Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers and visual effects artists, is thrilled to congratulate all of the 2023 ACADEMY AWARD® winners and nominated artists from the VFX teams for “Avatar: The Way of the Water,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” With an impressive collection of films nominated for and winning numerous awards, this is a significant milestone in recognizing their invaluable contribution to filmmaking and the hard work and dedication of the visual effects teams to create engaging stories and memorable experiences for viewers.
“These nominations are a testament to the incredible artists in this industry, many of whom produced these stunning results under the restrictions of the COVID pandemic and within an industry that is still recovering and emerging from those effects,” says Maxon CEO David McGavran. “It has always been our foremost goal at Maxon to inspire creativity and so it is our honor to see Maxon One used for these breathtaking visual effects. Congratulations one and all from the Maxon team.”
Some of the 2023 Oscar-nominated films that used tools from the Maxon One suite include:
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
A painter at heart, production designer Dylan Cole (nominated for Best Production Design) enjoys high tech tools that are artistically natural and easy to use and has been a long-time user of Cinema 4D as a result. When working in the art department for “Avatar: The Way Of Water,” (winner of Best Visual Effects) he found that this tool was helpful for rough blocking models, as well as the development of certain pre-vis assets, including realistic lighting, water shader for natural reflections, and interactive water lighting.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
With nearly 500 visual effects shots in this film created by just six talented artists, led by Zak Stoltz, the team experimented with and used a variety of motion graphics tools. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (nominated for 11 Oscars, wins include Best Picture and Best Editing) had a unique visual style and it was important to the directors that despite being VFX heavy, that it still maintained a photorealistic effect seen in the final result. In particular, the key world-destroying Bagel scene posed a particular challenge in this regard. In order to achieve this effect, the VFX artists used Trapcode Shine to add volumetric rays of light in the temple of the bagel and Trapcode Particular to make them even more dynamic. Cinema 4D was also used to create a warping effect at the event horizon where it stretches into infinity.
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Director, Dean Fleischer Camp, and his animation team were able to use ZBrush to create the shells they needed for the production of “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” (nominated for Best Animated Feature), recreating the original Marcel, who was made from a real snail shell. Since real shells were too fragile and multiple versions were needed in different poses, it would have been impossible to use them and ensure exact continuity of the shell’s design and imperfections. Instead, the original version of Marcel was scanned and then sculpted using ZBrush before 3D printing him.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
Glen Southern worked for renowned puppet makers and animation producers Mackinnon & Saunders on Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” (winner of Best Animated Feature), with most of Southern’s technical work completed using ZBrush for the puppet himself.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
For the opening scenes of “Top Gun: Maverick” (nominated for Best Visual Effects), depicting Maverick’s test flight of the next-gen, hypersonic fighter jet, Futuristic User Interface (FUI) Designer, Jayse Hansen, relied on impactful visual effects created in Maxon’s Cinema 4D for the cockpit and mission control to build the sense of intensity and set the tone for the film. Working closely with Skunk Works, a tight-knit top-secret division at Lockheed Martin that makes the latest-and-greatest stealth planes, on significant scenes such as this ensured a balance between accuracy and the sensational.
About Maxon
Maxon makes powerful, yet approachable software solutions for content creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects and visualization. Maxon’s innovative product portfolio helps artists supercharge their creative workflows. Our product lines include the award-winning Cinema 4D suite of 3D modeling, simulation and animation technology; the creativity-on-the-go Forger mobile sculpting app; the diverse Red Giant lineup of revolutionary editing, motion design and filmmaking tools; the leading-edge, blazingly fast Redshift renderer; and ZBrush, the industry-standard digital sculpting and painting solution.
Maxon’s team is comprised of fun, passionate people who believe in building and empowering a successful artistic community. From our popular, inclusive events to our free Cineversity educational resources, Maxon recognizes that developing strong connections with creatives and fostering their professional growth is integral to our ability to stay on top of industry trends and better serve customers.
Maxon is part of the Nemetschek Group.
