"The Last of Us" leads the episodic field with 6 nods
The Visual Effects Society (VES) has unveiled the nominees for the 22nd VES Awards, the yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in features, animation, television, commercials and video games and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life. Awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on February 21 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
The Creator leads the feature film field with seven nominations. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is the top animated contender with seven nominations. And The Last of Us heads the episodic field with six nominations.
Nominees in 25 categories were selected by VES members at 39 in-person and virtual nomination events conducted worldwide over a 36-hour continuous process. The distinctive and thoughtful VES Awards nominations protocol included a review of each awards submission including “Befores and Afters” by a minimum of three different judging panels. Participating VES members on the panels represented 25 countries, highlighting the full breadth of the Society’s diverse global membership.
“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” said Kim Davidson, newly elected VES chair. “We are seeing best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation. The VES Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of our nominees.”
The nominees for the 22nd Annual VES Awards in 25 categories are as follow:
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Ben Snow
Diana Giorgiutti
Khalid Almeerani
Scott Benza
Sam Conway
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Stephane Ceretti
Susan Pickett
Alexis Wajsbrot
Guy Williams
Dan Sudick
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Andrew Whitehurst
Kathy Siegel
Robert Weaver
Julian Hutchens
Alistair Williams
Oppenheimer
Andrew Jackson
Mike Chambers, VES
Giacomo Mineo
Dave Drzewiecki
Scot Fisher
The Creator
Jay Cooper
Julian Levi
Ian Comley
Charmaine Chan
Neil Corbould, VES
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
John Wick: Chapter 4
Janelle Croshaw Ralla
Reina Sparks
Jonathan Rothbart
Javier Roca
Gerd Nefzer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Pablo Helman
Brian Barlettani
Sam Bassett
Brandon Keys McLaughlin
Napoleon
Charley Henley
Sarah Tulloch
Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet
Simone Coco
Neil Corbould, VES
Nyad
Jake Braver
Fiona Campbell Westgate
R. Christopher White
Mohsen Mousavi
Society of the Snow
Fรฉlix Bergรฉs
Micaela Gagliano
Laura Pedro
Ezequiel Larrรบ
Pau Costa
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Jon Biggins
Jim Lewis
Charles Copping
Matthew Perry
Elemental
Peter Sohn
Denise Ream
Sanjay Bakshi
Stephen Marshall
Nimona
Archie Donato
Yancy Lindquist
Theodore Ty
Anthony Kemp
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Alan Hawkins
Christian Hejnal
Michael Lasker
Matt Hausman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Matthieu Rouxel
Marie Balland
Jacques Daigle
Vincent Leroy
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Ahsoka; Season 1; Dreams and Madness
Richard Bluff
Jakris Smittant
Paul Kavanagh
Enrico Damm
Scott Fisher
Loki; Season 2; Glorious Purpose
Christopher Townsend
Allison Paul
Matthew Twyford
Christopher Smallfield
John William Van Der Pool
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Sean Konrad
Jessica Smith
Jed Glassford
Khalid Almeerani
Paul Benjamin
The Last of Us; Season 1; Infected
Alex Wang
Sean Nowlan
Stephen James
Simon Jung
Joel Whist
The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return
Grady Cofer
Abbigail Keller
Victor Schutz IV
Cameron Neilson
Scott Fisher
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
A Murder at The End of the World; Season 1; Crypt
Aaron Raff
Tavis Larkham
Douglas Stichbury
Mat Ellin
Citadel; Season 1; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains
Wesley Froud
Scott Shapiro
Aladino Debert
Greg Teegarden
Ted Lasso: Season 3; Mom City
Gretchen Bangs
Bill Parker
Lenny Wilson
The Crown; Season 6; Dis-Moi Oui
Ben Turner
Reece Ewing
Oliver Bersey
Joe Cork
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty; Season 2; BEAT LA
Raymond McIntyre Jr.
