Post by Henry Daubrez

THE LIGHT WITHIN: FROM SCREEN TEST TO FEATURE FILM I’ve been doing more screen tests for The Light Within, my animated feature film. The goal isn’t to prove we can make a “full AI film.” That conversation already feels old :). The real question is whether a hybrid pipeline can support a real feature film at a fraction of the traditional cost and time, while keeping the work cinematic, controllable, and clean from a production / rights perspective. That means character consistency, emotional performance, art direction, editorial control, sound, music, post, chain of title, and the ability to work with traditional production partners when the shot needs it. The project has moved into a new phase. The script and visual world are developed, and I’m now receiving proper production breakdowns from hybrid / traditional animation partners, including a serious first pass built around a 53-week production schedule and a September 2027 delivery target. So that conversation is changing. The next layer is financing, distribution, talent, and the right market-facing structure. The ambition is a theatrical-facing independent animated feature, with partners participating in the upside of the finished film while the underlying IP remains clean. That middle ground feels important: not a cheap AI stunt, not a $50M traditional animation machine, but a new kind of independent animated feature made with the right mix of human taste, traditional craft, and AI-assisted speed. If you’re in film finance, sales, distribution, theatrical animation, or packaging, I’d love to connect.

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