The digital wizards at Industrial Light & Magic have dominated past Visual Effects Society Awards shows with their work on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series, but it was another effects-laden summer blockbuster that earned the studio peer recognition this year. Transformers from DreamWorks and Paramount snagged a total of four awards, including Best Single Visual Effect of the Year (desert Highway sequence) and the top honor of the evening, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Motion Picture. Looking on proudly was the film’s exec producer, Steven Spielberg, who received the Lifetime Acheivement award at the ceremony, held Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Transformers also won Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture, beating out a field of nominees that included Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sony/Columbia’s Spider-Man 3, Warner Bros.’ I Am Legend and Walden Media/Revolution Studios/Beacon Pictures’ Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. Though many expected it to do better, the third Pirates installment didn’t go out to sea empty-handed. The pic’s Maelstrom sequence took Outstanding Created Environment, while the fully digital Davy Jones was voted Outstanding Animated character in a Live-Action Motion Picture. The team of Hal Hickel, Marc Chu, Jakub Pistecky and Maia Kayser shared in that particular achievement.
Speaking of animated characters, Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille did quite well for what few would consider a traditional vfx film. Director Brad Bird was on hand as a presenter and got to see his movie snatch up three big awards. The CG comedy took Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture, while the various food items shown earned it Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Motion Picture. In addition, the character Colette, voiced by Janeane Garofalo, was named Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture. Jamie Landes, Sonoko Konishi and Paul Aichele accepted the award. Comedian and actor Patton Oswaldt, who lent his voice to lead rat Remy in the film, put in a rousing appearance as a presenter.
Another largely animated film, the stereoscopic 3-D National Geographic IMAX release Sea Monsters won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project. Meanwhile, BBC’s Fight For Life, SCI FI Channel’s Battlestar Galactica: Razor, TNT’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and HBO’s Rome were among the small-screen projects that scored wins.
Someone who knows something about sea monsters is Steven Spielberg, whose lifetime achievement recognition came on the same day that Jaws star Roy Scheider passed away. The filmmaker kept the focus on visual effects, drawing thunderous applause by stating, ‘This is one room in this creative community where I can truly say that this group right here dreams for a living, and thank God for that.’ The Close Encounters of the Third Kind director went on to recall poking pinholes into black poster board to create a star field over which he superimposed a spaceship for his very first special effects shot at the age of 13 or 14. ‘Even in this digital era, it all starts that way, because somebody has a dream,’ he added. ‘The directors and writers who put all this stuff together have a lot of dreams, but you also know that we come sometimes with a dream that doesn’t quite have a picture frame around it’ and you’ve got to give yourselves credit because you’re the ones who fill in the colors and bring our dreams into focus by showing us what can be done.’
Spielberg suggested that the Visual Effects Society add a student film award to encourage future animators, vfx artists and filmmakers who are creating what he feels are amazing things on their home computers and sharing them on the web. He then finished his speech by running down a list of vfx gurus who have made an impact on his career, luminaries including Douglas Trumbull, George Gibbs, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, Michael Lantieri, Stefen Fangmeier, Joe Letteri, Richard Edlund and George Lucas, to name a few.
After the theme music from Raiders of the Lost Ark played Spielberg off the stage, Transformers director Michael Bay took the podium and revealed that he got a job filing storyboards for one of Spielberg’s movies when he was 15 years old. He said, ‘I remember telling all my 15-year-old buddies, ‘Spielberg’s doing this movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark and it’s going to suck.’ Three weeks ago, I was in Steven’s office pitching Transformers 2 and he took a phone call and stepped out. I’m in the man’s office and so I went through his desk and found storyboards for Indy 4, and that’s really gong to suck,’ he joked.
2008 VES Award Winners:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture
Transformers
Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson, Russel Earl, Scott Benza
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture
Ratatouille
Michael Fong, Apurva Shah, Christine Waggoner, Michael Fu
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special
Battlestar Galactica – Razor
Mike Gibson, Gary Hutzel, Sean Jackson, Pierre Drolet
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Fight for Life – Episode 4
Philip Dobree, Nicola Instone, Marco Iozzi, Matt Chandler
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Rome – ‘Philippi’
James Madigan, Barrie Hemsley, Duncan Kinnard, Gary Broznich
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Smirnoff ‘ ‘Sea’
William Bartlett, Scott Griffin, Dan Seddon, David Mellor
Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
Transformers – Desert Highway Sequence
Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson, Shawn Kelly, Michael Jamieson
Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game
Halo 3 – Halo 3 Footage
Marcus Lehto, Jonty Barnes, Stephen Scott, CJ Cowan
Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals in a Video Game
World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade – cinematic intro
Jeff Chamberlain, Scott Abeyta
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Sea Monsters
Sean Phillips, Jack Geist, Robin Aristorenas, Mark Dubeau
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – Davy Jones
Hal Hickel, Marc Chu, Jakub Pistecky, Maia Kayser
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture
Ratatouille – Colette
Janeane Garofalo, Jaime Landes, Sonoko Konishi, Paul Aichele
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program or Commercial
Chemical Brothers ‘ ‘Salmon Dance’ – Fatlip shots
Nicklas Andersson, Mike Mellor, Sylvain Marc, Florent DeLa Taille
Primeval – Episode 6 – Predator Animation
Outstanding Effects in an Animated Motion Picture
Ratatouille – Food
Jon Reisch, Jason Johnston, Eric Froemling, Tolga Goktekin
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – The Maelstrom
Frank Losasso Petterson , Paul Sharpe , Joakim Arnesson , David Meny
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Broadcast Program or
Commercial
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Motion Picture
Transformers
Dave Fogler , Ron Woodall , Alex Jaeger, Brian Gernand
Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture
Transformers
Pat Tubach , Beth D’Amato , Todd Vaziri , Mike Conte
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
NIKE ‘ ‘Leave Nothing’
James Allen, Rob Trent
Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
John Richardson, Stephen Hamilton, Richard Farns, Stephen Hutchinson
Outstanding Special Effects in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Actively Safe ‘ ‘Lexus Hydrant’
Dave Peterson, Anthony De La Cruz
