Everyone's talking about it. The 96th Oscars ceremony, set for March 10, 2024, has unveiled its nominations. But who are the nominees in the Best Visual Effects category? We tell you.
The Creator by Gareth Edwards
This film made waves last year with the director's unconventional approach to staging a science fiction story on a limited budget (read article). It's no surprise then that it's among the Oscar VFX nominees. Instead of using green screens or motion capture suits, the effects, created by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), were added directly onto the shots. "We shoot everything as if it was there (...). And then, edit the movie and when we were sure about what the shots were, that's when we designed the world", he said in an interview with AMD, adding: "essentially, we would design the science fiction on top".
Source: ILM Facebook page
Godzilla Minus One by Takashi Yamazaki (WINNER!)
For the first time, the King of Monsters is nominated for an Oscar! And what a joy that it's in its Japanese version! Indeed, this star has been appearing on our screens since 1954 and it's only 70 years later that it has finally been recognized. But let's get back to the point. The film was nominated for best visual effects, directed by Takashi Yamazaki (who was also the screenwriter and director). It has a total of 610 visual effects shots made by 35 artists, according to The Hollywoord reporter. In comparison, Top Gun: Maverick had 2400 and a budget ten times higher.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 by James Gunn
This third installment particularly touched the audience's heart with the backstory of Rocket (aka Rabbit). A broken past, scientific experiments, animal abuse, it's all there. Last year, we had the opportunity to see Nathan McConnel, animation supervisor at Framestore, and Stuart Bullen, VFX supervisor at RISE, involved in the film's effects at the NIFFF. And we learned a lot. For example, did you know that all the animations were done by hand? No motion capture, not even for Groot. In total, over 800 special effects artists participated in the film. The most difficult scene? The animal stampede at the end of the film when they are released.
The adorable baby raccoons won everyone's heart. Tests conducted by Framestore.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 by Christopher McQuarrie
With this film, McQuarrie continues the legacy of the series in terms of innovative special effects, combining cutting-edge technology and physical feats, especially with Tom Cruise, known for pushing the boundaries of the (im)possible. "McQuarrie stressed the importance of designing all VFX shots with “How would this be done practically" at the forefront of our minds. So we had to contemplate how one would realistically film and light a 150m long submarine at ocean depths", explains Joel Green, effects supervisor at beloFX, who worked almost exclusively on the opening sequence, in an interview given for Art of VFX. The film required a total of 2640 shots with visual effects, reflecting the scale of the work done.
Napoleon by Ridley Scott
Here is another film promoted as having "no CGI" nominated to the Oscars for Best VFX (would you like to read an article about it? Let us know). Interviews given by Scott have even become memes in the industry. Like films such as Oppenheimer, Hollywood and the media often take a critical stance on the intensive use of visual effects, but what would these movies be without them? Although indeed 100 horses were used for the battle scenes, this number remains modest to give Napoleon its epic character. Therefore, considerable work was dedicated to extending the sets, adding horses and characters, as well as incorporating snow, boats and other scenic elements. Although invisible, CGI was essential in the making of this movie. It's what makes the illusion come to life.
Meme that circulated on social media
Which one was your favorite movie? Which movie do you think should have been nominated for outstanding VFX? Let us know in the comments.
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