VFX State of the Nation - MPTS 2025
VFX state of the nation: what we took from MPTS 2025
This year’s VFX State of the Nation panel at MPTS brought together a group of industry leaders to reflect on the state of play in visual effects. Our Executive Producer, Emma Kolasinska, joined the conversation to represent Lux Aeterna and share our perspective as a regional studio navigating a rapidly changing landscape. Accompanying her were Broadcast Tech editor and panel host Max Miller, Cinesite Executive Producer Sara Khangaroot Rust, and Outpost VFX Managing Director Rachel Matchett
The conversation was frank, insightful, and ultimately optimistic — recognising the challenges, but also the resilience and creativity that continue to drive our industry forward.
Adapting with agility
As a smaller studio, we’ve had the advantage of staying nimble. Emma spoke about how we’ve been able to scale up and down as needed, ensuring we remain agile in the face of uncertainty. “We’ve been clever with how we’ve worked,” she shared. “Our team has stayed small, multi-skilled, and highly collaborative — which has enabled us to continue delivering quality work while adapting to new pressures.”
In the current climate, we’ve noticed a clear shift in the way commissioners operate. Projects that used to be greenlit well in advance are now subject to more scrutiny and financial caution. Contracts take longer to sign. Expectations remain high, but budgets and timelines have tightened. It’s created a new kind of pressure — but also an opportunity to reaffirm the value of creativity, trust, and transparency.
A fragile but collaborative industry
There’s no denying it’s been a tough year for the industry. But Emma made an important point during the panel: “We are here. We are creative. We are collaborative.” It’s that spirit of mutual support — especially among independent studios — that has kept momentum going. In recent months, we’ve seen companies sharing work, recommending talent, and coming together in ways that remind us this industry is stronger when it leans on its community.
We’re also proud to be involved in initiatives like ACCESS:VFX, which aim to make our industry more inclusive and accessible — not just in the UK, but globally. Supporting junior talent, helping them understand how to work in a professional environment, and teaching the soft skills that are often overlooked at university is a key part of sustaining the future of VFX.
The role of AI — and a shift for junior talent
When the panel turned to AI, Emma offered a grounded view. In broadcast — our primary focus — there’s currently little appetite for AI-generated content, and we don’t use it in our pipeline. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t paying attention.
Emma raised a critical concern: that the lower-level tasks AI tools tend to automate are the very ones juniors rely on to learn and grow. “If we remove that entry point, we risk ending up with a skills gap a few years down the line,” she noted. “The money saved through automation needs to be reinvested in training and supporting junior artists.”
We believe AI has a role to play — particularly in creating efficiencies — but only when it’s implemented in a way that strengthens the creative process, not shortcuts it.
Looking ahead
While some in the industry are talking about growth, the reality is stability. As Outpost’s Rachel Matchett put it, “Stabilisation is critical — and there is hope for this.”
We couldn’t agree more. We’re not racing to expand; we’re investing in our team, refining our processes, and staying close to our clients.
We’re also keeping a watchful eye on how viewing habits are shifting. As younger audiences consume more short-form and digital content, the broadcast landscape will continue to evolve. For us, that means staying connected with commissioners, understanding how content is changing, and being ready to adapt creatively and commercially.
As Emma put it, “We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We’re focused on what we do best — and doing it in a way that’s sustainable for our team and meaningful for our clients.”
The takeaway from this year’s State of the Nation panel? There’s a lot to navigate — but there’s also a lot to build on. And we’re proud to be part of an industry that, even in difficult times, continues to collaborate, evolve, and create.
To learn more about our Emma’s work click here.