The Jungle Book (Disney) scored five Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards on Tuesday night (2/7), including the marquee honor for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature. The 15th annual competition’s other top award, best effects in an animated feature, went to Kubo and the Two Strings (Laika/Focus Features).
Game of Thrones (HBO) led the TV derby with five VES Awards, including its “Battle of the Bastards” earning best VFX distinction for a photoreal episode.
The dominant commercial in the VES competition was John Lewis’ “Buster the Boxer” for which MPC London served as VFX house. Dougal Wilson of Blink Productions directed the spot for retailer John Lewis and agency adam&eveDDB, London. “Buster the Boxer” scored three VES honors--for outstanding visual effects spot, best animated performance in a commercial for the Buster character, and best compositing in a photoreal spot. The ad tells a magical, make-believe story of Buster the Boxer dog and his family at Christmas. We are introduced to a little girl named Bridget who loves to jump. Her parents buy her a trampoline and hide it in the garden to surprise her with on Christmas Day. However, after dark, in a magical world observed only by Buster, a cast of wildlife animals emerges--two foxes, a badger, a squirrel, and a hedgehog--who discover the trampoline and have fun jumping. On Christmas morning, Bridget excitedly runs out into the garden to discover her present--however Buster bounds past her and starts bouncing on her trampoline. She watches him wide-eyed. The tale tied into John Lewis’ selection of The Wildlife Trusts as its 2016 Xmas campaign charity partner.
More than 1,000 industry folk gathered at the Beverly Hilton for the VES Awards ceremony to celebrate VFX talent across 24 award categories and herald the VES’ 20th anniversary. Additionally the VES Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to VFX pioneer Ken Ralston, a five-time Oscar winner--four Best VFX Academy Awards for Forest Gump, Death Becomes Her, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Cocoon, and a Special Achievement Award for Star Wars: Episode VI--Return of the Jedi.
Honored with the VES Visionary Award was acclaimed producer Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios’ executive VP of physical production, who made an impassioned plea for more women to be afforded career opportunities in visual effects. One one hand, she noted that progress is being made, relating that at the 2016 SIGGRAPH confab in Anaheim, Calif., she saw a line outside the women’s restroom. Alonso affirmed that’s the first time she saw such a line in 20 years of attending SIGGRAPH.
Still, there’s much work to be done. Alonso said that out of some 470 nominees at this year’s VES Awards, only a little more than 40 were female. “We can do better,” she affirmed, urging her colleagues to look inside their rooms and outside their buildings for talented women. “Have we looked around enough,” said Alonso, in order to find more of a gender balance? Bringing new talent into the mix, she added, might in many instances help to “create something beyond what we thought we could do.”
Here’s a category-by-category rundown of winners at the 15th Annual VES Awards:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
The Jungle Book
Robert Legato
Joyce Cox
Andrew R. Jones
Adam Valdez
JD Schwalm
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Deepwater Horizon
Craig Hammack
Petra Holtorf-Stratton
Jason Snell
John Galloway
Burt Dalton
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Travis Knight
Arianne Sutner
Steve Emerson
Brad Schiff
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards
Joe Bauer
Steve Kullback
Glenn Melenhorst
Matthew Rouleau
Sam Conway
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Black Sails; XX
Erik Henry
Terron Pratt
Aladino Debert
Yafei Wu
Paul Stephenson
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Uncharted 4
Bruce Straley
Eben Cook
Iki Ikram
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
John Lewis; "Buster the Boxer"
Diarmid Harrison-Murray
Hannah Ruddleston
Fabian Frank
William Laban
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Pirates of the Caribbean; Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Bill George
Amy Jupiter
Hayden Landis
David Lester
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Photoreal Feature
The Jungle Book; King Louie
Paul Story
Dennis Yoo
Jack Tema
Andrei Coval
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Animated Feature
Finding Dory; Hank
Jonathan Hoffman
Steven Clay Hunter
Mark Piretti
Audrey Wong
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Drogon
James Kinnings
Michael Holzl
Matt Derksen
Joseph Hoback
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Commercial
John Lewis; "Buster the Boxer"
Tim van Hussen
David Bryan
Chloe Dawe
Maximilian Mallmann
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Doctor Strange; New York City
Adam Watkins
Martijn van Herk
Tim Belsher
Jon Mitchell
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
Moana; Motunui Island
Rob Dressel
Andy Harkness
Brien Hindman
Larry Wu
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Meereen City
Deak Ferrand
Dominic Daigle
François Croteau
Alexandru Banuta
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
The Jungle Book
Bill Pope
Robert Legato
Gary Roberts
John Brennan
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Deepwater Horizon; Deepwater Horizon Rig
Kelvin Lau
Jean Bolte
Kevin Sprout
Kim Vongbunyong
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
The Jungle Book; Nature Effects
Oliver Winwood
Fabian Nowak
David Schneider
Ludovic Ramisandraina
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Moana
Marc Henry Bryant
David Hutchins
Ben Frost
Dale Mayeda
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Meereen City
Thomas Hullin
Dominik Kirouac
James Dong
Xavier Fourmond
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
The Jungle Book
Christoph Salzmann
Masaki Mitchell
Matthew Adams
Max Stummer
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
Game of Thrones; Battle of the Bastards; Retaking Winterfell
Dominic Hellier
Morgan Jones
Thijs Noij
Caleb Thompson
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
John Lewis; "Buster the Boxer"
Tom Harding
Alex Snookes
David Filipe
Andreas Feix
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project (presented by Autodesk)
Breaking Point
Johannes Franz
Nicole Rothermel
Thomas Sali
Alexander Richter