“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature at the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards. Yet Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton, the Society spread the wealth, awarding three trophies, the most in the live-action feature categories, to “Dune: Part Two.”
In “Kingdom,” VFX studio Weta FX led by its production VFX supervisor Erik Winquist worked to advance the realism of its emotive apes in areas such as facial animation and muscle simulation, while placing them in environments including rapids and a great flood.
The sequel to 2021’s VFX Oscar and top VES winner “Dune”, which again features key work by DNEG led by production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, collected prizes in the categories for CG cinematography, for the Arrakeen Basin; effects simulation, for the atomic explosions and wormriding; and compositing and lighting, for wormriding, geidi prime, and the final battle.
Also in the feature competition, “Better Man” won the award for character, for Weta FX-created Robbie Williams, who appears as a CG chimp in the musical biopic; and “Alien: Romulus” received a trophy in the model category, for its Renaissance Space Station.
All four movies are nominated for the Oscar in VFX, along with “Wicked,” which failed to collect a VES Award. Still, the VES Awards has an uneven record for predicting the VFX Oscar winner. The winner of the VES top category for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature has gone on to claim the VFX Oscar only three times during the past decade.
The three prior movies in the “Planet of the Apes” reboot, which starred Andy Serkis and also featured Weta’s work, all won VES’ top prize, though the franchise is still waiting for its first VFX Oscar win.
It was a big night for Dreamwork Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” which led the field in animation, winning four awards including outstanding VFX in an animated feature.
In series work, “Shōgun” collected three awards including one for VFX in a photoreal episode, while “The Penguin” also garnered three awards, including one for supporting VFX in an episode.
The use of AI has been a prevailing subject during this awards season, and VES’ emerging technology category nominees included several examples of cutting edge uses of the tech. Topping this category was the use of AI startup Metaphysic’s neural performance toolset to age and de-age Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Robert Zemeckis’ “Here.” As the team accepted the award on stage, Metaphysic’s Jo Plaete said, “While our tools may be driven by code, algorithms, machine learning, AI, the soul of the visual effects remains fundamentally artistic. The most powerful innovations are those that empower the artist’s vision and creative craft.”
During the ceremony, two-time Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada (“Shōgun”) was feted with the VES Award for Creative Excellence. He expressed pride in Shogun’s VFX team, saying that teamwork “will take Season Two to the next level. I’m looking forward to working with you again and again and again.”
“Godzilla Minus One” director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki accepted the Society’s Visionary Award, and virtual reality/immersive technology innovator Jacquelyn Ford Morie received the VES Georges Méliès Award.
The complete list of winners follows:
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes“
Erik Winquist, Julia Neighly, Paul Story, Danielle Immerman, Rodney Burke
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Civil War”
David Simpson, Michelle Rose, Freddy Salazar, Chris Zeh, J.D. Schwalm
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Wild Robot“
Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann, Jeff Budsberg, Jacob Hjort Jensen
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“Shōgun” – Anjin
Michael Cliett, Melody Mead, Philip Engström, Ed Bruce, Cameron Waldbauer
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
“The Penguin” – Bliss
Johnny Han, Michelle Rose, Goran Pavles, Ed Bruce, Devin Maggio
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Star Wars Outlaws“
Stephen Hawes, Lionel Le Dain, Benedikt Podlesnigg, Bogdan Draghici
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola “The Heroes“
Greg McKneally, Antonia Vlasto, Ryan Knowles, Fabrice Fiteni
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
D23 “Real-Time Rocket”
Evan Goldberg, Alyssa Finley, Jason Breneman, Alice Taylor
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Better Man” Robbie Williams
Milton Ramirez, Andrea Merlo, Seoungseok Charlie Kim, Eteuati Tema
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Wild Robot” Roz
Fabio Lignini, Yukinori Inagaki, Owen Demers, Hyun Huh
OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Ronja the Robber’s Daughter” Vildvittran the Queen Harpy
Nicklas Andersson, David Allan, Gustav Åhren, Niklas Wallén
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Dune: Part Two” The Arrakeen Basin
Daniel Rhein, Daniel Anton Fernandez, Marc James Austin, Christopher Anciaume
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Wild Robot” The Forest
John Wake, He Jung Park, Woojin Choi, Shane Glading
OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Shōgun” – Osaka
Manuel Martinez, Phil Hannigan, Keith Malone, Francesco Corvino
OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Dune: Part Two” Arrakis
Greig Fraser, Xin Steve Guo, Sandra Murta, Ben Wiggs
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
“Alien: Romulus” Renaissance Space Station
Waldemar Bartkowiak, Trevor Wide, Matt Middleton, Ben Shearman
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
“Dune: Part Two” Atomic Explosions and Wormriding
Nicholas Papworth, Sandy la Tourelle, Lisa Nolan, Christopher Phillips
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Wild Robot“
Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, David Chow, Nyoung Kim
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
“Shōgun” – Broken to the Fist; Landslide
Dominic Tiedeken, Heinrich Löwe, Charles Guerton, Timmy Lundin
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
“Dune: Part Two” Wormriding, Geidi Prime, and the Final Battle
Christopher Rickard, Francesco Dell’Anna, Paul Chapman, Ryan Wing
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
“The Penguin” – After Hours
Jonas Stuckenbrock, Karen Chang, Eugene Bondar, Miky Girón
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Coca-Cola “The Heroes”
Ryan Knowles, Alex Gabucci, Jack Powell, Dan Yarcigi
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
“The Penguin” – Safe Guns
Devin Maggio, Johnny Han, Cory Candrilli, Alexandre Prod’homme
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
“Here” Neural Performance Toolset
Jo Plaete, Oriel Frigo, Tomas Koutsky, Matteo Oliviero Dancy
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT
“Pittura” (entry from ARTFX – Schools of Digital Arts)
Adam Lauriol, Titouan Lassère, Rémi Vivenza, Helloïs Marre
