Spotlight
April 24, 2025
Live-action studio switches to all-CG for sci-fi film Babiru
Second Tomorrow Studios, a Montreal-based production company focused on science fiction for film and television. Second Tomorrow, led by Founder/Director Nguyen-Anh Nguyen, has an impressive development slate of effects-heavy live-action projects like TEMPLE, HYPERLIGHT, and THE AKIRA PROJECT.
What happens when humanity is gone, but its machines live on? This is the question posed by Babiru, the latest project by Second Tomorrow Studios.
For the Babiru trailer, the studio used their Epic MegaGrant to switch from live action to all-CG with Unreal Engine. Teaming up with writer Philip Gelatt (Love, Death + Robots, Secret Level), they produced a bold, visually stunning piece that serves as a proof of concept for a feature-length film—a film that Nguyen also plans to create entirely in Unreal Engine.
We asked Nguyen to tell us about Babiru, and what it means for the future of filmmaking.
For the Babiru trailer, the studio used their Epic MegaGrant to switch from live action to all-CG with Unreal Engine. Teaming up with writer Philip Gelatt (Love, Death + Robots, Secret Level), they produced a bold, visually stunning piece that serves as a proof of concept for a feature-length film—a film that Nguyen also plans to create entirely in Unreal Engine.
We asked Nguyen to tell us about Babiru, and what it means for the future of filmmaking.
How did Babiru come to be?
Babiru started out as a passion project. I was a huge fan of the stunning concept art of Nivanh Chantara and Frederic Rambaud, the two concept artists behind the world of Babiru.
Their work, developed over the better part of a decade, painted a haunting, deeply textured world filled with potential for an immersive sci-fi story. I convinced them to develop this idea into a feature film, and we pitched the idea as a live-action project in different forms for a while. But after a few rejections citing the ambitious nature of the project, we quickly realized that undertaking something of this scale would be impossible to pull off in the traditional way.
I was looking at Unreal Engine as a possible solution to bring this project to life, without making the compromises we would’ve needed to if it had been live action, and applied for a MegaGrant.
The answer from Epic came right after the pandemic hit. We managed to put a worldwide team together and work remotely while the world was shut down. It was serendipity, and gave us all a much needed creative outlet during those days.
The grant allowed us to collaborate with world-class artists, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. At the time, we were venturing into experimental territory with the level of quality we aimed for, but Unreal Engine allowed us to dream big.
Babiru started out as a passion project. I was a huge fan of the stunning concept art of Nivanh Chantara and Frederic Rambaud, the two concept artists behind the world of Babiru.
Their work, developed over the better part of a decade, painted a haunting, deeply textured world filled with potential for an immersive sci-fi story. I convinced them to develop this idea into a feature film, and we pitched the idea as a live-action project in different forms for a while. But after a few rejections citing the ambitious nature of the project, we quickly realized that undertaking something of this scale would be impossible to pull off in the traditional way.
I was looking at Unreal Engine as a possible solution to bring this project to life, without making the compromises we would’ve needed to if it had been live action, and applied for a MegaGrant.
The answer from Epic came right after the pandemic hit. We managed to put a worldwide team together and work remotely while the world was shut down. It was serendipity, and gave us all a much needed creative outlet during those days.
The grant allowed us to collaborate with world-class artists, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. At the time, we were venturing into experimental territory with the level of quality we aimed for, but Unreal Engine allowed us to dream big.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
One of the most striking things about Babiru is its rich visual style. Where did this style come from?
When I was conceptualizing Babiru, I kept picturing something like City of God meets District 9. I wanted the film to feel gritty, sun-drenched, and raw—like a crumbling Brazilian favela with an entire civilization’s collapse layered on top of it.
A key visual theme in Babiru is contrast—between decayed, rusted environments and glowing neon technology; between the vast, abandoned world and the intimate survival story of our AI protagonists.
Unreal Engine was instrumental in developing this aesthetic. Its real-time lighting and Lumen allowed us to experiment with light and shadow dynamically, crafting the interplay between darkness and illumination that defines the cyberpunk-inspired look of Babiru. Its refined camera system also helped us create and experiment with cinematic compositions quickly, pushing the film’s strong visual storytelling.
