Accepting the visual effects Oscar for “Dune : Part Two,” production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert acknowledged the contributions of the film’s VFX vendors, including DNEG and Wylie Co. as well as the “wonderful MPC.”
MPC – whose work has included “Mufasa” The Lion King,” “The Lion King,” and “The Jungle Book” – is the VFX company that closed on Monday when its parent company Technicolor ceased operations. In a memo to employees, Technicolor Group CEO Caroline Parot wrote, “due to inability to find new investors for the full Group, despite extensive efforts, [Paris-headquartered] Technicolor Group has filed for Court ‘recovery procedure’ before the French Court of Justice.”
The news was met with shock and sadness in the visual effects community. MPC operated in countries including the U.S., UK, Canada and India and employed thousands of artists. It was founded as The Moving Picture Company in the Soho section of London in 1970, and moved into features when the “Harry Potter” movies were made. In addition to “Mufasa,” MPC’s recent work include “Kraven the Hunter,” “Young Woman and the Sea” and “Emilia Perez.”
For many VFX veterans, the timing of the shut down, just prior to the Academy Awards, was a sad reminder of the demise of respected VFX studio Rhythm & Hues, which filed for bankruptcy less than two weeks before the 2013 Academy Awards, where its work on “Life of Pi” won the VFX Oscar.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” contains 2,156 VFX shots, using practical and digital techniques to expand the world of Arrakis. The harrowing wormriding sequence was a stunning highlight.
Veteran production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert collected his fourth Academy Award, and special effect supervisor Gerd Nefzer earned his third. (The category record is held by Dennis Muren who holds eight VFX Oscars for films including “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Jurassic Park.”) Lambert and Nefzer won tonight’s award with first-time nominees Stephen James and Rhys Salcombe.
