The Visual Effects Society has named motion picture director and producer James Cameron as the recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the eighth annual VES Awards which will be held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 28, 2010.
The VES Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded by the VES board of directors, recognizes an outstanding body of work that has significantly contributed to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry. VES will honor Cameron for his vision and dedication to the craft of storytelling while being at the creative forefront of groundbreaking visual effects. Cameron’s work is so cutting edge he had to wait years for new visual effects technologies to be created in order to move forward with his most recent film, Avatar (slated for release next month).
“James Cameron has set the gold standard for storytelling by combining true creative artistry along with the latest advances in technology to bring incredible stories to the screen,” said Eric Roth, executive director of the VES. “Over the past few decades he has been the pre-eminent director of big vision, big story extravaganzas and has redefined the movie-going experience for filmgoers worldwide.”
“Jim’s sense of how to effectively utilize what the visual effects community has to bring to the storytelling experience has changed the face of storytelling–not just in the past and the present, but in a significant way in the future,” stated Jeffrey A. Okun, chair of the VES.
Cameron commented, “I’ve loved visual effects my whole life, and it’s been an ongoing thrill to be able to practice that art and to work with the best artists and technical people in the business to realize my dream images as a director. It is an incredible honor to be receiving this award.”
Cameron’s films have received multiple Academy Award nominations, with his Titanic winning 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Director and Best Editing. Cameron’s other groundbreaking films include Terminator, Terminator 2, True Lies and The Abyss.
Previous winners of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, and Frank Marshall & Kathleen Kennedy.
The VES organization represents the extended community of visual effects practitioners including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. Its 2,000 global members contribute to all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos, games and new media.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More