When I was conceptualizing Babiru, I kept picturing something like City of God meets District 9. I wanted the film to feel gritty, sun-drenched, and raw—like a crumbling Brazilian favela with an entire civilization’s collapse layered on top of it.
A key visual theme in Babiru is contrast—between decayed, rusted environments and glowing neon technology; between the vast, abandoned world and the intimate survival story of our AI protagonists.
Unreal Engine was instrumental in developing this aesthetic. Its real-time lighting and Lumen allowed us to experiment with light and shadow dynamically, crafting the interplay between darkness and illumination that defines the cyberpunk-inspired look of Babiru. Its refined camera system also helped us create and experiment with cinematic compositions quickly, pushing the film’s strong visual storytelling.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
Since your earlier works were all done with live actors, it must have been quite a shift for you to embrace fully CG characters.
It was. Directing actors remotely from Montreal, in a motion capture environment at Beyond Capture Vancouver, was challenging at first, but afterwards this allowed for complete creative control—over movement, timing, and even camera work—without the constraints of physical sets or actor availability. We could use and modify captured animations to suit our scenes perfectly at a much later date, without the constraints of scheduling additional shoot days. This was a huge help given our budget and time constraints.
Unreal Engine made this process seamless with its real-time rendering and animation tools. We could review almost-final scenes and iterate quickly on performances, adjust lighting on the fly, and refine compositions in-engine without waiting for lengthy render times. It also allowed for a more decentralized workflow, enabling artists from around the world to contribute in parallel on multiple shots in the same scenes at the same time.
It was. Directing actors remotely from Montreal, in a motion capture environment at Beyond Capture Vancouver, was challenging at first, but afterwards this allowed for complete creative control—over movement, timing, and even camera work—without the constraints of physical sets or actor availability. We could use and modify captured animations to suit our scenes perfectly at a much later date, without the constraints of scheduling additional shoot days. This was a huge help given our budget and time constraints.
Unreal Engine made this process seamless with its real-time rendering and animation tools. We could review almost-final scenes and iterate quickly on performances, adjust lighting on the fly, and refine compositions in-engine without waiting for lengthy render times. It also allowed for a more decentralized workflow, enabling artists from around the world to contribute in parallel on multiple shots in the same scenes at the same time.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
Why did you choose Unreal Engine as your primary rendering engine?
I’ve been a gamer my whole life, and I vividly remember playing Quake on an early build of Unreal Engine as a teenager. There was always something about those cinematic video game cutscenes (like Wing Commander or Call of Duty) that made me think, "I could watch a whole movie like this.”
From my experience with traditional rendering engines on my previous projects, I found that they had a much steeper learning curve and didn’t offer real-time results. If you made a mistake or if you wanted to adjust minor details, that could mean hours if not days of rendering for complex scenes.
Unreal Engine offered a real-time workflow that allowed us to visualize and refine shots instantly—something that traditional CG pipelines simply can’t match. The ability to work with fully textured, lit, and animated scenes in real time meant we could make creative decisions much faster. It was also cost-effective, enabling a level of visual fidelity that would have been much more expensive to achieve with conventional pre-rendered animation.
What excited me most, though, was how Unreal offers an almost all-in-one solution. You can handle previs, animation, lighting, shot acquisition, and even final pixel all in the same software.
That was groundbreaking at the time we started working on Babiru. I’ve always enjoyed testing new technology, pushing boundaries, and seeing how I could use it to realize creative ideas that might not be possible in a more traditional setup.
I’ve been a gamer my whole life, and I vividly remember playing Quake on an early build of Unreal Engine as a teenager. There was always something about those cinematic video game cutscenes (like Wing Commander or Call of Duty) that made me think, "I could watch a whole movie like this.”
From my experience with traditional rendering engines on my previous projects, I found that they had a much steeper learning curve and didn’t offer real-time results. If you made a mistake or if you wanted to adjust minor details, that could mean hours if not days of rendering for complex scenes.
