By Will Mavity
Fears that the mass delays of 2020 films to 2021 and beyond would result in a barren Oscar field for this year have fortunately proved unfounded. Each Oscar acting category is full of far more contenders than there are slots. This may be because many of the delayed films were tentpole type films that would not have contended for above-the-line Oscars anyway. However, even blockbuster-friendly categories like Best Sound are bloodbaths of competition. However, there is one category that has been affected: Best Visual Effects. To be sure, there were a few of the traditional showy spectacle heavy contenders released this year. "Tenet" and "The Midnight Sky" seem all but assured of nominations. Early released blockbusters like "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Birds of Prey" may benefit from having been some of the few films voters saw in theaters this year and end up sticking around until the end as a result. But the VFX branch will still have to find 10 films to participate in its annual "bake-off" ceremony to select the category’s five nominees. Without the usual "Avengers" and "Star Wars"-type fare that the branch has come to count on filling the bake-off in recent years, VFX branch voters are going to have to be more creative. Fortunately, 2020 was still a banner year for VFX work. Choosing the nominees that best demonstrate that fact will require the branch to think outside the box. Here are some out-of-the-box contenders that could end up being major players in this year’s Visual Effects Oscar Race... "Greyhound"
When talking about out-of-the-box contenders, "Greyhound" would not be as unusual a choice as some of the films on this list. After all, "1917" just won the category last year. However, by and large, war films are not Visual Effects Oscar players. Even films like "Dunkirk" and "Saving Private Ryan" missed nominations here. Part of the reason those films failed to garner nominations, however, was their emphasis on practical effects. While branch members are sometimes drawn to practical VFX showcases, the category has tended towards CGI-heavy players recently. Fortunately for "Greyhound," unlike "Dunkirk," it is extremely CGI-heavy. The film boasts more than 1,300 visual effects shots. A landlocked ship interior was built on a gimbal to recreate a rocking sea motion, but much of the practical work didn't translate on film and thus had to be reworked in post by the VFX team. All of the water and exterior ship shots were CGI. Because the filmmakers were sticklers for detail, the VFX team was forced to emphasize just how dark all the nighttime shots would look (because any lights, even a cigarette light, would give away the ship to enemy submarines and aircraft). As such, the team had to make the images are dark as possible while still ensuring all of the action was visible. Additionally, they had to research extensively and mathematically map out based on the weight and positioning of the ships how they would interact with the water for each shot, so as not to look unrealistic.
"The Invisible Man"
Historically, films featuring invisibility have played well with the Visual Effects branch – look no further than "Hollow Man" receiving a nomination despite its poor reviews. Of course, the key difference was "Hollow Man" boasted a nearly $100 million budget. In comparison, the Independent Spirit Award Nominated "The Invisible Man" was forced to make do with a meager $7 million budget. For context, that's less than it costs to make your average Sundance movie like "Manchester by the Sea" or "Precious." However, thanks to a well-planned production that involved the VFX team from the start, "The Invisible Man" ends up looking as crisp and professional as something with a "Hollow Man"-type budget. The film only has about 350 VFX shots in total. Many shots used camera movement and careful framing, emphasizing negative space to give the sense that someone else was present in the room. The team often used practical effects and wires to demonstrate objects moving around in a shot as though handled by an unseen force. Whenever the titular "Invisible Man" was shown, it would be an actor in a green suit. The team used motion control rigs and careful blocking so as to make the difficult post-work of transforming the green suit into an invisible figure as inexpensive and efficient as possible. It's the kind of smart "every dollar counts" filmmaking that landed "Ex Machina" an Oscar win.
