Gareth Edward’s futuristic sci-fi movieThe Creator, with visual effects work primarily completed at Industrial Light and Magic, leads the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards feature competition with seven nominations.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with work shared by roughly 10 VFX companies including Framestore, Weta FX and Crafty Apes, follows with six noms.
Both movies are nominated in the top category for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature, alongside Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Oppenheimer, which received two nominations apiece; and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Nominees for supporting VFX in a photoreal feature are John Wick: Chapter 4, which has a trio of VES noms; Napoleon, Nyad and Society of the Snow, with two noms apiece; and Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Creator, Guardians 3, Indiana Jones 5, Napoleon and Society of the Snow are all shortlisted for the VFX Oscar, alongside Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which leads the VES animated feature competition with six nominations; Godzilla Minus One and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, which received one VES nom apiece; and Poor Things and Rebel Moon, which each failed to collect a Society nomination.
The VES has an uneven track record for predicting the eventual VFX Oscar winner. In just four of the past 10 years has the winner of the top category of VFX in a photoreal feature gone on to win the Oscar in visual effects, including a year ago when Avatar: The Way of Water swept the VFX feature awards en route to the Oscar.
Among this year’s VES nominees are The Last of the Us, which leads the series competition with six nominations; and Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth, the first movie made for the Las Vegas Sphere, which is nominated in the category for special venue work.
“We are seeing best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation,” said newly-elected VES chair Kim Davidson, who is founder and CEO of Side Effects Software, in a released statement.
Winners will be revealed Feb. 21 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. As previously announced, producer Joyce Cox, who produced VFX on movies including Avatar and The Dark Knight, will accept the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony.
The complete list of nominees for the 22nd annual VES Awards follows.
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Ben Snow
Diana Giorgiutti Khalid Almeerani Scott Benza
Sam Conway
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Stephane Ceretti Susan Pickett Alexis Wajsbrot Guy Williams Dan Sudick
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Andrew Whitehurst Kathy Siegel
Robert Weaver Julian Hutchens Alistair Williams
Oppenheimer
Andrew Jackson Mike Chambers, VES Giacomo Mineo Dave Drzewiecki Scot Fisher
The Creator
Jay Cooper
Julian Levi
Ian Comley Charmaine Chan Neil Corbould, VES
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
John Wick: Chapter 4
Janelle Croshaw Ralla Reina Sparks Jonathan Rothbart Javier Roca
Gerd Nefzer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Pablo Helman
Brian Barlettani
Sam Bassett
Brandon Keys McLaughlin
Napoleon
Charley Henley
Sarah Tulloch
Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet Simone Coco
Neil Corbould, VES
Nyad
Jake Braver
Fiona Campbell Westgate R. Christopher White Mohsen Mousavi
Society of the Snow
Félix Bergés Micaela Gagliano Laura Pedro Ezequiel Larrú Pau Costa
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Jon Biggins
Jim Lewis Charles Copping Matthew Perry
Elemental
Peter Sohn Denise Ream Sanjay Bakshi Stephen Marshall
Nimona
Archie Donato Yancy Lindquist Theodore Ty Anthony Kemp
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Alan Hawkins Christian Hejnal Michael Lasker Matt Hausman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Matthieu Rouxel Marie Balland Jacques Daigle Vincent Leroy
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
Ahsoka; Season 1; Dreams and Madness
Richard Bluff Jakris Smittant Paul Kavanagh Enrico Damm Scott Fisher
Loki; Season 2; Glorious Purpose
Christopher Townsend Allison Paul
Matthew Twyford Christopher Smallfield John William Van Der Pool
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Sean Konrad Jessica Smith
Jed Glassford Khalid Almeerani Paul Benjamin
The Last of Us; Season 1; Infected
Alex Wang Sean Nowlan Stephen James Simon Jung Joel Whist
The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return
Grady Cofer Abbigail Keller Victor Schutz IV Cameron Neilson Scott Fisher
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE
A Murder at The End of the World; Season 1; Crypt
Aaron Raff
Tavis Larkham Douglas Stichbury Mat Ellin