Unreal Engine offered a real-time workflow that allowed us to visualize and refine shots instantly—something that traditional CG pipelines simply can’t match. The ability to work with fully textured, lit, and animated scenes in real time meant we could make creative decisions much faster. It was also cost-effective, enabling a level of visual fidelity that would have been much more expensive to achieve with conventional pre-rendered animation.
What excited me most, though, was how Unreal offers an almost all-in-one solution. You can handle previs, animation, lighting, shot acquisition, and even final pixel all in the same software.
That was groundbreaking at the time we started working on Babiru. I’ve always enjoyed testing new technology, pushing boundaries, and seeing how I could use it to realize creative ideas that might not be possible in a more traditional setup.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
What are some of the features in Unreal Engine that have been the most useful to the project?
We started the project on Unreal 4.27, and were a bit anxious to upgrade to Unreal 5 when it came out, as we were afraid to break the project—but what a difference it made!
Several features in Unreal Engine 5 were game changers for Babiru. Lumen global illumination allowed us to achieve realistic and dynamic lighting that enhanced the film’s atmosphere, creating a deep, visually immersive experience that felt realistic.
Nanite virtualized geometry enabled us to use the extremely detailed environments created by my friends at Ronin161 and Xavier Albert, without compromising performance, which was crucial for building the intricate, post-human world of Babiru.
Real-time rendering gave us the ability to tweak compositions, lighting, and animations instantly, making the creative process much more fluid and efficient.
Finally, Sequencer provided a robust in-engine editing and cinematic toolset, allowing us to lay out shots and experiment with pacing without relying on traditional offline rendering. I had so much fun working with Dane Armour, our virtual camera operator based in London, discovering new ways to see some of the scenes that we had created.
These tools not only elevated the visual quality of the project but also kept the production agile and cost-effective.
We started the project on Unreal 4.27, and were a bit anxious to upgrade to Unreal 5 when it came out, as we were afraid to break the project—but what a difference it made!
Several features in Unreal Engine 5 were game changers for Babiru. Lumen global illumination allowed us to achieve realistic and dynamic lighting that enhanced the film’s atmosphere, creating a deep, visually immersive experience that felt realistic.
Nanite virtualized geometry enabled us to use the extremely detailed environments created by my friends at Ronin161 and Xavier Albert, without compromising performance, which was crucial for building the intricate, post-human world of Babiru.
Real-time rendering gave us the ability to tweak compositions, lighting, and animations instantly, making the creative process much more fluid and efficient.
Finally, Sequencer provided a robust in-engine editing and cinematic toolset, allowing us to lay out shots and experiment with pacing without relying on traditional offline rendering. I had so much fun working with Dane Armour, our virtual camera operator based in London, discovering new ways to see some of the scenes that we had created.
These tools not only elevated the visual quality of the project but also kept the production agile and cost-effective.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
What other software, besides Unreal Engine, played key roles in your pipeline?
Maya was primarily used for character modeling, rigging, retargeting and animation before assets were brought into Unreal Engine for real-time rendering.
At our post-production facility CineGround Media, we used Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve and Fusion, which played a critical role in color grading, final VFX, and compositing, allowing us to refine the look of the film once all Unreal renders were completed, and adding a more traditional film look into the Unreal renders.
The pipeline was somewhat iterative, as we could go back and forth between Unreal and Maya when refining animations, and Resolve allowed us to fine-tune the final visuals while maintaining flexibility.
Maya was primarily used for character modeling, rigging, retargeting and animation before assets were brought into Unreal Engine for real-time rendering.
At our post-production facility CineGround Media, we used Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve and Fusion, which played a critical role in color grading, final VFX, and compositing, allowing us to refine the look of the film once all Unreal renders were completed, and adding a more traditional film look into the Unreal renders.
The pipeline was somewhat iterative, as we could go back and forth between Unreal and Maya when refining animations, and Resolve allowed us to fine-tune the final visuals while maintaining flexibility.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
How many artists are working on Babiru?