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BEST PICTURE The Power Of The Dog (33) - AACTA, AFCA, AWFJ, BAFTA, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GG, HFCS, KCFCC, LEJA, LFCC, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCS, OFTA, PCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, UFCA, VFCC Belfast (7) - AARP, IFCA, IPA, LVFCS, PFCS, TIFF, WAFCA CODA (6) - CIC, HCA, NFCS, OSCAR, PGA, SAG Drive My Car (6) - BSFC, LAFCA, NSFC, NYFCC, SFCS, TFCA Licorice Pizza (5) - AFCC, GFCA, NBR, OFCC, StLFCA The Green Knight (2) - NTFCA, PCA Happening (2) - ICS, VENICE The Harder They Fall (2) - AAFCA, NAACP King Richard (2) - BFCC, BRA The Lost Daughter (2) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT After Love - BIFA Cyrano - DFCS Last Night In Soho - HFCS Mass - IFJA Pig - GWNYFCA Quo Vadis, Aida? - EFA Tick, Tick...Boom! - IPA Titane - CANNES The Tragedy of Macbeth - CACF West Side Story - GG The Worst Person In The World - IFSC BEST DIRECTOR Jane Campion (52) - AARP, AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BAFTA, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, DGA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GG, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, ICS, IFCA, IFCS, IFJA, IFSC, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, LEJA, LFCC, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, TFCA, UFCA, VENICE, WAFCA Denis Villeneuve (6) - AACTA, BFCC, CACF, HCA, NTFCA, VFCC Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (3) - BSFC, NSFC, SFCS Guillermo del Toro (2) - HFCS, NFCS Maggie Gyllenhaal (2) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT Jeymes Samuel (2) - AAFCA, BRA Paul Thomas Anderson - NBR Kenneth Branagh - PFCS Leos Carax - CANNES Alex Khan - BIFA Shaka King - NAACP Lin-Manuel Miranda - DFCS Steven Spielberg - LVFCS Jasmila Zbanic - EFA BEST ACTRESS Kristen Stewart (27) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GALECA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFCS, IFJA, IPA, MFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NTFCA, OAFFC, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA, WFCC Jessica Chastain (8) - CCA, DFCS, HFCS, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, OSCAR, SAG Olivia Colman (8) - AWFJ, GOTHAM, KCFCC, LFCC, OFCS, SFBAFCC, TFCA, VFCC Alana Haim (7) - AFCC, BSFC, COFCA, FFCC, GFCA, IPA, OFCC Penelope Cruz (5) - LAFCA, LEJA, NSFC, SDFCS, VENICE Tessa Thompson (4) - BFCC, BRA, CIC, NYFCO Nicole Kidman (3) - AACTA, AARP, GG Renate Reinsve (3) - CACF, CANNES, IFSC Lady Gaga (2) - IFCA, NYFCC Jennifer Hudson (2) - AAFCA, NAACP Joanna Scanlan (2) - BAFTA, BIFA Rachel Zegler (2) - GG, NBR Caitriona Balfe - SDFCS Jasna Duricic - EFA Lee Hye-yeong - ICS Emilia Jones - UFCA Taylour Paige - SPIRIT Agathe Rousselle - AFCA BEST ACTOR Benedict Cumberbatch (26) - AACTA, AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC Nicolas Cage (13) - AFCA, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCS, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NTFCA, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA Will Smith (12) - AAFCA, AARP, BAFTA, BFCC, BRA, CCA, GG, NAACP, NBR, OSCAR, SAG, WFCC Andrew Garfield (11) - CACF, CIC, GG, HCA, IFCA, IFSC, IPA, LEJA, OAFFC, VFCC, WAFCA Hidetoshi Nishijima (2) - BSFC, NSFC Simon Rex (2) - LAFCA, SPIRIT Adeel Akhtar - BIFA John Arcilla - VENICE Peter Dinklage - DFCS Adam Driver - FFCC Frankie Faison - GOTHAM Oscar Isaac - IFJA Caleb Landry Jones - CANNES Jack Lowden - ICS Denzel Washington - TFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Ariana DeBose (21) - BAFTA, CCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GG, HCA, LAFCA, LEJA, LVFCS, MFCA, OAFFC, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SAG, SFCS Kirsten Dunst (11) - AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, IPA, NDFS, OFCC, OFCS, PCC, SEFCA, SFBAFCC Ruth Negga (11) - CFCA, CIC, COFCA, GWNYFCA, ICS, LFCC, NSFC, NYFCO, PFCC, SDFCS, SPIRIT Ann Dowd (9) - CACF, HFCS, IFSC, KCFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, StLFCA, UFCA, VFCC Aunjanue Ellis (8) - AAFCA, AARP, BFCC, BRA, CACF, NBR, NFCS, WAFCA Jessie Buckley (2) - BSFC, TFCA Caitríona