AI Cinematography R&D Engineer

Description

Summary: Seeking an AI Filmmaking Research Engineer to push the frontier of AI-native filmmaking and collaborate on building an AI-first organization. Highlights: 1. Work at the cutting edge of AI-native filmmaking and creative technology 2. Research and prototype across the full AI filmmaking stack 3. Partner with leadership on AI strategy and frontier tool evaluation **AI Filmmaking Research Engineer** Katapult Labs · Remote (LATAM) **The Role** ============ We're working on one of the most ambitious creative technology questions of our time: can a world\-class film director create a fully immersive, live\-action feature film — almost entirely with AI? Not as animation. Not as a gimmick. As cinema. You'll work directly with our Creative Director and Katapult's leadership team to research, prototype, and push the frontier of AI\-native filmmaking — while also collaborating on the broader challenge of building and running an AI\-first organization. This means evaluating frontier tools, automating workflows, and operating at the cutting edge of what's technically possible. This role sits at an almost impossible intersection: systems builder, AI researcher, and someone who genuinely understands the craft of cinema. We're looking for the rare person who is all three. **What You'll Do** ================== * Research and prototype across the full AI filmmaking stack — video synthesis, image generation, voice cloning, motion control, LoRA fine\-tuning, ComfyUI workflows * Test the limits of tools like Runway Gen\-4, Sora, Kling, Veo 3, and Luma Ray3 — document what works and what's still unsolved * Translate the Creative Director's vision into technical experiments, from shot\-level briefs to full pipeline design * Build workarounds for gaps in the tooling — or identify when something upstream needs to change * Partner with Katapult's leadership on AI strategy, platform automation, and frontier tool evaluation * Stay ahead of the research — not just flagship releases, but the GitHub repos and Discord communities that are months ahead of the public narrative **Who You Are** =============== * You've built generative AI pipelines — not just used tools — and understand the stack at a technical level (ComfyUI, ControlNet, IP\-Adapter, LoRA, or equivalent) * You have a genuine understanding of cinematic craft: framing, lighting, pacing, visual language * Strong Python skills and comfort with APIs, model inference, and video processing workflows * Self\-directed and research\-oriented — you define your own questions and operate well in ambiguity * Based in Latin America **Nice to Have** ================ * Background in VFX, motion graphics, or post\-production * Experience fine\-tuning models (LoRA, DreamBooth, or similar) * Familiarity with 3D tools like Blender or Unreal Engine * Active presence in AI art/filmmaking communities **What We Offer** ================= * Competitive base salary plus performance bonuses · 100% remote (LATAM) * Direct access to frontier AI tools, APIs, and compute budgets for R\&D * Work alongside a filmmaker with serious creative ambitions and Katapult's leadership team * 15 days PTO, country\-specific holidays, and personal days *This is serious R\&D work at the intersection of cinema and frontier AI — the kind that has no playbook yet. If you've been building at this intersection because you couldn't stop yourself, we want to talk.*