An early-stage, AI-accelerated VFX/FILM studio in London — building the pipeline between craft and computation for film, previs, and production tooling.
Concept art, previs, shot planning, pipeline design and R&D — ideas and systems aligned before production begins.
Live action, AI image and video, VFX supervision, 3D, Gaussian splatting and real-time systems, built as one production.
Editorial, compositing, motion graphics, colour, sound and delivery carried through to final master.
Blacklumen Pictures was founded by three people with over 60 years of combined film VFX/FILM experience between them — spanning studio VFX/FILM supervision, executive production, and technical pipeline leadership.
Cenay Oekmen is a London-based AI/VFX artist and director with more than 30 years of experience across visual effects, 3D, concept art, art department, and filmmaking. With a strong background in traditional drawing and visual development, he combines classical artistic skills with high-end VFX craftsmanship and emerging AI technologies, working from early concept and world-building through to final production.
IMDB ↗Mark Spevick is a London-based VFX artist, supervisor, educator and AI generalist with over three decades of experience in physical effects, digital compositing, CG and film production, with credits across major feature and television projects and a long-standing role in training and mentoring the next generation of VFX artists.
IMDB ↗Kariem Ismail is a London-based Director-Editor, VFX/AI Generalist with 15 years of experience in short and feature filmmaking, 3D and VFX, machine learning and software engineering, developing both visual work and production-focused tools for film and emerging media.
Credits ↗From concept to final delivery.
Blacklumen is a London-based AI, VFX/FILM and creative technology collective. We create original IP and work with filmmakers, production companies, studios, agencies and brands.
Some clients bring us in for one part of a production. Others need a team that can take the work from an early idea through to the final master. We can work either way.
Our core team has more than 60 years of combined experience across feature-film VFX, high-end television and broadcast post-production. We also work with a trusted network of 9–12 AI artists, VFX artists and technical specialists when a production needs a larger or more specialised team.
Choose a stage to see the full scope. Open one or all three.
We create concept art, style frames, key visuals and look-development material for characters, environments and individual sequences. These images help directors, producers and clients agree on the visual direction before production starts. AI, 3D and traditional design tools can all be part of this process — the method depends on the project and the level of control it needs.
Storyboards, animatics and 3D previs let us test a sequence before committing time and money to the shoot. We plan framing, lenses, camera movement, blocking, lighting and transitions while identifying shots that will need VFX or AI work.
We break the creative into practical production requirements. This can include shot lists, visual references, lighting plans, VFX breakdowns, technical tests and guidance for capturing plates, tracking information or reference material.
Projects that use AI, VFX, 3D and live action need a clear route between departments. We plan file structures, asset formats, naming rules, version control, review stages and handovers before production begins.
When a project depends on an untested technique, we build a small working test first. This might involve a new generative workflow, motion-capture system, real-time setup or a link between different pieces of software. The aim is to find problems early and confirm what can be delivered.
We develop our own films, series and creative formats. We also help clients shape an early idea into a clear concept, treatment or script. At this stage, we work out what the project is, how it should look and what it will take to make it.
We direct, shoot and manage live-action work for branded content, product films, interviews, documentaries, campaigns and narrative projects. Our production services cover cinematography, videography, lighting, camera planning and creative direction. Because post-production is considered from the start, footage is captured with the final edit, grade and VFX work in mind.
We build controlled AI workflows for image and video production. This includes ComfyUI node graphs, custom diffusion pipelines, reference-based generation, image-to-image and image-to-video work, batch processing and shot variation. The focus is control and repeatability — characters, locations, lighting and visual style hold together across sequences.
AI generated backgrounds, clean plates, textures, atmospheric elements, shot extensions and other material for VFX. We prepare the output for compositing and fit it into the wider shot pipeline. We also use AI for practical tasks such as restoration, upscaling, transcription, audio separation and processing large datasets.
We plan VFX work before and during a shoot so the post-production team receives the material they need — plate requirements, tracking references, clean passes, lighting references, camera data and decisions about which elements should be captured, generated or built in 3D.
We create 3D models, environments, product visuals, animation and simulated effects. The work can be used as finished CGI, integrated into live-action plates or passed into AI and VFX workflows. Our main 3D tools include Houdini, Blender, Unreal Engine, Nuke and After Effects.
Our software work includes Python scripts, plugins, automation systems, web applications, artist interfaces and tools that pass data between creative software and external devices. These tools are designed around the artists using them — removing repetitive work, reducing errors and making complex workflows easier to manage.
We use 3D Gaussian splatting to reconstruct real locations, objects and sets as navigable digital scenes. For moving subjects and performances, 4D Gaussian splatting adds time and motion to the captured scene. Our work can cover capture planning, data processing, cleanup, optimisation and integration into VFX, virtual production, previs, real-time and immersive projects.
We develop real-time performance and motion-capture tools for production and experimentation. Our work includes a browser-based facial capture system built with MediaPipe and Three.js, with facial landmarks, expression channels, calibration, performance controls, recording and motion-data export.
We explore real-time graphics, virtual production, mixed reality, spatial computing and interactive experiences where they serve a clear production need. This can involve connected devices, live control interfaces, browser-based tools or real-time 3D environments.
We edit narrative film, commercial, documentary, broadcast and social content. The work can begin with an assembly or continue through the full edit, including performance editing, dialogue, pacing, music, multi-camera material and client revisions. We also produce trailers, teasers, campaign cutdowns and alternative versions for digital platforms.
Our compositing work includes keying, rotoscoping, tracking, screen replacements, clean-up, object removal, beauty work, set extensions and CGI integration. AI-generated material can also be added where it improves the shot and can be controlled to the required standard. Every element is matched to the original plate — perspective, focus, grain, light and movement.
We produce 3D animation, title sequences, graphics and visual elements for film, broadcast, advertising and digital content. This can include product animation, animated typography, technical explainers and CGI built to sit inside live-action footage.
We correct and grade footage to create a consistent finish across the production. This covers exposure, colour balance, shot matching, skin tones and the final look. The grade can follow an established visual direction or be developed with the director and client during post.
We handle dialogue clean-up, sound editing, sound design and the preparation of music and audio assets. Where a project needs a dedicated final mix, we can prepare and coordinate the material through that stage.
Once the picture, VFX, colour and sound are approved, we prepare the final master. We check the project for technical issues and create the required versions for cinema, broadcast, web and social platforms. Deliverables include different resolutions, aspect ratios, durations, languages, subtitle files and platform specifications.
We can step into an existing post-production setup to solve technical problems, reorganise a pipeline or automate repetitive work — media organisation, version management, review systems, conforming, relinking and final delivery. We also help teams decide where AI and new production technology will save time or improve the work, through workflow audits, tool testing, pipeline design, technical documentation and training built around the team's actual projects.
We also support confidential film productions with AI visual development, generative VFX and technical pipeline design. Our work has involved building ComfyUI and diffusion workflows, creating style frames and shot concepts, generating VFX elements and backgrounds, managing consistency between shots and preparing assets for use in established post-production pipelines.
You can bring us in for a single stage, a difficult sequence or the full production. We can provide an individual specialist, a focused core team or a wider group built around the scale of the job.
Come to us with an idea, a brief, a production already underway or a pipeline that is no longer working. We will work out what is needed, build the right process and carry the project through to delivery.
