Today, the Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s professional global honorary society, named acclaimed writer-director-producer Jonathan Nolan as the next recipient of the VES Visionary Award in recognition of his valuable contributions to filmed entertainment. The award will be presented at the 17th Annual VES Awards on February 5, 2019 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The VES Visionary Award, bestowed by the VES Board of Directors, recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of visual effects to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work. VES will honor Nolan, a fiercely inventive storyteller, for his inspired vision and distinctive ability to harness craft and technology in creating mysterious new worlds that transport and transfix audiences.
“Jonathan Nolan has been at the forefront in utilizing visual effects to tell remarkable, highly nuanced stories that change the way we think about what is possible to achieve,” said Mike Chambers, VES Board Chair. “Jonathan has an innate sense of how to use visual effects intelligently to bring his creative visions to life. As a major force in film and television, he has written, produced, directed and contributed to some of the most compelling and unforgettable narratives in filmed entertainment. We are proud to honor Jonathan, a true innovator, with the VES Visionary Award.”
Nolan is a prolific screenwriter, director, and television producer who heads up his production company Kilter Films with his wife Lisa Joy. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the acclaimed noir drama MEMENTO, which was based on his short story MEMENTO MORI and marked his first feature film writing credit. The nomination was shared with his brother, Christopher Nolan, who directed the film.
The Nolan brothers subsequently teamed up on the screenplays for THE PRESTIGE; the blockbuster THE DARK KNIGHT, for which they received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination; THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, which became the most financially successful Batman movie of all time; and INTERSTELLAR.
In television, Nolan created the CBS hit drama PERSON OF INTEREST under Kilter Films, which ran for five seasons. Nolan and Joy co-created HBO’s WESTWORLD, which aired its first season in 2016 to rave reviews. He received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing and Directing for a Drama Series and directed the pilot and finale of season one, for which he earned a DGA nomination. WESTWORLD is the most-watched first season of an HBO original series ever. In April 2018, Amazon acquired sci-fi drama project THE PERIPHERAL, based on William Gibson’s book, from Nolan and Joy.
Previous winners of the VES Visionary Award have been Victoria Alonso, Syd Mead, J.J. Abrams, Alfonso Cuarรณn, Ang Lee and Christopher Nolan.
About the Visual Effects Society
The Visual Effects Society is a professional global honorary society dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest standards and procedures for the visual effects profession. It is the entertainment industry's only official organization representing the extended global community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. VES’ 4,000 members in 40 countries worldwide contribute to all areas of entertainment – film, television, commercials, animation, music videos, games, new media and special venues.
To learn more about the VES, visit www.visualeffectssociety.com and follow us on Twitter: @VFXSociety. Read VFX Voice, our signature print and digital publication, at www.vfxvoice.com.
Simian Gets An Evolutionary Boost For Collaboration, Reveals “Teams”
Simian, the showreel-building, review & approval, and production asset management platform used globally by creative leaders, is kicking off this fall season with a substantial leap forward for collaboration and project management โ with more updates on the way during the holidays!
The new feature, aptly dubbed โTeamsโ, makes it easier than ever for users to give project responsibilities to team members and clients alike. โYou can never have too many options when it comes to permission levels,โ says Jay Brooks, Simianโs Chief Technology Officer. โTeams provides a streamlined way to assign multiple users to a project at once.โ
โTeams are very powerful, but creating one is effortless,โ Brian Atton, Simianโs Chief Operating Officer explains. โSimply enter a Team name, add members, and then apply the newly made Team to any desired project. You can even invite temporary guests without changing settings for other projects or needing to create a new Team.โ
โWe love helping our clients by providing efficient tools to improve their workflow, and this has been a frequently requested feature as of late,โ shares Kellie Atton, Head of Sales at Simian. โIt feels great to get Teams out into the wild because I know itโs going to be tremendously helpful to everyone who uses itโ.
Teams is now available exclusively to Simianโs enterprise clients. Simian plans to release more product upgrades and enhancements during Q4 2024 and 2025 for enterprise and non-enterprise users, continuing its ongoing evolution as the industryโs leading production asset management solution.
For more information on Simian upgrades and features, visit https://www.gosimian.com/
About Simian
Simian (