94. Ben Lock: Visual Intelligence, AI Workflows and the Future of VFX

What happens when a BAFTA winning VFX veteran walks away from the studio system to help reinvent the film pipeline with AI? In this episode, Alex is joined by Ben Lock, a producer with over 20 years in animation, VFX and virtual production, with credits including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One and Ready Player One. After decades at Aardman, Lucasfilm and ILM, Ben is now Director of Production Strategy at Asteria Film and Moon Valley, where he is working on a new generation of ethical, AI driven workflows for film and animation. Ben shares why he believes the future of filmmaking lies in visual intelligence rather than prompt driven tools, and how rapid visualisation can transform pre production, VFX and animation. He explains how AI can reduce friction, keep artists closer to performance and story, and even help make high quality animated features in under a year. The conversation explores: - How AI is reshaping the production pipeline without replacing artists - Why Moon Valley is built around visual intelligence, not just language models - What a faster, more iterative animation and VFX workflow looks like in practice - How generative tools can support virtual production and independent visions - What the VFX industry needs to do now to adapt and thrive Sharing insights from across his career working on tentpole studio projects as well as independent filmmaking, Ben conveys his vision for how AI might just help the film industry become more creative, more sustainable and more responsive to new stories and audiences. About Ben Lock Ben Lock - A BAFTA-winning producer with over 20 years of experience in animation, VFX, and virtual production. He has produced award-winning content for studios in Europe, Asia and the US including Aardman, Lucasfilm, and ILM, with credits on global franchises such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Ready Player One. As Director of Production Strategy at Asteria Film, he helps develop scalable, ethical AI workflows for film and animation. Ben is the Chair of the VES Education Committee, member of BAFTA, PGA, ATAS and a UK National Film and Television School alumni.