"Frozen" and "The Croods" are top animated film contenders
The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominees for the 12th Annual VES Awards, the prestigious yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials and video games and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on-the-keys artists who bring this work to life. Nominees were selected by VES members via concurrent events in Los Angeles and within the eight Global VES Sections–New York, the Bay Area, New Zealand, Sydney, the U.K., Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. The VES Awards will be held on February 12 at the Beverly Hilton.
As previously announced, the Visionary Award will be presented to Alfonso Cuarón, acclaimed filmmaker and director/producer/co-writer/editor of the film Gravity. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to John Dykstra, award-winning visual effects pioneer and innovator.
“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to tell the most amazing stories imaginable,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, VES chair. “This year, more than ever, we have seen the fantastic become normal, the unimaginable become reality and the artistry of VFX drive box office. The VES Awards is the only place where this amazing work is showcased and honored.”
The nominees for the 12th Annual VES Awards are as follows:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Gravity
Tim Webber, Nikki Penny, Chris Lawrence,Richard Mcbride
Iron Man 3
Christopher Townsend, Mark Soper, Guy Williams, Bryan Grill
Pacific Rim
John Knoll, Susan Greenhow, Chris Raimo, Hal Hickel
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Roger Guyett, Luke O’Byrne, Ron Ames, Ben Grossman
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, Kevin Sherwood, David Clayton
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Rush
Jody Johnson, Moriah Etherington-Sparks, Mark Hodgkins, Antoine Moulineau
The Great Gatsby
Chris Godfrey, Prue Fletcher, Joyce Cox
The Lone Ranger
Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich., Shari Hanson, Kevin Martel
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Guillaume Rocheron, Kurt Williams, Monette Dubin, Ivan Moran
The Wolf of Wall Street
Robert Legato, Mark Russell, Joseph Farrell, Lisa Spence
White House Down
Marc Weigert, Volker Engel, Julia Frey, Ollie Rankin
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
Peter Nash, Michael Ford,Chris Juen, Mandy Tankenson
Despicable Me 2
Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Frozen
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, Lino Di Salvo
Monsters University
Kori Rae, Sanjay Bakshi, Jon Reisch, Scott Clark
The Croods
Jane Hartwell, Chris Sanders, Kirk Demicco, Markus Manninen
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Pilot
Mark Kolpack, Sabrina Arnold, David Altenau, H Haden Hammond
Almost Human
Jay Worth, Robert Habros, Michael Cliett, David Beedon
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome
Gary Hutzel, Michael Gibson, Derek Ledbetter, Heather Mcauliff
Game of Thrones: Valar Dohaeris
Steve Kullback, Joe Bauer, Jörn Großhans, Sven Martin
Inseparable: Chernobyl
Egor Olesov, Egor Borschevsky, Dmitry Ovcharenko, Mykhailo Datsyk
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Banshee: Pilot
Armen Kevorkian, Mark Skowronski, Jeremy Jozwik, Ricardo Ramirez
Da Vinci’s Demons: The Lovers
Kevin Blank, Simon Frame, Ante Dekovic, Oliver Arnold
Hawaii 5-0: Ho’onani Makuakane
Armen Kevorkian, Alexander Soltes, Jane Sharvina, Andranik Taranyan
Mob City: A Guy Walks in to A Bar
Jason Sperling, Michael Morreale, Valeri Pfahning, Mike Enriquez
Moonfleet: Episode 2
Ed Bruce, Alan Collins, John O’Connell, Joe Courtis
The Borgias: Relics
Wojciech Zielinski, Neishaw Ali, Bill Halliday, Jp Giamos
Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Mark Rubin, Richard Kriegler, David Johnson, Alessandro Nardini
Crysis 3
Magnus Larbrant, Tiago Sousa, Steven Bender, Cevat Yerli
Killzone Shadow Fall
Marijn Giesbertz, Jan-Bart Van Beek, Angie Smets
NBA 2K14
Heather Marshall, Joseph Clark, Jeff Thomas, Anton Dawson
Ryse: Son of Rome
Cevat Yerli, Peter Gornstein, Chris Evans, Brian Chambers
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Call of Duty: Epic Night Out
Leighton Greer, Robert Sethi, Felix Urquiza, Chris Knight
Galaxy Chauffeur
Helen Hughes, Simon French, William Bartlett, Stephen Cullingford
Liberty Group Limited: Answer
James Atkinson, Rachel Mariscal, Scott Meadows, David Liu
PETA: 98% Human
Angus Kneale, Vince Baertsoen, Colin Blaney, Kyle Cody
Sony PlayStation: Perfect Day
Charlotte Arnold, Joji Tsuruga, Gavin Wellsman, Olivier Mitonneau
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Hayden Planetarium’s Dark Universe
Vivian Trakinski, Jon Parker, Carter Emmart, Andreas Wetteborn
Mysteries of the Unseen World
Sean Phillips, Andy Yamada, Fred Pienkos, Matthew Sugars
Mystic Manor
Tim Landry, John Guerra, Mark Schirmer, Ken Horii
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Daren Ulmer, John Gross, Cedar Connor, Christian Bloch
SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue!
