The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominees for its 15th Annual VES Awards, with the winners to be revealed at a ceremony Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton. This year’s VES Awards heralds the organization’s milestone 20th anniversary.
Leading the pack in the feature categories is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with seven nominations, followed by Doctor Strange and The Jungle Book with six each. Kubo and the Two Strings is the most nominated animated feature with six nods. And Game of Thrones is king of the TV categories and of the entire awards with 11 nominations.
“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create truly remarkable imagery in a variety of media,” said Mike Chambers, VES Chair. “We are seeing best in field work that elevates the art of storytelling and engages the audience in new and innovative ways. The VES Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of all our nominees!”
Nominations in 24 categories were selected by VES members at events hosted by its 10 international sections. As previously announced, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to multiple Oscar winner and VFX pioneer, Ken Ralston. And acclaimed producer and Marvel Studios EVP of Physical Production Victoria Alonso will receive the Visionary Award.
This year’s VES Student Award is again presented by Autodesk.
“We’re proud to be a sponsor of the award again this year,” said Chris Bradshaw, Autodesk’s SVP, Media & Entertainment, Education Experiences, and Impact. “The nominees’ submissions are outstanding, and we look forward to collaborating with this fantastic organization to recognize and celebrate this next generation of filmmakers.”
2017 VES Awards nominees:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature:
Doctor Strange | Stephane Ceretti, Susan Pickett, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, Paul Corbould
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Christian Manz, Olly Young, Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, David Watkins
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children | Frazer Churchill, Hal Couzens, Andrew Lockley, Jelmer Boskma, Hayley Williams
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | John Knoll, Erin Dusseault, Hal Hickel, Nigel Sumner, Neil Corbould
The Jungle Book | Robert Legato, Joyce Cox, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez, JD Schwalm
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature:
Allied | Kevin Baillie, Sandra Scott, Brennan Doyle, Viktor Muller, Richard Van Den Bergh
Deepwater Horizon | Craig Hammack, Petra Holtorf-Stratton, Jason Snell, John Galloway, Burt Dalton
Jason Bourne | Charlie Noble, Dan Barrow, Julian Gnass, Huw Evans, Steve Warner
Silence | Pablo Helman, Brian Barlettani, Ivan Busquets, Juan Garcia, R. Bruce Steinheimer
Sully | Michael Owens, Tyler Kehl, Mark Curtis, Bryan Litson, Steven Riley
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature:
Finding Dory | Angus MacLane, Lindsey Collins – p.g.a., John Halstead, Chris J. Chapman
Kubo and the Two Strings | Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner, Steve Emerson, Brad Schiff
Moana | Kyle Odermatt, Nicole P. Hearon, Hank Driskill, Ian Gooding
The Little Prince | Mark Osborne, Jinko Gotoh, Pascal Bertrand, Jamie Caliri
Zootopia | Scott Kersavage, Bradford S. Simonsen, David Goetz, Ernest J. Petti
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode:
Black Mirror “Playtest” | Justin Hutchinson-Chatburn, Russell McLean, Grant Walker, Christopher Gray
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” | Joe Bauer, Steve Kullback, Glenn Melenhorst, Matthew Rouleau, Sam Conway
Stranger Things “Demogorgon” | Marc Kolbe, Aaron Sims, Olcun Tan
The Expanse “Salvage” | Robert Munroe, Clint Green, Kyle Menzies, Tom Turnbull
Westworld “The Bicameral Mind” | Jay Worth, Elizabeth Castro, Bobo Skipper, Gustav Ahrén
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode:
Black Sails “XX” | Erik Henry, Terron Pratt, Aladino Debert, Yafei Wu, Paul Stephenson
Penny Dreadful “The Day Tennyson Died” | James Cooper, Bill Halliday, Sarah McMurdo, Mai-Ling Lee
Roots “Night One” | Simon Hansen, Paul Kalil, Theo le Roux Preist, Wicus Labuschagne, Max Poolman
The Man in the High Castle “Volkshalle” | Lawson Deming, Cory Jamieson, Casi Blume, Nick Chamberlain
Vikings “The Last Ship” | Dominic Remane, Mike Borrett, Ovidiu Cinazan, Paul Wishart, Paul Byrne
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project:
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Brian Horton, Keith Pope, David Johnson, Tobias Stromvall