Victor DiMichina
Javier Menรฉndez Platas
Damien Stantina
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Alan Wake 2
Janne Pulkkinen
Johannes Richter
Daniel Koลczyk
Damian Olechowski
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Jakub Knapik
Paweล Mielniczuk
Maciej Wลodarkiewicz
Kacper Niepokรณlczycki
Immortals of Aveum
Joseph Hall
Kevin Boyle
Dave Bogan
Julia Lichtblau
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Jacinda Chew
Jeannette Lee
Bryanna Lindsey
Alan Weider
Mortal Kombat 1
Christopher Chapman
Scott Quinn
James DeSousa
Jeff Palmer
Matt Gilmore
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
Simon French
Vic Lovejoy
David Filipe
Matteo La Motta
Apple; Air Pods Pro; Quiet The Noise
Iain Murray
Oscar Wendt
Dean Robinson
Sergio Morales Paz
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Ryan Knowles
Antonia Vlasto
Gregory McKneally
Dan Yargici
Jean Paul Gaultier; Divine Perfume
Stรฉphane Pivron
Cรฉcile Hubin
Guillaume Dadaglio
Mathias Barday
Virgin Media; Goat Glider
Ben Cronin
George Reid
Sam Driscoll
Christian Baker
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
Hypersphere 360; SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
Daren Ulmer
Cedar Connor
Lindsey Sprague
Ryan Kravetz
Postcard From Earth
Aruna Inversin
Eric Wilson
Corey Turner
Bill George
Rembrandt Immersive Artwork
Andrew McNamara
Sebastian Read
Andrew Kinnear
Sam Matthews
The Marvels: Goose the Flerken Cat
Tim Kafka
Mari Suarez
Toya Drechsler
Sebastian Niรฑo Florez
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit
Blaine Kennison
Jeanne Angel
Darin Hollings
Aaron Arendt
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; Topo the Octopus
Thomas Ward
Andrew Butler
Felix Slinger-Thompson
Jacob Burstein
Godzilla Minus One; Godzilla
Kosuke Taguchi
Takashi Yamazaki
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Rocket
Nathan McConnel
Andrea De Martis
Antony Magdalinidis
Rachel Williams
Wonka; Oompa Loompa
Dale Newton
Kunal Ayer
Valentina Ercolani
Gabor Foner
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Elemental; Ember
Gwendelyn Enderoglu
Jared Fong
Jonathan Hoffman
Patrick Witting
Elemental; Wade
Max Gilbert
Jacob Kuenzel
Dave Strick
Benjamin Su
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spot
Christopher Mangnall
Craig Feifarek
Humberto Rosa
Nideep Varghese
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Superfly
Gregory Coelho
Anne-Claire Leroux
Simon Cuisinier
Olivier Pierre
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Diablo IV; Inarius and Lilith Cinematic; Lilith
Matt Onheiber
Jason Huang
Maia Neubig
Shadow and Bone; Season 2; No Funerals; Nichevo’ya the Shadow Monster
Josรฉ Marรญa del Fresno
Matthieu Poirey
Carlos Puigdollers
Guillermo Ramos
The Last of Us; Endure & Survive; Bloater
Gino Acevedo
Max Telfer
Pascal Raimbault
Fabio Leporelli
The Nevers; It’s a Good Day; Robot Dog
Christian Leitner
Bernd Nalbach
Sebastian Plank
Martin Wellstein
Virgin Media; Goat Glider; The Goat
Sam Driscoll
Kanishk Chouhan
Suvi Jokiniemi
Chloe Dawe
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Knowhere
Omar Alejandro Lavrador Ibanez
Fabien Julvecourt
Klaudio Ladavac
Benjamin Patterson
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; Underwater Wreck Environment
Johan Gabrielsson
Adrian Tsang
Stefan Andersson
Martin Eneroth
John Wick: Chapter 4; Place de L’รtoile
Manuel Gaudreau
Fabrice Vienne
Vignesh Ravi
Laurent Makowski
The Creator; Floating Village
John Seru
Guy Williams
Vincent Techer
Timothรฉe Maron
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; Chicken Island
Charles Copping
Matthew Perry
Jim Lewis
Jon Biggins
Elemental; Element City
Chris Bernardi
Brandon Montell
David Shavers
Ting Zhang
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Mumbattan City
Taehyun Park
YJ Lee
Pepe Orozco
Kelly Han
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Midtown Manhattan
Olivier Mitonneau
Eddy Frechou
Guillaume Chevet
Arnaud Philippe-Giraux
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Loki; Season 2: 1983; World’s Fair White City
Christian Waite
Ben Aickin
Francesco Ferraresi
Pieter Warmington
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; The Broken Circle
Nathaniel Larouche
Owen Deveney
Mujia Liao
Alex Morin
The Last Of Us; Look for the Light; Salt Lake City
Pascal Raimbault
Nick Cattell
Jasper Hayward
Kristine -Joeann Jasper
The Last of Us: Post-Outbreak Boston
Melaina Mace
Adrien Lambert
Juan Carlos Barquet
Christopher Anciaume
OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A CG PROJECT
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Joanna Davison
Cheyana Wilkinson
Michael Cozens
Jason Desjarlais
Migration
Guylo Homsy
Damien Bapst
Antoine Collet
David Dangin
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Rich Turner
Randolph Lizarda
Daniela Campos Little
Thomas Campos
The Creator
Roel Coucke
Christopher Potter
Amanda Johnstone-Batt
Jeremy Bloch
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; The Arรชte
Kenneth Johansson
Jason Galeon
Tim Civil
Artur Vil
