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Artwork for befores & afters

befores & afters

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

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes246Founded4 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TV & FilmTechnology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for befores & afters

Latest Episodes

Ian Failes from befores & afters talks to 'Man on Fire' visual effects supervisor Kevin Lingenfelser about the residential tower destruction, the lear jet sequence and that signature 'man on fire' moment with the main character, John Creasy.

Ian Failes from befores & afters talks to the Sony Pictures Imageworks recipients about their Scientific and Technical Award stemming from stylized and artistic innovations on the 'Spider-Verse' films.

Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to Ben Morris, creative director at ILM London. Here we jump into two of the large projects he helped oversee at ILM, which were Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and ABBA Voyage. We go into the innovations required on ... more

Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to Rachel Rose, Director of R&D at ILM, about the development of virtual production and real-time tools, like StageCraft, and her work on the tools Block Party for rigging and Fez for facial animation.

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Brett St. Clair
Lookup Picture Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Episode: How the artistic innovations behind the 'Spider-Verse' films led to a Scientific and Technical Award
Marc-André Devignon
Software Architect for Lookup Picture Compositing and Color
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Episode: How the artistic innovations behind the 'Spider-Verse' films led to a Scientific and Technical Award
Pav Grahola
Lookup Picture Supervisor
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Episode: How the artistic innovations behind the 'Spider-Verse' films led to a Scientific and Technical Award
Ben Morris
Visual effects supervisor, ILM London
ILM London
Episode: ILM's Ben Morris reflects on 'The Last Jedi' and 'ABBA Voyage'
Rachel Rose
Director of R&D at ILM
Industrial Light & Magic
Episode: ILM's Rachel Rose on the R&D side of visual effects
Jeff White
Creative director at ILM Vancouver
ILM
Episode: ILM's Jeff White breaks down that incredible oner from 'The Avengers'
Rob Bredow
Senior Vice President, Creative Innovation at Lucasfilm; CTO at ILM
Lucasfilm / ILM
Episode: Rob Bredow shares 'Solo' stories, and how ILM inspired him before he was even at ILM
Janet Lewin
Senior Vice President, General Manager, and Head of ILM
Industrial Light & Magic
Episode: ILM's Janet Lewin reflects on more than three decades with the studio
Jenn Taylor
Image Engine's Visual Effects Supervisor on Keeper
Image Engine
Episode: The creatures of 'Keeper'

Host

Ian Failes
Host of Befores & Afters

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 27 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.

Insightful deep dives into practical effects and VFX leadership.
Clear, approachable host fosters expert-level conversations.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#148
Argentina/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#149
Japan/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#172
Poland/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#227
South Korea/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#236
Taiwan/TV & Film
Apple Podcasts
#243
Colombia/TV & Film

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

ILM's Ben Morris reflects on 'The Last Jedi' and 'ABBA Voyage'
Q: Last Jedi, I suppose, is one that sticks in my mind. I'm curious, going into that, what did you think were the big hurdles for ILM, even though, of course, ILM had done so much Star Wars?
The big hurdles were preserving a nostalgic Star Wars look while allowing new director-driven aesthetics, managing complex space battles with a blend of practical effects and digital innovations, and coordinating a large, multi-studio team to deliver a cohesive, tangible feel.
ILM's Rachel Rose on the R&D side of visual effects
Q: What big problem did ILM aim to solve with Block Party and how did it come about?
She explains Block Party was developed to simplify and automate rigging work so artists could focus on art rather than the technical drudgery, combining a visual rigging canvas with a system that supports reusable and adaptable rigs across different characters.
ILM's Rachel Rose on the R&D side of visual effects
Q: Over your 17 years, is there one or two big ticket R&D items you're particularly proud of?
She highlights Rango and Fez as standout projects—Rango for its pioneering character and creature work, and Fez as a scalable facial animation system that allowed a large cast to express nuanced emotions while keeping a manageable control surface for artists.
ILM's Rachel Rose on the R&D side of visual effects
Q: Tell me a bit about you coming into ILM.
Rachel describes starting as an engineer, moving into an R&D supervisor role, and then taking on a broader leadership position where she helps steer which technologies the company pursues and how information about those technologies is shared across teams.
ILM's Jeff White breaks down that incredible oner from 'The Avengers'
Q: What was the big challenge on Transformers and how did the team approach it?
The Transformers challenge centered on complex transformations and creature work, which led to the creation of modular tools like BlockParty and the TFM system that allowed on-the-fly regrouping and control of rigged pieces, enabling more dynamic and efficient animation.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About befores & afters

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

The show centers on visual effects, virtual production, and cutting-edge film-making tech through in-depth conversations with VFX leaders, studio founders, and industry pioneers. Across episodes, listeners get behind-the-scenes storytelling on practical effects, digital graining and compositing, in-house VFX workflows, and the evolving role of AI and scanning tech in modern production. A notable trait is the host's ability to extract actionable insights from top VFX professionals and studio leaders, offering a practical angle for practitioners, studios, and brands seeking current industry intelligence and potential collaboration opportunities. The format consistently blends historical context with forward-looking tech trends, making it a va... more

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Which podcasts are similar to befores & afters?

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1. CG Garage
2. fxguide: the vfx show
3. Team Deakins
4. 99% Invisible
5. More or Less

How many episodes of befores & afters are there?

befores & afters launched 4 years ago and published 246 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. Brett St. Clair
2. Marc-André Devignon
3. Pav Grahola
4. Ben Morris
5. Rachel Rose
6. Jeff White
7. Rob Bredow
8. Janet Lewin

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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