Los Angeles, January 10, 2005 – The Visual Effects Society (VES), the entertainment industry’s only society of visual effects professionals, today announced nominees for the 3rd Annual VES Awards recognizing outstanding visual effects in nineteen (19) categories of film, television, commercials, music videos and games. Nominees were chosen by a panel of over sixty (60) visual effects professionals (all VES members) that viewed hundreds of entry submissions during an all-day event at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center over the weekend. The announcement was made by Eric Roth, VES Executive Director, who said “We are thrilled with the caliber of talent represented by this year’s nominees. This year marks a significant increase in submissions for the VES Awards, which demonstrates the tremendous growth in awareness and visibility we are enjoying as an organization.”
THE BIG REVEAL
The awards process continues with a special annual event on January 22 – THE BIG REVEAL 2005 – which is VES’ counterpart to the Motion Picture Academy’s visual effects “Bake-Off” where nominees demonstrate the secrets behind the visual effects “magic” that earned each artist a place among this year’s VES Awards nominees. Unlike the Academy’s Bake-Off, the Society’s “Big Reveal” event won’t reduce the number of nominees. However, one major difference between the Bake-Off and the Big Reveal is that the VES allows the inclusion of Before & After materials, enabling the artists to step out from behind the proverbial curtain and share the wizardry of their craft. “This process helps voters better understand the intricacies of each entry. Technology is evolving so quickly that even visual effects professionals themselves are fooled regularly by what is an effect and what is not,” explains VES Awards Chair Jeff Okun. This event, being held at the Skirball Cultural Center, is open to all VES members as the entire membership participates in final voting. The Big Reveal 2005 is free to VES members and also open to the public at $20 per ticket. Tickets to the event are available by calling the VES office at (310) 822-9181 or may also be purchased at the door.
ONLINE VIEW & VOTE
For the first time in the VES Awards’ 3-year history, final viewing and voting will take place online via the VES website from January 31 to February 12. This groundbreaking method will allow VES members worldwide to view encrypted clips of the nominees’ work and vote in a safe and secure online environment. Only VES members may vote and a special password is required to view and vote online.
Winners will be announced at the 3rd Annual VES Awards gala on February 16, 2005 at the Hollywood Palladium. Academy Award® winning director, Robert Zemeckis, will receive the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to him by Academy Award® winning actor Tom Hanks.
A complete list of all nominees for the 3rd Annual VES Awards follows and is also available on the VES Awards web site at http://www.vesawards.com.
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture
The Day After Tomorrow
Karen Goulekas, Mike Chambers, Greg Strause, Remo Balcells
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Roger Guyett, Tim Burke, Theresa Corrao, Emma Norton
Spider-Man 2
John Dykstra, Lydia Bottegoni, Anthony LaMolinara, Scott Stokdyk
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture
The Aviator
Rob Legato, Ron Ames, Matthew Gratzner, Pete Travers,
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Louis Morin, Mark Dornfeld
Troy
Nick Davies, Chas Jarrett, Jon Thum, Gary Brozenich
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Dragons
Sirio Quintavalle, Jo Nodwell, Alec Knox, Neil Glaseby
Earthsea
Peter Ware, Eric Grenaudier, Jared Jones, Earl Paraszcynec
Virtual History – The Secret Plot to Kill Hitler
Jim Radford, Tom Phillips, Simon Thomas, Loraine Cooper
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Stargate Atlantis, “Rising”
John Gajdecki, Bruce Woloshyn, Jinnie Pak, Tara Conley
Stargate SG-1, “Lost City, Part 2”
James Tichenor, Shannon Gurney, Craig Van Den Biggelaar, Bruce Woloshyn
Star Trek Enterprise, “Storm Front Part 2”
Ronald Moore, Daniel Curry, David Takemura
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
British Telecom: Network
David Lombardi, Richard Mann, Eric Durst, Kevin Prendiville
Citroen ‘Alive With Technology’
Trevor Cawood, Neill Blomkamp, Simon Van de Lagemaat, Winston Helgason
Johnnie Walker ‘Tree’
William Bartlett, Murray Butler, Jake Mengers, Andy Boyd
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video
Britney Spears “Toxic”
Bert Yukich
Duran Duran “What Happens Tomorrow”
Jerry Steele, Jo Steele, Brian Adler, Monique Eissing
Never ‘The Dream”
Trevor Cawood, Simon Van de Lagemaat, Stephen Pepper, Jon Anastasiades