Balfe - IFCA Judi Dench - AACTA Gaby Hoffmann - IFJA Kathryn Hunter - NYFCC Regina King - NAACP Marlee Matlin - HFCS Vinette Robinson - BIFA Tilda Swinton - NTFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Kodi Smit-McPhee (31) - AACTA, AFCA, AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, HFCS, IFCA, IPA, LAFCA, LFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PFCC, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Troy Kotsur (15) - BAFTA, BSFC, CCA, GOTHAM, HCA, HFCS, IFJA, LEJA, LVFCS, MFCA, NFCS, OSCAR, SAG, SPIRIT, VFCC Bradley Cooper (4) - AFCC, CACF, GFCA, TFCA Ciarán Hinds (3) - KCFCC, NBR, PFCS Jeffrey Wright (3) - CIC, NTFCA, PCA Jason Isaacs (2) - IFSC, SDFCS Talid Ariss - BIFA Jon Bernthal - DFCS Anders Danielsen Lie (2) - ICS, NSFC Colman Domingo - BRA Mike Faist - PCC Corey Hawkins - AAFCA Daniel Kaluuya - NAACP Jared Leto - AARP Vincent Lindon - LAFCA J.K. Simmons - DFCS BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Power Of The Dog (33) - AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, LEJA, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PFCC, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, WAFCA Drive My Car (11) - AFCA, BSFC, CANNES, ICS, IFJA, IFSC, LAFCA, LFCC, NSFC, SFCS, TFCA CODA (7) - BAFTA, HCA, HFCS, IPA, OSCAR, UFCA, WGA The Lost Daughter (4) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT, USC, VENICE West Side Story (2) - AARP, KCFCC Nightmare Alley - NFCS Passing - BRA The Tragedy Of Macbeth - NBR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Licorice Pizza (12) - AFCC, BAFTA, CFCA, COFCA, GFCA, KCFCC, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, OFCC, PCC, SEFCA Belfast (9) - AWFJ, CCA, GG, HFCS, IPA, LVFCS, OSCAR, PFCS, WAFCA Mass (6) - CACF, HCA, IFJA, OFTA, SDFCS, StLFCA Pig (5) - AFCA, CIC, DFCS, OAFFC, OFCS Don't Look Up (4) - AAFCA, DFCS, VFCC, WGA C'mon C'mon (2) - LEJA, SFBAFCC Being The Ricardos - AACTA Benediction - ICS The French Dispatch - FFCC A Hero - NBR Judas And The Black Messiah - NAACP King Richard - BFCC The Mitchells vs. The Machines - UFCA The Worst Person In The World - IFSC BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Dune (22) - ASC, BAFTA, BFCC, CACF, DFWFCA, GFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, IPA, LEJA, MFCA, NTFCA, OAFFC, OFCC, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, WAFCA The Power Of The Dog (15) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSC, BSFC, CCA, CFCA, FFCC, LAFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OFCS, StLFCA The Tragedy Of Macbeth (7) - BRA, COFCA, KCFCC, MCFCA, NBR, PCC, SFBAFCC The Green Knight (6) - AFCA, CIC, GWNYFCA, NSFC, SFCS, UFCA Nightmare Alley (2) - NFCS, PFCC West Side Story (2) - LVFCS, NYFCC Benediction - ICS Boiling Point - BIFA Great Freedom - EFA Passing - SPIRIT Spencer - IFSC BEST COSTUME DESIGN Cruella (12) - BAFTA, CCA, CIC, HCA, IFSC, LEJA, LVFCS, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, SDFCS, StLFCA Dune (5) - MFCA, NCFCA, OFCS, PCA, PFCS Ammonite - EFA Cyrano - IPA The Green Knight - SFCS The Harder They Fall - BRA House Of Gucci - HFCS Spencer - CFCA The Souvenir Part II - BIFA BEST FILM EDITING Dune (8) - AFCA, BOFCA, IPA, MFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PFCS, SFCS The Power Of The Dog (6) - AWFJ, GWNYFCA, LEJA, NDFS, OFCS, SFBAFCC West Side Story (5) - CCA, CIC, COFCA, LVFCS, UFCA Last Night In Soho (4) - HCA, HFCS, MCFCA, StLFCA The French Dispatch (2) - CFCA, NCFCA Tick, Tick...Boom! (2) - ACE, WAFCA The Harder They Fall - BRA In The Heights - SDFCS King Richard - ACE No Time To Die - BAFTA The Souvenir Part II - BIFA Summer Of Soul - LAFCA Titane - IFSC Unclenching The Fists - EFA The Velvet Underground - BSFC What Do We See When We Look At The Sky? - ICS Zola - SPIRIT BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (7) - BAFTA, CCA, CIC, HCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR Cruella (5) - HFCS, IFSC, LEJA, MUAHS, NCFCA Being The Ricardos - MUAHS Coming 2 America - MUAHS The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain - BIFA Dune - MFCA Titane - EFA BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Dune (23) - AFCC, BAFTA, BOFCA, CACF, CCA, CIC, DFWFCA, FFCC, GFCA, GG, HCA, HMMA, IPA, MCFCA, NCFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA The Power Of The Dog (14) - AFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, NDFS, OFCC, OFCS, PCC, PFCC, SFBAFCC, UFCA Spencer (4) - BSFC, GWNYFCA, LVFCS, MFCA Parallel Mothers (3) - HMMA, IFSC, LAFCA Encanto (2) - LEJA, SCL The Harder They Fall (2) - BRA, HFCS The Addams Family 2 - HMMA Ali & Ava - BIFA Annette - ICS C'mon C'mon - HMMA Don't Look Up - HMMA Great Freedom - EFA The Green Knight - SCL Julia - HMMA A Quiet Place: Part II - HMMA BEST ORIGINAL SONG No Time To Die (18) - CACF, CCA, CIC, DFCS, GFCA, GG, HFCS, HFCS, HMMA, IFSC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, PFCS, SCL Encanto (3) - GMS, IPA, LEJA Bruised - BRA CODA - HMMA Don't Look Up - SCL The Harder They Fall - IFCA King Richard - HCA PAW Patrol: The Movie - HMMA Rebel Hearts - HMMA BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Dune (14) - ADG, BAFTA, CCA, FFCC, GFCA, HFCS, LEJA, MCFCA, NCFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, SDSA, WAFCA Nightmare Alley (8) - ADG, CIC, HCA, MFCA, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFBAFCC The French Dispatch (6) - CFCA, IFSC, NDFS, OFCS, SDSA, StLFCA No Time To Die (2) - ADG, SDSA The Souvenir Part II (2) - BIFA, ICS The Tragedy Of Macbeth (2) - BRA, IPA Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar - LAFCA Being The Ricardos - SDSA The Green Knight - SFCS Natural Light - EFA West Side Story - LVFCS BEST SOUND Dune (13) - BAFTA, CAS, IFSC, LEJA, MCFCA, MFCA, MPSE, NCFCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, SDFCS Boiling Point - BIFA The Innocents - EFA Last Night In Soho - HFCS Memoria - ICS Tick, Tick...Boom! - IPA BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Dune (25) - BAFTA, CCA, CFCA, DFCS, FFCC, HCA, HFCS, IFSC, IPA, LEJA, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, VES Spider-Man: No Way Home (2) - CIC, HFCS Dashcam - BIFA Lamb - EFA BEST ANIMATED FEATURE The Mitchells vs. The Machines (33) - AFCA, AFCC, ANNIE, AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CACF, CCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, KCFCC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCS, SEFCA, StLFCA, WAFCA Encanto (13) - AWFJ, BAFTA, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, IFCA, IPA, LEJA, MFCA, NAACP, NBR, NDFS, OSCAR Flee (12) - BSFC, CFCA, DFCS, EFA, GALECA, IFJA, IFSC, LAFCA, PFCC, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA The Crossing - ICS Luca - SDFCS Raya And The Last Dragon - NTFCA BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Drive My Car (34) - AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BAFTA, CCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GFCA, GG, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFJA, IFSC, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCC, SEFCA, SFCS, SPIRIT, StLFCA, TFCA, WAFCA Flee (4) - BIFA, LVFCS, NDFS, UFCA The Hand Of God (4) - BFCC, FFCC, HFCS, PFCS The Worst Person In The World (4) - BOFCA, NYFCC, PCA, VFCC Parallel Mothers (3) - CIC, LEJA, SDFCS A Hero (2) - CACF, NBR African America - BRA Lamb - NTFCA Petite Maman - LAFCA Sheep Without A Shepherd - AARP Titane - PFCC BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Summer Of Soul (45) - AAFCA, AARP, AFCA, AWFJ, BAFTA, BFCC, BRA, BSFC, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, IFCA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, LFCC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, OFCS, OSCAR, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, PGA, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, SPIRIT, TFCA, WAFCA Flee (20) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, CACF, CEH, DFCS, EFA, GALECA, GOTHAM, IDA, IFSC, LEJA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFTA, StLFCA, VFCC Attica - DGA Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power - NAACP The First Wave - UFCA Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time - IFJA Mr. Bachmann And His Class - ICS Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche - BIFA AuthorsNicole Ackman Archives
May 2022
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