Dishonored 2 – Crack in the Slab | Sebastien Mitton, Guillaume Curt, Damien Laurent, Jean-Luc Monnet
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Virtual Reality | Andy Rowans-Robinson, Karen Czukerberg, John Montefusco, Corrina Wilson, Resh Sidhu
Gears of War 4 | Kirk Gibbons, Zoe Curnoe, Aryan Hanbeck, Colin Penty
Quantum Break | Janne Pulkkinen, Elmeri Raitanen, Matti Hamalainen, Ville Assinen
Uncharted 4 | Bruce Straley, Eben Cook, Iki Ikram
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial:
Coke Mini “A Mini Marvel” | Vincent Cirelli, Michael Perdew, Brendan Seals, Jared Simeth
“For Honor” | Maxime Luere, Leon Berelle, Dominique Boidin, Remi Kozyra
John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” | Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Hannah Ruddleston, Fabian Frank, William Laban
Titanfall 2 “Become One” | Dan Akers, Tiffany Webber, Chris Bedrosian
Waitrose “Coming Home” | Jonathan Westley (Wes), Alex Fitzgerald, Jorge Montiel, Adam Droy
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project:
Dream of Anhui | Chris Morley, Lee Hahn, Alex Hessler, Kent Matheson
Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure | Bill George, Amy Jupiter, Hayden Landis, David Lester
Soarin’ Over the Horizon | Marianne McLean, Bill George, Hayden Landis, Dorne Huebler, Thomas Tait
Skull Island: Reign of Kong | John Gibson, Arish Fyzee, Sachin Shrestha, Anshul Mathuria
Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience | Dan Glass, Brett Harding, Tom Debenham, Brian Delmonico, Matt Pulliam
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Photoreal Feature:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Niffler | Laurent Laban, Gabriel Beauvais-Tremblay, Luc Girard, Romain Rico
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Grand Moff Tarkin | Sven Jensen, Jee Young Park, Steve Walton, Cyrus Jam
The Jungle Book – King Louie | Paul Story, Dennis Yoo, Jack Tema, Andrei Coval
The Jungle Book – Shere Khan | Benjamin Jones, Julio Del Rio Hernandez, Jake Harrell, James Hood
Warcraft – Durotan | Sunny Wei, Brian Cantwell, Brian Paik, Jee Young Park
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Animated Feature:
Finding Dory – Hank | Jonathan Hoffman, Steven Clay Hunter, Mark Piretti, Audrey Wong
Kubo and the Two Strings – Kubo | Jeff Riley, Ian Whitlock, Adam Lawthers, Jeremy Spake
Kubo and the Two Strings – Monkey | Andy Bailey, Dobrin Yanev, Kim Slate, Jessica Lynn
Moana – The Mighty Maui | Mack Kablan, Nikki Mull, Matthew Schiller, Marc Thyng
Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project:
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Omar | Bernardo Antoniazzi ,Aaron Beck, Jason Greenberg, Chris Barnes
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | John Montefusco, Michael Cable, Shayne Ryan, Andy Rowan-Robinson
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” – Drogon | James Kinnings, Michael Holzl, Matt Derksen, Joeseph Hoback
Game of Thrones “Home” – Emaciated Dragon | Sebastian Lauer, Jonathan Symmonds, Thomas Kutschera, Anthony Sieben
Outstanding Animated Performance in a Commercial:
John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” | Tim van Hussen, David Bryan, Chloe Dawe, Maximillian Mallman
Opel Motorsport “Racing Faces” – Lion | Jorge Montiel, Jacob Gonzales, Sauce Vilas, Alberto Lara
SSE “Neon House” – Baby Pixel | Jorge Montiel, Daniel Kmet, Sauce Vilas, Peter Agg
Waitrose “Coming Home” | Jorge Montiel, Nick Smalley, Andreas Graichen, Alberto Lara
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature:
Deadpool – Freeway Assault | Seth Hill, Jedediah Smith, Laurent Taillefer, Marc-Antoine Paquin
Doctor Strange – London | Brendan Seals, Raphael A. Pimentel, Andrew Zink, Gregory Ng
Doctor Strange – New York City | Adam Watkins, Martijn van Herk, Tim Belsher, Jon Mitchell
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Scarif Complex | Enrico Damm, Kevin George, Olivier Vernay-Kim, Yanick Dusseault
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature:
Finding Dory – Open Ocean Exhibit | Stephen Gustafson, Jack Hattori, Jesse Hollander, Michael Rutter
Kubo and the Two Strings – Hanzo’s Fortress | Phil Brotherton, Nick Mariana, Emily Greene, Joe Strasser
Kubo and the Two Strings – Waves | David Horsley, Eric Wachtman, Daniel Leatherdale, Takashi Kuboto
Moana – Motonui Island | Rob Dressel, Andy Harkness, Brien Hindman, Larry Wu
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project:
Black Sails “XXVIII” – Maroon Island | Thomas Montminy-Brodeur, Deak Ferrand, Pierre Rousseau, Mathieu Lapierre