Kate Crandall, Brent Young, Michael “Oz” Smith, Andrei Brovcenco
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Gravity: Ryan
Max Solomon, Mathieu Vig, Michael Brunet, David Shirk
Oz the Great and Powerful: China Girl
Troy Saliba, In-Ah Roediger, Carolyn Vale, Kevin Souls
Pacific Rim: Kaiju – Leatherback
Jakub Pistecky, Frank Gravatt, Cyrus Jam, Chris Havreberg
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Smaug
Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Myriam Catrin,, Guillaume Francois
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Epic: Bomba
Thom Roberts, Haven Gordon Cousins, Tim Bower, Daniel Lima
Epic: Mary Katherine
Jeff Gabor, Dylan C. Maxwell, Sang Jun Lee, Chris Pagoria
Frozen: Bringing the Snow Queen to Life
Alexander Alvarado, Joy Johnson, Chad Stubblefield, Wayne Unten
The Croods: Eep
Line Andersen, Won Young Byun, Koji Morihiro, Chris De St. Jeor
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
Game of Thrones: Raising the Dragons
Philip Meyer, Ingo Schachner, Travis Nobles, Florian Friedmann
PETA: 98% Human
Vince Baertsoen, Alex Allain, Henning Koczy
Smithwick’s: Squirrel
Tom Bussell, Jorge Montiel, Tom Raynor, Leonardo Costa
Three, The Pony
Carsten Keller, Jake Mengers, Tim Van Hussen
Toy Story of Terror
Paul Aichele, Kiki Mei Kee Poh, Andrew Coats
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Elysium: Torus
Votch Levi, Joshua Ong, Barry Poon
Gravity: Interior
Harry Bardak, Nathan Walster, Jonathan Fawkner, Claire Michaud
Gravity: Exterior
Paul Beilby, Kyle Mcculloch, Stuart Penn, Ian Comley
Iron Man 3: Shipyard
John Stevenson-Galvin, Greg Notzelman, Paul Harris, Justin Stockton
Pacific Rim: Virtual Hong Kong
Johan Thorngren, Jeremy Bloch, David Meny, Polly Ing
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Epic: Pod Patch
Aaron Ross, Travis Price, Jake Panian, Antelmo Villarreal
Frozen: Elsa’s Ice Palace
Virgilio John Aquino, Alessandro Jacomini, Lance Summers, David Womersley
Monsters University: Campus
Robert Kondo, Eric Andraos, Dale Ruffolo, Peter Sumanaseni
The Croods: The Maze
Jonathan Harman, Violette Sacre-Shaik, Benjamin Venancie, Philippe Brochu
Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
Game of Thrones: The Climb
Patrick Zentis, Mayur Patel, Nitin Singh, Tim Alexander
Hell On Wheels: Big Bad Wolf
Steve Meyer, Matt Von Brock, Mitch Gates, Antonio Chang
Inseparable: Chernobyl
Dmitry Ovcharenko, Igor Chopenko, Dmitry Eremenko, Andrey Bogdanov
Liberty Group Limited: Answer
Greg Teegarden, Kevin Bouchez, Brian Creasey, Kurt Lawson
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Gravity
Tim Webber, Emmanuel Lubezki, Richard Mcbride, Dale Newton
Iron Man 3
Mark Smith, Aaron Gilman, Thelvin Cabezas, Gerardo Ramirez
Man of Steel
Daniel Paulsson, Edmund Kolloen, Joel Prager, David Stripinis
Pacific Rim: Hong Kong Ocean Brawl
Colin Benoit, Nick Walker, Adam Schnitzer, Victor Schutz
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Christian Rivers, Phil Barrenger, Mark Gee, Thelvin Tico Cabezas
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Commercial or Broadcast Program
Mad Max: Ethos
Aladino Debert, Neil Huxley, David Liu, Michael Harbour
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Vernon Wilbert, Tim Jones, Rafael Colon, April Warren
Qualcomm Snapdragon: A Dragon is Coming
