Shortlist Set For Visual Effects Oscar
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the shortlist in the Best Visual Effects Oscar category.

Ten films remain in the running. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 13, 2024.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• The Creator
• Godzilla Minus One
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
• Napoleon
• Poor Things
• Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
• Society of the Snow
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 11, 2024, and concludes on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

Accenture Invests in Vū Technologies
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has invested in Vū Technologies, a technology company specializing in virtual production and filmmaking. Vū helps companies create immersive, engaging experiences through a combination of real-time computer-generated imagery and live-action filming. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Vū has established a vast network of virtual studios across North America, producing memorable immersive environments and visual effects for companies including Amazon, CBS Sports and Disney. Using advanced technologies such as real-time rendering, motion capture and virtual reality to seamlessly blend live-action footage and computer-generated content, Vū helps companies visualize and transform creative production at pace and scale. Vū also uses a proprietary generative AI workflow tool called Vū.ai that augments pre-built virtual environments and designs workflows based on image and text prompting.

“Massive potential exists for companies to combine virtual production and state of the art technologies to create shared, immersive experiences for customers, employees, and other key stakeholders,” said David Treat, co-lead of Accenture’s Metaverse Continuum business group. “With technologies such as digital twin environment simulation, volumetric video capture and motion control robotics, Vū’s end-to-end capabilities can help our clients create powerful new experiences that attract and engage audiences.”

Dan Garrison, Accenture Song’s chief technology officer, added, “We always look for new ways to fuse creativity and technology at scale, to help clients navigate and accomplish transformational change. We believe Vū Technologies’ immersive studio network can help our clients and our people reach new levels of creativity and multifaceted storytelling in their efforts to engage relevant audiences.”

The investment was led by Accenture Ventures as part of its broader Project Spotlight initiative. Vū is the latest company to join Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program focused on working with companies that create or apply disruptive enterprise technologies.