Peter Pan & Wendy; Jolly Roger
Patrick Comtois
Thomas Gallardo
Harrison Stark
David Thibodeau
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spider HQ
Dongick David Sheen
Mark JeongWoong Lee
Mikaela Bantog
Renรฉ Vรถlker
The Creator; Nomad
Oliver Kane
Mat Monro
Florence Green
Serban Ungureanu
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Napoleon
Koen Hofmeester
Gianmichele Mariani
Clair Bellens
Hernan Llano Duque
Nyad; Stormy Waters
Korbinian Meier
Sindy Saalfeld
David Michielsen
Andreas Vrhovsek
The Creator
Ludovic Ramisandraina
Raul Essig
Mathieu Chardonnet
Lewis Taylor
The Nun 2
Laurent Creusot
Sebastien Podsiadlo
Michael Moercant
Benjamin Saurine
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Elemental
Kristopher Campbell
Greg Gladstone
Jon Reisch
Kylie Wijsmuller
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Pav Grochola
Filippo Maccari
Naoki Kato
Nicola Finizio
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Louis Marsaud
Paul-Etienne Bourde
Serge Martin
Marine Pommereul
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Simon Pate
Christophe Vazquez
Milo Riccarand
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Citadel; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains; Ocean Water
James Reid
Mathew Rotman
Filipp Elizarov
Nardeep Chander
Invasion; Season 2; A Voice from the Other Side
Zybrand Jacobs
Alex Marlow
Tim Jenkinson
Tobias Grรธnbeck Andersen
Loki; Season 2; Science/Fiction; Spaghettification
Rafael Camacho
Jonathan Lyddon-Towl
Julien Legay
Benedikt Roettger
The Mandalorian; Season 3; Lake Monster Attack Water
Travis Harkleroad
Florian Wietzel
Rick Hankins
Aron Bonar
Willow; Children of the Wyrm; Crone Duststorm and Magical Effects
Michael Cashmore
Robert Zeltsch
Jiyong Shin
Audun Ase
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indah Maretha
Beck Veitch
Nathan Abbot
Steve McGillen
John Wick: Chapter 4; Apartment Massacre Videogame Style
Javier Roca
Julien Forest
Thomas Bourdis
Dominik Kirouac
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Bret St.Clair
Kieron Cheuk-Chi Lo
Kelly Christophers
Rowan Young
The Creator; Bar
Phil Prates
Min Kim
Nisarg Suthar
Toshiko Miura
The Creator; Spaceships
Ben O-Brien
Juan Espigares Enriquez
Wesley Roberts
Hayes Brien
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
The Last of Us; Endure and Survive; Infected Horde Battle
Matthew Lumb
Ben Roberts
Ben Campbell
Quentin Hema
The Last of Us; Infected; Boston
Casey Gorton
Francesco Dell’Anna
Vaclav Kubant
Natalia Valbuena
The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return
Sam Wirch
Tory Mercer
Donny Rausch
Erich Ippen
Willow; Children of the Wyrm
Jeremy Sawyer
Steve Hardy
Martin Tardif
Miguel Macaya Ten
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
David Filipe
Matteo La Motta
Jordan Dunstall
Taran Spear
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Ryan Knowles
Greg Mckneally
Taran Spear
Jordan Dunstall
Smirnoff; Cocktail
Vittorio Barabani
Peter Hodsman
Giacomo Verri
Marc Greyvenstein
Starfield
Jimmy Bullard
Ajit Menon
Ruairi Twohig
Karim Moussa
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
I’m a Virgo
John McLeod
Scott Kirvan
Alec Gillis
Carl Miller
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Neil Corbould, VES
Ray Ferguson
Keith Dawson
Chris Motjuoadi
Oppenheimer
Scott Fisher
James Rollins
Mario Vanillo
Society of the Snow
Pau Costa
Carlos Laguna
Guillermo F. Aldunate
Eloy Cervera
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Blue Beetle; Machine Learning Cloth
JohnMark Gibbons
Allen Ruilova
Momme Carl
David Minor
Elemental; Volumetric Neural Style Transfer
Vinicius C. Azevedo
Byungsoo Kim
Raphael Ortiz
Paul Kanyuk
The Flash; Volumetric Capture
Stephan Trojansky
Thomas Ganshorn
Oliver Pilarski
Lukas Lepicovsky
Wish; Dynamic Screen Space Textures for Coherent Stylization
Brent Burley
Daniel Teece
Brian J. Green
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT (AWARD SPONSORED BY AUTODESK)
Au 8รจme Jour
Flavie Carin
Agathe Sรฉnรฉchal
Alicia Massez
Elise Debruyne
L’Animal Sauce Ail
Aurรฉlien Duchez
Ysaline Debut
Diane Mazella
Camille Rostan
Loup y es-tu ?
Cรฉlina Lebon
Louise Laurent
Emma Fessart
Annouck Franรงois
Silhouette
Alexis Lafuente
Antoni Nicolaรฏ
Chloรฉ Stricher
Elliot Dreuille
“Autodesk is thrilled to once again sponsor the Visual Effects Society Student Award, honoring bright and innovative upcoming filmmakers and artists,” said Leona Frank, director, media & entertainment marketing, Autodesk. “Year after year, we are amazed by these talented young minds’ boundless creativity and technical prowess. The submissions for this year’s award have left us in awe, showcasing an exceptional level of imagination, craftsmanship, and skill. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of this year’s deserving student nominees.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this yearโs Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa โT-Rexโ Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shieldsโ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More