Close to 50 artists contributed to Babiru, spread across North America, Europe, and Australia. I spent about six months recruiting the best artists I could find online and it was truly a worldwide collaboration. We were later joined by the super talented folks at Mathematic Studios and Ronin161 who were instrumental in helping us complete the project.
Unreal Engine’s real-time workflow made remote collaboration much smoother, as artists could see updates instantly without waiting for renders. We also used Perforce for version control, ensuring that assets were managed efficiently across multiple time zones. The ability to work within Unreal’s shared project files allowed the team to remain highly coordinated, even when working asynchronously.
We used Discord as our main communication hub, Dropbox to share assets and frame.io as a means of viewing our progress. It really felt like a mini-studio being operated from Montreal and it is a testament to how much you can achieve these days with the right tools, a shared vision, and an internet connection.
Close to 50 artists contributed to Babiru, spread across North America, Europe, and Australia. I spent about six months recruiting the best artists I could find online and it was truly a worldwide collaboration. We were later joined by the super talented folks at Mathematic Studios and Ronin161 who were instrumental in helping us complete the project.
Unreal Engine’s real-time workflow made remote collaboration much smoother, as artists could see updates instantly without waiting for renders. We also used Perforce for version control, ensuring that assets were managed efficiently across multiple time zones. The ability to work within Unreal’s shared project files allowed the team to remain highly coordinated, even when working asynchronously.
We used Discord as our main communication hub, Dropbox to share assets and frame.io as a means of viewing our progress. It really felt like a mini-studio being operated from Montreal and it is a testament to how much you can achieve these days with the right tools, a shared vision, and an internet connection.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
What’s the current status of Babiru, with regard to development?
We created 16 minutes of the film, but for now we’ve released the trailer as a proof of concept to showcase the world of Babiru. Our next step is presenting this to other financiers and film studios to secure additional financing to expand Babiru into a full-length feature film.
The proof of concept has demonstrated the visual and narrative potential of this world, and we are actively seeking partners to help bring it to life on a larger scale.
We created 16 minutes of the film, but for now we’ve released the trailer as a proof of concept to showcase the world of Babiru. Our next step is presenting this to other financiers and film studios to secure additional financing to expand Babiru into a full-length feature film.
The proof of concept has demonstrated the visual and narrative potential of this world, and we are actively seeking partners to help bring it to life on a larger scale.
Courtesy of Second Tomorrow Studios
How do you see Unreal Engine fitting in with filmmaking in the future?
Unreal Engine is truly transforming how animated films are made. It allowed us to iterate faster, make real-time creative decisions, and collaborate in a decentralized way with artists worldwide in ways that traditional pipelines don’t allow.
The ability to work within a fully realized, real-time environment means filmmakers can focus on storytelling and visual design rather than waiting on renders. It allowed me to create shots that I never could’ve dreamed of if doing it the traditional way, and Babiru wouldn’t have been possible without this technology. I believe it’s a game changer for independent and large-scale productions alike.
We’re at a point where technology is enabling a new generation of creators to do things that were unthinkable a few years ago and explore new, hybrid forms of storytelling.
Unreal Engine is truly transforming how animated films are made. It allowed us to iterate faster, make real-time creative decisions, and collaborate in a decentralized way with artists worldwide in ways that traditional pipelines don’t allow.
The ability to work within a fully realized, real-time environment means filmmakers can focus on storytelling and visual design rather than waiting on renders. It allowed me to create shots that I never could’ve dreamed of if doing it the traditional way, and Babiru wouldn’t have been possible without this technology. I believe it’s a game changer for independent and large-scale productions alike.
We’re at a point where technology is enabling a new generation of creators to do things that were unthinkable a few years ago and explore new, hybrid forms of storytelling.
How to install Unreal Engine
Download the launcher
Before you can install and run Unreal Editor, you’ll need to download and install the Epic Games launcher.
Install Epic Games launcher
Once downloaded and installed, open the launcher and create or log in to your Epic Games account.
Get support, or restart your Epic Games launcher download in Step 1.
Install Unreal Engine
Once logged in, navigate to the Unreal Engine tab and click the Install button to download the most recent version.
Watch how to install