21st Visual Effects Society (VES) awards: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ dominates with 9, ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ wins 3
James Cameron’s 2022 blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water was unsurprisingly the big winner at the 21st Visual Effects Society (VES) awards, which were held live last night at a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton and hosted for the 10th time by comedian Patton Oswalt.
After a record-setting 14 nominations, the film won a record-breaking nine awards from the Visual Effects Society (VES), more than any film, television show or single project in the guild’s history, and won trophies for Outstanding VFX in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project and more.
The Outstanding Supporting VFX in a Photoreal Feature award went to Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was a triple winner, earning awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature (Pinocchio) and Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature. On the TV side, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power won three awards and was named Outstanding VFX in a Photoreal Episode.
Former VES executive director Eric Roth received the Board of Directors Award from the current board, which includes Lisa Cooke, current VES Chair; Jim Morris, VES, president of Pixar Animation and founding VES Chair; and former Chairs Jeffrey A. Okun, VES; Mike Chambers, VES; Carl Rosendahl, VES; and Jeff Barnes.
Gale Anne Hurd received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony from James Cameron. Hurd, accepting her lifetime achievement award said “growing up, my local movie theater was my babysitter. Ray Harryhausen was my first visual effects crush. There have been many since, but you always remember your first.”
Hall of Fame inductees, a distinction is bestowed upon a select group of professionals and pioneers who have played a significant role in advancing the field of visual effects by invention, science, contribution or avocation of the art, science, technology and/or communications, include Mary Ellen Bute, Alice Guy-Blaché, Grace Hopper, Bill Kovacs and George Pal.
“As we celebrate the 21st Annual VES Awards, we’re honored to keep shining a light on remarkable visual effects artistry and innovation,” VES chair Lisa Cooke said in a statement. “In all of our colleagues honored tonight, we see best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of adaptation and ingenuity — talents that have kept audiences engaged and uplifted, now, more than ever. The VES Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding global artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of all our winners and nominees!”
Here is the complete list of winners.
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Walter Garcia, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, JD Schwalm
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Thirteen Lives – Jason Billington, Thomas Horton, Denis Baudin, Michael Harrison, Brian Cox
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Aaron Weintraub, Jeffrey Schaper, Cameron Carson, Emma Gorbey, Mad God, Chris Morley, Phil Tippett, Ken Rogerson, Tom Gibbons
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power “Udûn” – Jason Smith, Ron Ames, Nigel Sumner, Tom Proctor, Dean Clarke
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Five Days at Memorial “Day Two” – Eric Durst, Danny McNair, Matt Whelan, Goran Pavles, John MacGillivray
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
The Last of Us Part I – Erick Pangilinan, Evan Wells, Eben Cook, Mary Jane Whiting
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Frito-Lay “Push It” – Tom Raynor, Sophie Harrison, Ben Cronin, Martino Madeddu
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
ABBA: Voyage – Ben Morris, Edward Randolph, Stephen Aplin, Ian Comley
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Avatar: The Way of Water: Kiri – Anneka Fris, Rebecca Louise Leybourne, Guillaume Francois, Jung-Rock Hwang
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: Pinocchio – Oliver Beale, Richard Pickersgill, Brian Leif Hansen, Kim Slate
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
The Umbrella Academy: Pogo – AIdan Martin, Hannah Dockerty, Olivier Beierlein, Miae Kang
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Avatar: The Way of Water: The Reef – Jessica Cowley, Joe W. Churchill, Justin Stockton, Alex Nowotny
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: In the Stomach of a Sea Monster – Warren Lawtey, Anjum Sakharkar, Javier Gonzalez Alonso, Quinn Carvalho
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power “Adar”: Númenor City – Dan Wheaton, Nico Delbecq, Dan LeTarte, Julien Gauthier
OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A CG PROJECT
Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Dan Cox, Eric Reynolds, A.J Briones
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Avatar: The Way of Water: The Sea Dragon – Sam Sharplin, Stephan Skorepa, Ian Baker, Guillaume Francois
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Simulations – Johnathan M. Nixon, David Moraton, Nicolas Illingworth, David Caeiro Cebrian
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, Kiem Ching Ong, Jinguang Huang
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: “Udûn” Water and Magma – Rick Hankins, Aron Bonar, Branko Grujcic, Laurent Kermel
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Integration – Sam Cole, Francois Sugny, Florian Schroeder, Jean Matthews
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
Love, Death and Robots: Night of the Mini Dead – Tim Emeis, José Maximiano, Renaud Tissandié, Nacere Guerouaf
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Ladbrokes “Rocky” – Greg Spencer, Theajo Dharan, Georgina Ford, Jonathan Westley
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
Avatar: The Way of Water: Current Machine and Wave Pool – JD Schwalm, Richie Schwalm, Nick Rand, Robert Spurlock
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT (AWARD SPONSORED BY AUTODESK)
A Calling. From the Desert to the Sea – Mario Bertsch, Max Pollmann, Lukas Löffler, Till Sander-Titgemeyer
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Toolset – Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin, Steve Lesser, Sven Joel Wretborn, Douglas McHale
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