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Clubhouse, “Episode #005”
Curt Miller, Jason Spratt, Doug Witsken, Michael Tonder
Lost, “Pilot – Part 2”
Kevin Blank, Mitch Suskin, Benoit Girard, Jerome Morin
Spartacus
Sam Nicholson, Eric Grenaudier, Anthony Ocampo, Tim Donahue
Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
The Aviator – Hell’s Angels
Rob Legato, Ron Ames, David Seger, Peter Travers
The Day After Tomorrow – Tidal Wave
Karen Goulekas, Mike Chambers, Chris Horvath, Matthew Butler
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Bill George, David Andrews, Sandra Scott, Dome Huebler
Spider-Man 2 – Clock Tower
John Dykstra, Lydia Bottegoni, Dan Abrams, John Monos
Outstanding Visuals in a Video Game
007 Everything or Nothing
David Carson, Jay Riddle, Habib Zargarpour
Half-Life 2
Viktor Antonov, Randy Lundeen, Gary McTaggart, Bill Fletcher
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth
Mark Skaggs, Richard Taylor II, Matt Britton, Nate Hubbard
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Stephen Gray, Margaret Foley-Mauvais
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Michael Eames, David Lomax, Felix Balbas, Pablo Grillo
Hellboy – Samael Character
Dovi Anderson, Todd Labonte, Sven Jensen, Paul Thuriot
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- Sunny Character
Rick O’Connor, Martin Murphy, Indira Guerrieri, Sam Breach
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture
The Incredibles – Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible
Craig T. Nelson, Bill Wise, Bill Sheffler, Bolhem Bouchiba
The Polar Express – Steamer
Michael Jeter, David Schaub, Renato Dos Anjos, Roger Vizard
Shark Tale – Angie
Renee Zellweger, Ken Duncan
Shrek 2 – Puss in Boots
Antonio Banderas, Raman Hui
Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program
Battlestar Galactica, “Episode 101”
Dustin Adiar, Mark Shimer, Jesse Toves, Sean Jackson
Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital
William de Bosch Kemper, Brian Harder, Patrick Kalyn, Scott Paquin
Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a Motion Picture
The Aviator
Robert Spurlock, Richard Stutsman, Matthew Gratzner, Roy Goode
Spider-Man 2
John Frazier, Jim Schwalm, Jim Nagle, Dave Amborn
Van Helsing
Georff Heron, Chad Taylor
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Alex Hope, Jody Johnson, Pieter Warmington
I, Robot
Rachael Haupt, Mark Tait Lewis, Nick McKenzie, Geoff Tobin
The Phantom of the Opera – Opening Shot
Claas Henke, Laurent Ben-Mimoun, Anupam Das
Spider-Man 2, – NYC Street – Night
Dan Abrams, David Emery, Andrew Nawrot, John Hart
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Broadcast Program
Smallville, “Crusade”
John Han, Brian Harding, Terry Shigemitsu, Noriaki Matsumoto
Spartacus – Opening
Eric Grenaudier, Anthony Ocampo, Cedric Tomacruz, Michael Cook
Star Trek Enterprise, “Storm Front Part 2” – Dogfight over New York City
Pierre Drolet, Fred Pienkos, Eddie Robinson, Sean Scott
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Motion Picture
The Aviator – XF11 Crash
Matthew Gratzner, Scott Schneider, Adam Gelbart, Leigh-Alexandra Jacob
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
Jose Granell, Nigel Stone
National Treasure – Treasure Room
Matthew Gratzner, Forest Fischer, Scott Beverly, Leigh-Alexandra Jacob
Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Azkaban Guards Attack
Dorne Huebler, Jay Cooper, Patrick Brennan, Anthony Shafer
The Phantom of the Opera – Opening Shot
Claas Henke, Laurent Ben-Mimoun, Anupam Das
Spider-Man 2- Train Sequence
Colin Drobnis, Greg Derochie, Blaine Kennison, Kenny Lam
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program
The Librarian – Himalayan Pass sequence
Greg Groenekamp, Joel Merritt, Mamie McCall
Smallville, “Crisis”
John Han, Eli Jarra, Noriaki Matsumoto, Terry Shigemitsu
Space Odyssey – Voyage To The Planets
George Roper, Christian Manz, Sirio Quintavalle, Pedro Sabrosa
Outstanding Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Visual Effects Film
The Aviator
Leonardo DiCaprio
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Jude Law
Spider-Man 2
Alfred Molina
ABOUT VES
Founded in 1997, the Visual Effects Society is an organization comprised of distinguished visual effects artists desiring to honor, advance and promote visual effects for its membership and the industry as a whole. The Society promotes continuous awareness about the visual effects industry, supports combined technology research and development, and designs and implements educational programs for its membership and the public interested in the production of visual effects. Society headquarters are located in Los Angeles, CA with approximately 1,100 global members.
Excellence in Costume Design for Film – Contemporary
