I first caught sight of Entrenched when I met Lightcraft CEO Eliot Mack ahead of SIGGRAPH 2025, during a quick behind-the-scenes look at his company’s latest tech. Even then, the fan film, set during The Empire Strikes Back, looked impressive. The surprising thing? Entrenched has been made for less than $3,000 by a father and son working out of their garage.
Now, that same 15-minute Star Wars short has caught the attention of Hollywood insiders, offering a glimpse of new tech and AI that is changing filmmaking and how tools once reserved for large studios are giving rise to a new generation of creators.
While Lightcraft’s tech, including Spark and Jestset, isn’t AI directly, they do make use of machine-learning and generative techniques, and some tools, such as AI matte generation and keying, are involved.
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