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Artwork for befores & afters

befores & afters

Ian Failes
Visual Effects
Animation
Machine Learning
Virtual Production
VFX
Framestore
ILM
Houdini
Film Production
Industrial Light & Magic
Motion Capture
Gladiator
The Boys
Stop Motion Animation
Wētā FX
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Loki
The Last Starfighter
Star Trek
Digital Productions

The befores & afters VFX podcast from journalist Ian Failes, covering the latest in visual effects, animation and virtual production.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes263Founded4 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyTV & Film

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for befores & afters

Latest Episodes

Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to production visual effects supervisor Brian Drewes about the visual effects in 'Widow's Bay'.

Ian Failes from befores and afters chats to ILM compositing supervisor Todd Vaziri, who via his VFXHQ.com website in the late 90s kickstarted Ian's career in VFX journalism.

Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to members of Wētā FX's animation team: Dan Barrett, senior animation supervisor, Stuart Adcock, head of facial motion, and Dave Clayton, animation supervisor. It's a hilarious discussion about previs, mocap and... more

Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to ILM Executive Creative Director John Knoll about the advent of digital VFX tech at ILM, and then goes in-depth on the maelstrom in the third Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Todd Vaziri
VFX compositing supervisor, ILM
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Episode: The VFX artist who changed my life
Dan Barrett
Senior animation supervisor at Wētā FX
Wētā FX
Episode: This Wētā FX animation roundtable was a total hoot
Stuart Adcock
Head of facial motion at Wētā FX
Wētā FX
Episode: This Wētā FX animation roundtable was a total hoot
Dave Clayton
Animation supervisor at Wētā FX
Wētā FX
Episode: This Wētā FX animation roundtable was a total hoot
John Knoll
Executive creative director at ILM
Industrial Light & Magic
Episode: ILM's John Knoll reveals one of the toughest VFX sequences he's ever worked on
David Vickery
Creative director and senior visual effects supervisor at ILM
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Episode: ILM's David Vickery on combining practical and digital
Cary Phillips
Director, R&D engineering architect at ILM
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Episode: ILM's Cary Phillips on the development of Cari for 'Dragonheart'
Gong Myung Lee
Visual effects supervisor
Daredevil Born Again VFX team
Episode: Crafting that killer oner for season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again
Fahed Freddy Alhabib
Visual effects producer
Daredevil Born Again VFX team
Episode: Crafting that killer oner for season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again

Host

Ian Failes
Host of befores & afters

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 29 ratings
  • Very helpful and interesting

    Love the podcast keep it up.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    @theOrangedragon
    Canada2 years ago
  • Exceptional

    This has been one of the most informative podcasts I could find on filmmaking. I appreciate the deep dive into practical effects (miniatures, forced perspective, etc) as much as the VFX.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    In a Bubble World
    United States2 years ago
  • Fantastic insights

    Ian gives great insight to film and tv lovers in an approachable and conversational way. A great listen

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lamamamamama
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host asks thoughtful questions that pull out technical details without getting lost in jargon.
Insightful and practical take on VFX that resonates with production teams.
The guests consistently share real-world workflows and vendor dynamics, useful for pros.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#117
Spain/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#193
Ukraine/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#234
Poland/TV & Film

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The VFX artist who changed my life
Q: What was the experience of joining ILM like and how did the culture shape your work?
He describes ILM as collaborative and nurturing, with mentors and internal training, which fostered a learning environment and a shift from Hollywood myths about “black boxes” to a team-driven, problem-solving culture.
The VFX artist who changed my life
Q: How did you first get into visual effects and land your break at ILM?
Todd recounts starting with VFX on the side, building VFX HQ, cold-calling studios for interviews, and being invited by Van Ling to try Komotion; that two-week trial led to his big break and eventual move to ILM.
The visual effects of Widow's Bay
Q: What were the initial conversations about the style of visual effects and what would be shot practically?
The team discussed building most of the world practically where possible, with VFX used to fill in gaps that the production couldn't shoot, aiming for an invisible VFX look that still delivered a strong sense of place and time.
ILM's John Knoll reveals one of the toughest VFX sequences he's ever worked on
Q: Can you describe the challenges and breakthroughs around the Maustrom sequence and how you approached rendering at scale?
We started with smaller, local-fluid patches, but the scale required full volumetric sims; after several failed attempts we pivoted to a surface-focused, voxel-based approach with memory-optimized grids, pioneered by consolidating multiple simulations and carefully composing wakes into the main ocean, which finally achieved the desired scale and realism.
ILM's John Knoll reveals one of the toughest VFX sequences he's ever worked on
Q: What attracted you to ILM and what stood out about the transition to digital VFX?
The attraction was ILM's reputation for innovation and tackling difficult problems with smart people who could come up with ingenious solutions, making each show feel like a new frontier while pushing the state of the art forward.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About befores & afters

What is befores & afters about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-docused look at visual effects, practical and digital, with heavy emphasis on how VFX teams plan, execute, and iterate—from miniature rigs and forced perspective to real-time rendering and Stagecraft workflows. Episodes feature veteran supervisors and technical leads discussing collaboration across multiple studios and vendors, balancing on-set practicality with CGI, and solving complex storytelling challenges across high-profile projects. The conversations tend to spotlight innovative tool development, cross-disciplinary pipelines, and leadership insights from top studios, making it a valuable listen for those interested in the craft, technology, and management of modern visual effects.

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Which podcasts are similar to befores & afters?

These podcasts share a similar audience with befores & afters:

1. fxguide: fxpodcast
2. Team Deakins
3. The Empire Film Podcast
4. CG Garage
5. fxguide: the vfx show

How many episodes of befores & afters are there?

befores & afters launched 4 years ago and published 263 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on befores & afters?

Recent guests on befores & afters include:

1. Todd Vaziri
2. Dan Barrett
3. Stuart Adcock
4. Dave Clayton
5. John Knoll
6. David Vickery
7. Cary Phillips
8. Gong Myung Lee

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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