Dishonored 2 – Clockwork Mansion | Sebastien Mitton, Guillaume Curt, Damien Laurent, Jean-Luc Monnet
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” – Meereen City | Deak Ferrand, Dominic Daigle, François Croteau, Alexandru Banuta
Game of Thrones “The Winds of Winter” – Citadel | Edmond Engelbrecht, Tomoka Matsumura, Edwin Holdsworth, Cheri Fojtik
The Man in the High Castle – Volkshalle | Casi Blume, David Andrade, Nick Chamberlain, Lawson Deming
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project:
Doctor Strange – New York Mirror Dimension | Landis Fields, Mathew Cowie, Frederic Medioni, Faraz Hameed
Game of Thrones – Battle of the Bastards | Patrick Tiberius Gehlen, Michelle Blok, Christopher Baird, Drew Wood-Davies
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Space Battle | John Levin, Euisung Lee, Steve Ellis, Barry Howell
The Jungle Book | Bill Pope, Robert Legato, Gary Roberts, John Brennan
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project:
Deepwater Horizon – Deepwater Horizon Rig | Kelvin Lau, Jean Bolte, Kevin Sprout, Kim Vongbunyong
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Princess Leia | Paul Giacoppo, Gareth Jensen, Todd Vaziri, James Tooley
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Star Destroyer | Jay Machado, Marko Chulev, Akira Orikasa, Steven Knipping
Star Trek Beyond – Enterprise | Daniel Nicholson, Rhys Salcombe, Chris Elmer, Andreas Maaninka
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature:
Alice Through the Looking Glass – Rust | Klaus Seitschek, Joseph Pepper, Jacob Clark, Cosku Turhan
Doctor Strange – Hong Kong Reverse Destruction | Florian Witzel, Georges Nakhle, Azhul Mohamed, David Kirchner
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Jedha Destruction | Miguel Perez Senent, Matt Puchala, Ciaran Moloney, Luca Mignardi
The Jungle Book – Nature Effects | Oliver Winwood, Fabian Nowak, David Schneider, Ludovic Ramisandraina
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature:
Finding Dory | Stephen Gustafson, Allen Hemberger, Joshua Jenny, Matthew Kiyoshi Wong
Kubo and the Two Strings – Water | David Horsley, Peter Stuart, Timur Khodzhaev, Terrance Tornberg
Moana | Marc Henry Bryant, David Hutchins, John M. Kosnik, Dale Mayeda
Zootopia | Nicholas Burkard, Moe El-Ali, Claudia Chung Sanii, Thom Wickes
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project:
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” | Kevin Blom, Sasmit Ranadive, Wanghua Huang, Ben Andersen
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” – Meereen City | Thomas Hullin, Dominik Kirouac, James Dong, Xavier Fourmond
John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” | Diarmid Harrison-Murray, Tushar Kewlani, Radu Ciubotariu, Ben Thomas
Sky “Q” | Michael Hunault, Gareth Bell, Paul Donnellan, Joshua Curtis
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature:
Doctor Strange – New York City | Matthew Lane, Jose Fernandez, Ziad Shureih, Amy Shepard
Independence Day: Resurgence – Under The Mothership | Mathew Giampa, Adrian Sutherland, Daniel Lee, Ed Wilkie
The Jungle Book | Christoph Salzmann, Masaki Mitchell, Matthew Adams, Max Stummer
X-Men: Apocalypse – Quicksilver Rescue | Jess Burnheim, Alana Newell, Andy Peel, Matthew Shaw
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode:
Black Sails “XX” – Sailing Ships | Michael Melchiorre, Kevin Bouchez, Heather Hoyland, John Brennick
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” – Meereen City | Thomas Montminy-Brodeur, Patrick David, Michael Crane, Joe Salazar
Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” – Retaking Winterfell | Dominic Hellier, Morgan Jones, Thijs Noij, Caleb Thompson
Game of Thrones “The Door” – Land of Always Winter | Eduardo Díaz, Aníbal Del Busto, Angel Rico, Sonsoles López-Aranguren
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial:
Canal “Kitchen” | Dominique Boidin, Leon Berelle, Maxime Luere, Remi Kozyra
John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” | Tom Harding, Alex Snookes, David Filipe, Andreas Feix
Kenzo “Kenzo World” | Evan Langley, Benjamin Nowak, Rob Fitzsimmons, Phylicia Feldman
LG “World of Play” | Jay Bandlish, Udesh Chetty, Carl Norton
Waitrose “Coming Home” | Jonathan Westley (Wes), Gary Driver, Milo Paterson, Nina Mosand
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project:
Breaking Point | Johannes Franz, Nicole Rothermel, Thomas Sali, Alexander Richter
Elemental | Adrian Meyer, Lena-Carolin Lohfink. Denis Krez, David Bellenbaum
Garden Party | Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon, Théophile Dufresne, Lucas Navarro
Shine | Mareike Keller, Dennis Mueller, Meike Mueller