Citadel; Season 1; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains
Wesley Froud Scott Shapiro Aladino Debert Greg Teegarden
Ted Lasso: Season 3; Mom City
Gretchen Bangs Bill Parker Lenny Wilson
The Crown; Season 6; Dis-Moi Oui
Ben Turner Reece Ewing Oliver Bersey Joe Cork
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty; Season 2; BEAT LA
Raymond McIntyre Jr. Victor DiMichina
Javier Menéndez Platas Damien Stantina
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT
Alan Wake 2
Janne Pulkkinen Johannes Richter Daniel Kończyk Damian Olechowski
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Jakub Knapik
Paweł Mielniczuk Maciej Włodarkiewicz Kacper Niepokólczycki
Immortals of Aveum
Joseph Hall Kevin Boyle Dave Bogan Julia Lichtblau
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Jacinda Chew Jeannette Lee Bryanna Lindsey Alan Weider
Mortal Kombat 1
Christopher Chapman Scott Quinn
James DeSousa
Jeff Palmer
Matt Gilmore
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
Simon French Vic Lovejoy David Filipe Matteo La Motta
Apple; Air Pods Pro; Quiet The Noise
Iain Murray
Oscar Wendt
Dean Robinson Sergio Morales Paz
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Ryan Knowles Antonia Vlasto Gregory McKneally Dan Yargici
Jean Paul Gaultier; Divine Perfume
Stéphane Pivron Cécile Hubin Guillaume Dadaglio Mathias Barday
Virgin Media; Goat Glider
Ben Cronin George Reid Sam Driscoll Christian Baker
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT
Hypersphere 360; SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
Daren Ulmer Cedar Connor Lindsey Sprague Ryan Kravetz
Postcard From Earth
Aruna Inversin Eric Wilson Corey Turner Bill George
Rembrandt Immersive Artwork
Andrew McNamara Sebastian Read Andrew Kinnear Sam Matthews
The Marvels: Goose the Flerken Cat
Tim Kafka
Mari Suarez
Toya Drechsler Sebastian Niño Florez
Zootopia: Hot Pursuit
Blaine Kennison Jeanne Angel Darin Hollings Aaron Arendt
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; Topo the Octopus
Thomas Ward
Andrew Butler
Felix Slinger-Thompson Jacob Burstein
Godzilla Minus One; Godzilla
Kosuke Taguchi Takashi Yamazaki
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Rocket
Nathan McConnel Andrea De Martis Antony Magdalinidis Rachel Williams
Wonka; Oompa Loompa
Dale Newton Kunal Ayer Valentina Ercolani Gabor Foner
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Elemental; Ember
Gwendelyn Enderoglu Jared Fong
Jonathan Hoffman Patrick Witting
Elemental; Wade
Max Gilbert Jacob Kuenzel Dave Strick Benjamin Su
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spot
Christopher Mangnall Craig Feifarek Humberto Rosa Nideep Varghese
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Superfly
Gregory Coelho Anne-Claire Leroux Simon Cuisinier Olivier Pierre
OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Diablo IV; Inarius and Lilith Cinematic; Lilith
Matt Onheiber Jason Huang Maia Neubig
Shadow and Bone; Season 2; No Funerals; Nichevo’ya the Shadow Monster
José María del Fresno Matthieu Poirey Carlos Puigdollers Guillermo Ramos
The Last of Us; Endure & Survive; Bloater
Gino Acevedo Max Telfer Pascal Raimbault Fabio Leporelli
The Nevers; It’s a Good Day; Robot Dog
Christian Leitner Bernd Nalbach Sebastian Plank Martin Wellstein
Virgin Media; Goat Glider; The Goat
Sam Driscoll Kanishk Chouhan Suvi Jokiniemi Chloe Dawe
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Knowhere
Omar Alejandro Lavrador Ibanez Fabien Julvecourt
Klaudio Ladavac
Benjamin Patterson
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; Underwater Wreck Environment
Johan Gabrielsson Adrian Tsang Stefan Andersson Martin Eneroth
John Wick: Chapter 4; Place de L’Étoile
Manuel Gaudreau Fabrice Vienne Vignesh Ravi Laurent Makowski
The Creator; Floating Village
John Seru
Guy Williams
Vincent Techer
Timothée Maron
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; Chicken Island
Charles Copping Matthew Perry Jim Lewis
Jon Biggins
Elemental; Element City
Chris Bernardi Brandon Montell David Shavers Ting Zhang
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Mumbattan City
Taehyun Park YJ Lee
Pepe Orozco Kelly Han
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Midtown Manhattan
Olivier Mitonneau Eddy Frechou Guillaume Chevet Arnaud Philippe-Giraux
OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL- TIME PROJECT
Loki; Season 2: 1983; World’s Fair White City
Christian Waite Ben Aickin Francesco Ferraresi Pieter Warmington
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; The Broken Circle
Nathaniel Larouche Owen Deveney Mujia Liao
Alex Morin
The Last Of Us; Look for the Light; Salt Lake City
Pascal Raimbault
Nick Cattell
Jasper Hayward Kristine -Joeann Jasper
The Last of Us: Post-Outbreak Boston
Melaina Mace
Adrien Lambert
Juan Carlos Barquet Christopher Anciaume
OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A CG PROJECT
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Joanna Davison Cheyana Wilkinson Michael Cozens Jason Desjarlais
Migration
Guylo Homsy Damien Bapst Antoine Collet David Dangin
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Rich Turner
Randolph Lizarda Daniela Campos Little Thomas Campos
The Creator
Roel Coucke Christopher Potter Amanda Johnstone-Batt Jeremy Bloch
OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; The Arête
Kenneth Johansson Jason Galeon
Tim Civil
Artur Vil
Peter Pan & Wendy; Jolly Roger
Patrick Comtois Thomas Gallardo Harrison Stark David Thibodeau
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spider HQ
Dongick David Sheen Mark JeongWoong Lee Mikaela Bantog
René Völker
The Creator; Nomad
Oliver Kane
Mat Monro Florence Green Serban Ungureanu
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE
Napoleon
Koen Hofmeester Gianmichele Mariani Clair Bellens
Hernan Llano Duque
Nyad; Stormy Waters
Korbinian Meier Sindy Saalfeld David Michielsen Andreas Vrhovsek
The Creator
Ludovic Ramisandraina Raul Essig
Mathieu Chardonnet Lewis Taylor
The Nun 2
Laurent Creusot Sebastien Podsiadlo Michael Moercant Benjamin Saurine
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Elemental
Kristopher Campbell Greg Gladstone
Jon Reisch
Kylie Wijsmuller
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Pav Grochola Filippo Maccari Naoki Kato Nicola Finizio
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Louis Marsaud Paul-Etienne Bourde Serge Martin Marine Pommereul
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Simon Pate Christophe Vazquez Milo Riccarand
OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT
Citadel; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains; Ocean Water
James Reid Mathew Rotman Filipp Elizarov Nardeep Chander
Invasion; Season 2; A Voice from the Other Side
Zybrand Jacobs
Alex Marlow
Tim Jenkinson
Tobias Grønbeck Andersen
Loki; Season 2; Science/Fiction; Spaghettification
Rafael Camacho Jonathan Lyddon-Towl Julien Legay
Benedikt Roettger
The Mandalorian; Season 3; Lake Monster Attack Water
Travis Harkleroad Florian Wietzel Rick Hankins Aron Bonar
Willow; Children of the Wyrm; Crone Duststorm and Magical Effects
Michael Cashmore Robert Zeltsch Jiyong Shin
Audun Ase
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indah Maretha Beck Veitch Nathan Abbot Steve McGillen
John Wick: Chapter 4; Apartment Massacre Videogame Style
Javier Roca Julien Forest Thomas Bourdis Dominik Kirouac
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Bret St.Clair
Kieron Cheuk-Chi Lo Kelly Christophers Rowan Young
The Creator; Bar
Phil Prates Min Kim Nisarg Suthar Toshiko Miura
The Creator; Spaceships
Ben O-Brien
Juan Espigares Enriquez Wesley Roberts
Hayes Brien
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE
The Last of Us; Endure and Survive; Infected Horde Battle
Matthew Lumb Ben Roberts Ben Campbell Quentin Hema
The Last of Us; Infected; Boston
Casey Gorton Francesco Dell’Anna Vaclav Kubant Natalia Valbuena
The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return
Sam Wirch Tory Mercer Donny Rausch Erich Ippen
Willow; Children of the Wyrm
Jeremy Sawyer Steve Hardy
Martin Tardif Miguel Macaya Ten
OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL
Accenture; Changing Tree
David Filipe Matteo La Motta Jordan Dunstall Taran Spear
Coca-Cola; Masterpiece
Ryan Knowles Greg Mckneally Taran Spear Jordan Dunstall
Smirnoff; Cocktail
Vittorio Barabani Peter Hodsman Giacomo Verri Marc Greyvenstein
Starfield
Jimmy Bullard Ajit Menon Ruairi Twohig Karim Moussa
OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT
I’m a Virgo
John McLeod Scott Kirvan Alec Gillis Carl Miller
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Neil Corbould, VES Ray Ferguson Keith Dawson Chris Motjuoadi
Oppenheimer
Scott Fisher James Rollins Mario Vanillo
Society of the Snow
Pau Costa
Carlos Laguna Guillermo F. Aldunate Eloy Cervera
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Blue Beetle; Machine Learning Cloth
JohnMark Gibbons Allen Ruilova Momme Carl David Minor
Elemental; Volumetric Neural Style Transfer
Vinicius C. Azevedo Byungsoo Kim Raphael Ortiz
Paul Kanyuk
The Flash; Volumetric Capture
Stephan Trojansky Thomas Ganshorn Oliver Pilarski Lukas Lepicovsky
Wish; Dynamic Screen Space Textures for Coherent Stylization
Brent Burley Daniel Teece Brian J. Green
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT (AWARD SPONSORED BY AUTODESK)
Au 8ème Jour
Flavie Carin Agathe Sénéchal Alicia Massez Elise Debruyne
L’Animal Sauce Ail
Aurélien Duchez Ysaline Debut Diane Mazella Camille Rostan
Loup y es-tu ?
Célina Lebon Louise Laurent Emma Fessart Annouck François
Silhouette
Alexis Lafuente Antoni Nicolaï Chloé Stricher Elliot Dreuille
