VFX Futures

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Ian Failes from befores & afters is joined by expert guests to discuss the future of visual effects, from virtual production to machine learning and more.

befores & afters


    • Jul 30, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 36 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from VFX Futures

    Special note: You can now listen to all these podcasts at the befores & afters podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2022 1:12


    Hi listeners, I've consolidated some of my podcasts (VFX Futures, VFX Firsts and VFX Artifacts) under the one name: "befores & afters podcast". Please search for that new podcast, where you'll also be able to find every single past VFX Futures podcast. Thanks so much, Ian

    This new RenderMan Walking Teapot short film pays homage to an animated classic

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 23:49


    We talk to Pixar's Dylan Sisson about 'Teapot Meets Potzilla', a homage to Marv Newland's 'Bambi Meets Godzilla' made with RenderMan's Stylized Looks.

    Making a bird skull god and a hippo god for 'Moon Knight'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2022 25:15


    Ian Failes from befores & afters talks to Framestore's Stuart Penn and Chris Hurtt about Khonshu (the bird skull god) and Taweret (the hippo god) in 'Moon Knight'. 

    How all those sparks in Pixar's 'Lightyear' were created

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 24:56


    This week on VFX Futures, Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to Pixar effects supervisor Bill Watral about 'Lightyear'. We cover everything from light speed, to ship exhausts to the huge amount of sparks required on the film (yes, there's A LOT of sparks. A LOT.).

    The main on end titles for 'Moon Knight'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2022 29:27


    Ian Failes from befores & afters asks Perception's Doug Appleton and Seiji Anderson about their main on end titles crafted for 'Moon Knight.'

    NVIZ on the previs of 'Morbius'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 16:39


    NVIZ Head of Visualisation, Janek Lender, discusses 'Morbius'. We talk about a couple of the central sequences, including on subway station.

    ftrack's Fredrik Limsater on the state of play of production tracking

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2022 25:05


    Ian Failes from befores & afters is joined by Fredrik Limsater, CEO and founder of ftrack, to discuss some of the big changes that have occurred at ftrack lately, including the acquisition by Backlight.

    Moving from VFX to games: meet Blinkmoon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 36:11


    Ian Failes from befores & afters talks to Hugh Behroozy and Mohsen Mousavi, former VFX artists from Scanline, who are now working in the gaming space at Blinkmoon. 

    The practical and digital effects of 1997's 'Anaconda'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2022 29:00


    'Anaconda' VFX supervisor John Nelson joins Ian Failes from befores & afters for a look back at 25 years since the unique film that saw animatronics and CGI combine.

    Concept designer Ben Mauro on building his HUXLEY universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2022 35:18


    Concept designer Ben Mauro joins Ian Failes from befores & afters for a discussion about Mauro's HUXLEY universe. We talk graphic novels, film projects and NTFs. 

    The VFX art department: a chat with Cinesite's Madeleine Scott-Spencer

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 28:05


    In this sponsored episode, Cinesite Head of Assets and Visual Development Madeleine Scott-Spencer discusses the changing nature of the art department at a VFX studio, including the move to virtual production.

    Zendaya and Tom Holland's wire work, digi-doubles, and the art of comp'ing hair

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 26:21


    How Luma Pictures helped craft the VFX of the opening sequences of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. Join Ian Failes from befores & afters and Luma Pictures VFX supervisor Brendan Seals as they discuss bluescreen wire stunts, hair keying and city building.

    The evolution of Richard Linklater's rotoscoped animation films

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022 14:38


    Ian Failes from befores & afters talks to Tommy Pallotta, Head of Animation and Producer on Richard Linklater's 'Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood', about the evolution of the rotoscoped animation techniques on this and a number of previous projects.

    De-ageing, destruction and other digital effects in ‘The Adam Project'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2022 37:45


    'The Adam Project' VFX supervisor Alessandro Ongaro joins Ian Failes from befores & afters to discuss the film, including the spaceship effects, wormholes, time soldiers and the de-ageing work. 

    The virtual production behind the pirate ship scenes in 'Our Flag Means Death'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 38:23


    Sam Nicholson from Stargate Studios explains the ocean plate camera array and LED wall shoot for the Taika Waititi show.

    Pixar's Danielle Feinberg on the studio's new tech in 'Turning Red'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 23:40


    Ian Failes from befores & afters catches up with Pixar visual effects supervisor Danielle Feinberg to discuss 'Turning Red', including a look at the new animation tech used on the film called 'profile movers' for rigging and animating such expressive characters.

    From VFXer to trucker: Louis Katz's story

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2022 35:46


    Former VFX artist and now truck driver Louis Katz shares his up and down and inspirational journey with Ian Failes from befores & afters. 

    'Wheel of Time' VFX supe Julian Parry on designing the One Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2022 26:38


    'The Wheel of Time' visual effects supervisor Julian Parry breaks down a battle that takes place in episode 4 of the show featuring the One Power. 

