nothing to feel different during this transition except for people like me who live in operations. The artists will continue to make cool art and see no difference in their day-to-day outside of more opportunities for collaboration within our new, bigger Virtuos family.”