VFX teams – At IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables, VFX supervisors from Stranger Things, Spider-Noir, Ted, The Boroughs, and IT: Welcome to Derry explained why visual effects work starts long before the post-production timeline—and how it coordinates every department needed to
For many viewers, visual effects feel like the final polish—something that happens after the cameras stop rolling. But at IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables. the message landed differently: the VFX team often arrives early enough to influence what other departments can even shoot. how they can shoot it. and what the final sequence will require.
The panel. moderated by IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill. brought together VFX supervisors Betsy Paterson (“Stranger Things”). Hnedel Maximore (“Spider-Noir”). Hoyt Yeatman (“Ted”). Tara DeMarco (“The Boroughs”). and Daryl Sawchuk (“IT: Welcome to Derry”). The discussion stretched across a simple reality of the craft—no VFX job is ever the same. whether the goal is giving an actor visible superpowers. building horrifying backgrounds. or literally crafting the main character of a sitcom from scratch.
Paterson described the pace and pressure that come before production even settles into its usual rhythm. “We’re in there very early so that we can figure out these tough sequences that are dependent on all of the departments working together and figuring out how to solve a problem. ” she said. “Sometimes you’re in even earlier if the directors need help solving ‘What can we actually do given our budget and our time frame?’ We get in pretty early to help figure all of that out.”.
Sawchuk later expanded on what that early involvement turns into across the production process. He explained that VFX departments frequently end up handling a large share of coordination as filming moves forward—because the end result depends on receiving the right inputs. “I think it’s pretty paramount to the success of a given sequence. A lot of us come from a storytelling background. Because you’re ultimately going to be putting everything together at the end. like Betsy mentioned. you’re having conversations with all of these relevant departments that are doing their part. ” Sawchuk said. “They might not necessarily know how it’s all going to come together. but you’ve got to try to orchestrate that and rally everyone to come together and do all of these extra passes.”.
The thread running through the conversation was hard to miss: if VFX work is only treated like post-production decoration. the pipeline tightens around departments that needed answers days—or weeks—earlier. Here, the panel made it clear that the “glue” isn’t just the final compositing. It’s the coordination that starts when tough sequences still have to be solved.
The complete conversation from IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables is available in the video above. IndieWire’s TV Craft Roundtables is now streaming on @PBSSoCal and the PBS App, as well as IndieWire.com and the outlet’s social channels.
IndieWire Craft Roundtables VFX visual effects Betsy Paterson Hnedel Maximore Hoyt Yeatman Tara DeMarco Daryl Sawchuk Stranger Things Spider-Noir Ted The Boroughs IT: Welcome to Derry