    The art and tech behind 'The Witcher's' Nivellan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2022 40:21


    A round-table discussion with members of ILM's crew who helped bring Nivellan to life for s2 of 'The Witcher'. Ian Failes from befores & afters discusses with ILM the on-set performance by Kristofer Hivju and the fully CG head and face final shots, including the adaptation of ILM's Flux tech.

    What it's like to work on the VFX for a Super Bowl spot

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 48:52


    With the Super Bowl and its massive set of commercials being seen around the world just this past week, we thought it might be interesting to find out more about how a Super Bowl ad is made. Here's Untold Studios creative director Ben Cronin with Ian Failes from befores & afters discussing the VFX behind the Frito-Lay 'Push It' spot.

    Douglas Trumbull on his plan to change cinema

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022 14:21


    Sadly, a true pioneer in the visual effects industry passed away this week. Doug Trumbull was a real innovator, and someone passionate about the cinema experience. In this never-released audio, he chats with Ian Failes from befores & afters about the future of cinema.

    VFX supervisor Scott Stokdyk on the digital human breakthroughs in 'Spider-Man 2'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 51:43


    With the new 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' now in cinemas, befores & afters goes back in time with the digital human VFX that Imageworks orchestrated on 'Spider-Man 2', led by VFX supervisor Scott Stokdyk. 

    VFX supervisor Kaitlyn Yang on starting a VFX studio, diversity in VFX and more

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 41:08


    Alpha Studios founder Kaitlyn Yang shares her journey in visual effects, including the path to becoming a visual effects supervisor, supe'ing the recent 'The Shrink Next Door', and the state of play of diversity and accessibility in VFX.

    Pipeline, tools and tech with Cinesite

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 49:02


    In this sponsored episode of VFX Futures, we talk to Cinesite CTO Michele Sciolette, Group Head of CG–VFX Holger Voss and Group Head of CG–Animation Hank Driskill to discuss the future of visual effects and feature animation.

    The making of SideFX's new renderer, Karma

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 31:19


    Mark Elendt and Brian Sharpe from SideFX talk to Ian Failes from befores & afters about the development of their new Karma renderer inside Houdini.

    Behind the scenes of 'My Universe' from Coldplay x BTS

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021 32:36


    Ingenuity Studio's David Lebensfeld and Grant Miller, and AMGI's Colin Brady, discuss the making of Coldplay x BTS' 'My Universe', including the volumetric work and the required CG builds and final compositing.

    The visualization tools and techniques behind The Third Floor

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2021 56:57


    Dane Smith, Vice President at The Third Floor, and Casey Schatz, Head of Virtual Production at The Third Floor, speak with Ian Failes at befores & afters about the particular tools and workflows used at the studio for visualization.

    The FreeMoCap Project

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2021 34:44


    Jon Matthis outlines the FreeMoCap Project, aimed at using open source markerless motion capture software to create an easy 'in-click' pipeline for 3D kinematic reconstruction.

    How Halon previs'd 'Free Guy'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2021 47:29


    Ian Failes from befores & afters chats to Halon previsualization supervisor Ryan McCoy and Halon on-set supervisor Grant Olin about the previs of 'Free Guy'. 

    Christos Obretenov on the new wave of stylized rendering

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 38:12


    Lollipop Shaders' Christos Obretenov and befores & afters' Ian Failes discuss the explosion of stylized rendering in animation right now.

    Kevin Mack's abstract virtual reality artworks.

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2021 40:47


    Immersive art, computer graphics and visual effects pioneer Kevin Mack joins befores & afters editor Ian Failes to discuss the art of making VR art. 

    How do you edit a live action/CG hybrid film?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2021 25:23


    'Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway' editor Matt Villa (ASE, ACE) joins befores & afters' Ian Failes to discuss the piecing together of early storyboards and animatics, live action plates and work-in-progress effects shots on the film.

    How a deep learning renderer was used to re-animate a character's lines in 'Free Guy'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2021 22:50


    Digital Domain VFX supervisor Nikos Kalaitzidis talks to befores & afters' Ian Failes about how the studio's deep learning face-swapping tool called Charlatan was used to replace lines on Channing Tatum's game character in the film.

    Facial capture, CG and cut scenes on Codemasters' 'F1 2021'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2021 30:04


    Ian Failes from befores & afters chats with REALTIME CG director Ian Jones and DI4D co-founder Dug Green about the 'Braking Point' cinematics in Codemasters' F1 2021, and the motion capture, facial capture and real-time work behind them.

    Framestore's FIRA for portable real-time rig deformation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2021 28:15


    Framestore's Theo Jones and Leo Hills join Ian Failes from befores & afters to discuss the studio's FIRA machine learning tech, used for the extension of proprietary simulation and rigging tools to real-time workflows.

    Where are we at with virtual production?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2021 51:42


    Jim Geduldick from Dimension joins Ian Failes from befores & afters to discuss the current state of play of virtual production.

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