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News from Bree
spymaster@theonering.net
Jan 12 2014, 12:03am
Post #1 of 6
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'Smaug' Visual Effects wow at Academy Awards bake-off
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 This past Thursday night, the Visual Effects branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences met to vote for the five VFX nominees at this year's Oscars. As expected, voters were highly impressed by the frontrunners Gravity and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. But the fellow potential nominees were no slouches either. Presentations of the special effects work behind Pacific Rim, World War Z, and others left quite an impression as well.
According to Indiewire's Bill Desowitz, Academy Award winner Joe
Letteri was on hand to present the multitude of work that went into crafting the magical wonders brought to the screen in The Desolation of Smaug.
...Letteri explained that "Smaug" upped its digital character count to 60 (including every Orc) and that director Peter Jackson wanted to shoot the spider fight dimensionally to take advantage of stereo. The barrel flume chase set piece was both live-action and CG, containing real rapids, a circular track, and 20 tons of digital water. But naturally the CG Smaug was the centerpiece (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), totally keyframed and requiring complexity in facial animation, focusing on tongue, eyes, and lips. However, the addition of two forefingers and thumb on his wings effectively gave him hands to gesture with.
Click here to read the full Indiewire article, which details the presentations of the rest of the potential VFX nominees.
I think it's no great secret that Gravity is this year's presumptive winner (especially if the film is nominated for Best Picture), but it is nice to see Smaug so warmly received in the nomination period. Last year, so much talk was centered around the 48 frames per second controversy that is seemed the actual visual effects work might be consumed by it. This year, the focus seems correctly placed upon the work itself, and I'm happy to see that. I think it's safe to say that we'll see our film on the nominations list for this category next week (along with, hopefully, a few more).
Nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 16, and the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 2.
(This post was edited by entmaiden on Jan 12 2014, 2:24pm)
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willowing
Menegroth
Jan 12 2014, 4:55pm
Post #2 of 6
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Congratulations to the Visual Effects Team.
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Kristin Thompson
Nargothrond
Jan 12 2014, 7:07pm
Post #3 of 6
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Strictly speaking, DoS does not yet have an official nomination
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The Academy event was held to narrow down the short list of ten to a shorter list of five. The votes are in, but the nominees have not been announced. They will be announced along with the other nominees on Jan. 16. But I think we can be close to certain that DoS will be one of them! But we can be even closer to certain that GRAVITY will win.
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macfalk
Doriath
Jan 12 2014, 11:16pm
Post #4 of 6
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That DOS at least wins 1 academy award this year. I understand why Gravity's CG is praised, but it didn't have a key character totally CG like Smaug and make it work so well, and for that reason I think DOS deserves to win this award.
The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
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willowing
Menegroth
Jan 13 2014, 8:33am
Post #5 of 6
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There are so many different organisations announcing their nominees at this time that it is quite easy to get carried away with the moment.
I am keeping my hopes up for The Hobbit-The Desolation of Smaug as a confirmed nominee and winner.
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Kristin Thompson
Nargothrond
Jan 13 2014, 2:41pm
Post #6 of 6
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Many announcements and many different methods for nominating in different categories. The Academy seems to be going out of its way to confuse us.
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