VES AWARDS
Attending the annual VES Society Awards on February 11th at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, we were swept up in a whirlwind of visual effects professionals from most corners of the globe. Prominent studio presence came in the form of DNEG, WetaFX (who sent over a whopping 60+ team members from New Zealand) and many smaller studios such as Untold Studios, Important Looking Pirates and Megalis VFX.
Through the course of the evening, we saw the Dune: Part Two, The Penguin and The Wild Robot teams winning the lion’s share of awards, Shōgun actor-producer Hiroyuki Sanada received the coveted Creative Excellence award, which was presented by long-time creative partner and all-round Hollywood legend, Keanu Reeves.
VR/immersive technology pioneer Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie received the VES Georges Méliès Award and Oscar-winning director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki (Godzilla Minus One) was honoured with the VES Visionary Award.
See a full overview via the VES website.
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Erik Winquist
Julia Neighly
Paul Story
Danielle Immerman
Rodney Burke
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot
Chris Sanders
Jeff Hermann
Jeff Budsberg
Jacob Hjort Jensen
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Shōgun; Anjin
Michael Cliett
Melody Mead
Philip Engström
Ed Bruce
Cameron Waldbauer
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Civil War
David Simpson
Michelle Rose
Freddy Salazar
Chris Zeh
J.D. Schwalm
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
The Penguin; Bliss
Johnny Han
Michelle Rose
Goran Pavles
Ed Bruce
Devin Maggio
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot; Roz
Fabio Lignini
Yukinori Inagaki
Owen Demers
Hyun Huh
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Ronja the Robber’s Daughter; Vildvittran the Queen Harpy
Nicklas Andersson
David Allan
Gustav Åhren
Niklas Wallén
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Better Man; Robbie Williams
Milton Ramirez
Andrea Merlo
Seoungseok Charlie Kim
Eteuati Tem
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; Atomic Explosions and Wormriding
Nicholas Papworth
Sandy la Tourelle
Lisa Nolan
Christopher Phillips
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot
Derek Cheung
Michael Losure
David Chow
Nyoung Kim
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Shōgun; Broken to the Fist; Landslide
Dominic Tiedeken
Heinrich Löwe
Charles Guerton
Timmy Lundin
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle
Christopher Rickard
Francesco Dell’Anna
Paul Chapman
Ryan Wing
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola; The Heroes
Ryan Knowles
Alex Gabucci
Jack Powell
Dan Yarcigi
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
The Penguin; After Hours
Jonas Stuckenbrock
Karen Chang
Eugene Bondar
Miky Girón
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
The Penguin; Safe Guns
Devin Maggio
Johnny Han
Cory Candrilli
Alexandre Prod’homme
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Alien: Romulus; Renaissance Space Station
Waldemar Bartkowiak
Trevor Wide
Matt Middleton
Ben Shearman
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT
Pittura (entry from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts)
Lauriol Adam
Lassère Titouan
Vivenza Rémi
Marre Helloïs
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Here; Neural Performance Toolset
Jo Plaete
Oriel Frigo
Tomas Koutsky
Matteo Oliviero Dancy
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune: Part Two; Arrakis
Greig Fraser
Xin Steve Guo
Sandra Murta
Ben Wiggs
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
D23; Real-Time Rocket
Evan Goldberg
Alyssa Finley
Jason Breneman
Alice Taylor
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Star Wars Outlaws
Stephen Hawes
Lionel Le Dain
Benedikt Podlesnigg
Bogdan Draghici
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola; The Heroes
Greg McKneally
Antonia Vlasto
Ryan Knowles
Fabrice Fiteni
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dune: Part Two; The Arrakeen Basin
Daniel Rhein
Daniel Anton Fernandez
Marc James Austin
Christopher Anciaume
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Wild Robot; The Forest
John Wake
He Jung Park
Woojin Choi
Shane Glading
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Shōgun; Osaka
Manuel Martinez
Phil Hannigan
Keith Malone
Francesco Corvino
Peter Stubbs
Watch The Winners' VFX Breakdowns & Interviews
ANNIE AWARDS
Our first Annies experience didn’t disappoint. Held at the UCLA, a renowned Los Angeles College and location of many movies and series (Legally Blonde, The Godfather), the event felt like prom night for the VFX and animation kings and queens of the ball.
The Wild Robot was crowned ultimate prom queen however, with a fantastic 9 award wins. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the 10th film in the 57-year-old franchise and the first of a planned trilogy, won for Best Character Animation – Live Action.
Out of 1,520 shots in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, only 38 had no visual effects and 33 minutes of the film were completely digital. Taking performance capture, creature simulations and effects to new levels, over 1,000 Wētā FX crew worked on the film over 18 months.
See the full overview via The Annies website.
BEST FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT
Flow
Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio
BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Chris Sanders
BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Arnaud Delord, Pascal Charrue, Bart Maunoury
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
Despicable Me 4
Illumination
Habib Louati
BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: Killing is a Cycle
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Joséphine Meis
BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
Dream Productions
Episode: A Night to Remember
Pixar Animation Studios
BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE
Bob’s Burgers
Episode: They Slug Horses, Don’t They?
20th Television Animation
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Episode: The Molecular Level
Flying Bark Productions, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
The Tiny Chef Show
Episode: Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular
Imagine Entertainment, Tiny Chef Productions and Nickelodeon Productions
BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Mary Blee, Collin Erker, Orlando Duenas, Lucie Lyon, Brian Parker
BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: Pretend Like It’s the First Time
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Nazim Meslem, Gilad Carmel, Roberto Fernandez
BEST FX – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
FX Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, David Chow, Nyoung Kim, Steve Avoujageli
BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails
Production Company: A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
FX Production Company: Fortiche Studio
Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Adam Bachiri, Guillaume Zaouche, Jérôme Dupré
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Fabio Lignini
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episodes: Killing Is A Cycle, Heavy Is the Crown, Finally Got the Name Right, The Message Hidden Within the Pattern, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Pretend Like It’s the First Time, Blisters and Bedrock
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Tom Gouill
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Production Company: 20th Century Studios
FX Production Company: Wētā FX
Christian Kickenweitz, Aidan Martin, Allison Orr, Radiya Alam, Howard Sly
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
Neva
Nomada Studio
Nomada Studio Animation Team
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Genevieve Tsai
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Episode: The Molecular Level
Disney Television Animation, Cinema Gypsy Productions
Jose Lopez
BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Kris Bowers
BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Ryan Jillian Santiago, Alexander Seaver, Simon Wilcox
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Orion and the Dark
DreamWorks Animation
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks Animation
Raymond Zibach, Ritchie Sacilioc
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Arcane
Episode: The Dirt Under Your Nails
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Arnaud-Loris Baudry, Julien Georgel, Faustine Dumontier, Charlotte O’Neil
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Wander to Wonder
Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film, Les Productions de Milou, Beast Animation, Blink Industries & Pictanovo
Watch The Top Annies Winners
THE OSCARS
Alas, we did not make it to the red carpet of this year’s Oscars, but the winners of the Best Visual Effects sure did!
Congratualtions went to Dune: Part Two, which saw Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer collect their trophies on behalf of the entire visual effects team.
Upcoming awards include Cannes, The Emmys, The HPAs and the AEAF awards.