Joshua Wassung, Shannon Justison, Shayne Ryan, Seth Gollub
The Crew
Dominique Boidin, Rémi Kozyra, Léon Bérelle, Maxime Luère
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
Gravity: ISS Exterior
Ben Lambert, Paul Beilby, Chris Lawrence, Andy Nicholson
Pacific Rim
David Fogler, Alex Jaeger, Aaron Wilson, David Behrens
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Bruce Holcomb, Ron Woodall, John Goodson, Thomas Fejes
The Lone Ranger: Colby Locomotive
Rene Garcia, Steve Walton, Brian Paik, Gerald Gutschmidt
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Gravity: Parachute and ISS Destruction
Alexis Wajsbrot, Sylvain Degrotte, Horacio Mendoza, Juan-Luis Sanchez
Man of Steel
Brian Goodwin, Gray Horsfield, Mathieu Chardonnet, Adrien Toupet
Pacific Rim: Fluid Simulation & Destruction
Ryan Hopkins, Michael Balog, Patrick Conran, Rick Hankins
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Areito Echevarria, Andreas Soderstrom, Ronnie Menahem, Christoph Sprenger
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
Andrew Hofman, Alex Moaveni
Epic: Boggan Crowds
Thierry Dervieux-Lecocq, David Gatenby, Mark Adams, Matthew D. Simmons
Frozen: Elsa’s Blizzard
Eric W. Araujo, Marc Bryant, Dong Joo Byun, Tim Molinder
The Croods
Jeff Budsberg, Andre Le Blanc, Jason Mayer, Michael Losure
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
PETA: 98% Human
Vince Baertsoen, Jimmy Gass, Dave Barosin
Sony PlayStation: Perfect Day
Joji Tsuruga, Gavin Wellsman, Nick Couret, Hassan Taimur
Toyota Avalon: Formula
Ed Laag, Eugene Gauran, Josh Hatton
Toy Story of Terror
Jane Yen, Rogan Griffin, Amit Baadkar, Keith Daniel Klohn
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
Elysium
Jean Lapointe, Jordan Benwick, Robin Hackl, Janeen Elliott
Gravity
Mark Bakowski, Anthony Smith, Theodor Groeneboom, Adrian Metzelaar
Iron Man 3: Barrel of Monkeys
Michael Maloney, Francis Puthanangadi, Justin Van Der Lek, Howard Cabalfin
Iron Man 3: House Attack
Darren Poe, Stefano Trivelli, Josiah Howison, Zach Zaubi
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Charles Tait, Robin Hollander, Giuseppe Tagliavini,
Sean Heuston
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program
Banshee: Pilot
Gevork Babityan, Andranik Taranyan, Matt Kelly, Matthieu Perin
Game of Thrones: The Climb
Kirk Brillon, Steve Gordon, Geoff Sayer, Winston Lee
The Conquering of Yunkai
Sean Faden, Greg Szafranski, Florian Friedmann, Travis Nobles
Vikings: Dispossessed
Ovidiu Cinazan, Gary Couto, Marco Lee, Maria Gordon
Outstanding Compositing in a Commercial
Call of Duty: Epic Night Out
Chris Knight, Daniel Thuresson, Nick Tayler, Dag Ivarsory
Jean-Paul Gaultier: The Sailor
Jerome Billet, Arnaud Leviez
Mercedes Sensations
Laurent Creusot, Pierre Emmanuel Genin, David Roubah,
Damien Canameras
Sony PlayStation : Greatness Awaits
Kyle Cody, Dan Difelice
Sony PlayStation: Perfect Day
Gavin Wellsman, John Mangia, Leonardo Costa,
Kristen Johnson
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Initium
Alexandre Dechel, Adrien Lambert, Larochette Emeric, James Ross-Greetham
Morphium
Linus Stetter
Rugbybugs
Alexandra Stautmeister
Runaway
Ludovic Fregé, Quentin Medda, Romain Chauliac, Yoann Gouraud
Where the Dream Begins
Dun Ma, Dan Wen Lei, Xuan Xia
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More