With the VES announcing their nominees tomorrow, I thought I'd better announce my own nominees for
Best Visual Effects:
Black Swan (Dan Schrecker, Henrik Fett, Conrad V. Brink Jr., Michael Capton):
Devilishly clever freakout effects. Lots of fun with mirrors. Let's not forget all the subtle clean-up work.
Inception (Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Marc Weingartner, Tom Struthers):
What sets
Inception apart is the fact that its special effects are actually special. Borrowing techniques as old as Kubrik's
2001: A Space Odyssey, Nolan's brilliant effects team put on a spectacular show that looked so real because a lot of it was, particularly those stupefying zero gravity sequences.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
(Grant Freckleton, Aidan Sarfield, Ben Gunsberger, Craig Welsh):
The photorealism of the effects animation is dazzling every detail, from the hair-raising grandeur of the matte paintings to the immaculate minutia of each individual feather on the owls' heads, which are forced to interact with wind, ash, and in one especially breath-taking sequence, torrential rain.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
(Frazer Churchill, Arthur Langevin, Dennis Berardi, Aaron Weintraub):
Nifty graphics pop in and out of frame indicating point levels and character specifics, vanquished foes burst into coins, and the fight scenes are as full of visual exclamation points as a Mortal Combat face-off. The virtue of these wonderfully creative effects are that they give the film such personality.
TRON Legacy (Eric Barba, Alex Burdett, Steve Preeg, Ben Procter):
Sure, young Jeff Bridges looked a little hokey, but the rest is pretty stunning CG light show.
4 nominations for Inception, which rules the roost with the Visual Effects Society. Deservedly so.
