Visual Effects Semi-Finalists

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Post by Sabin »

Like Inception (which I don't like), Scott Pilgrim's special effects assist the storytelling in every scene of the film. In my opinion, these aren't visual effects, these are Special effects, effects I've never really seen before but are used in a special way. Iron Man 2 looks cool, but after Iron Man 1 what's the allure to any of what I am looking at? I have not seen Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, or Hereafter, but Inception's effects are credibly seamless, and I would be fairly stoked for a win because there is a joy to liberating these characters from the constructs of wire, etc. And Tron Legacy is blessed with some of the best and worst effects of the year.
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Post by rolotomasi99 »

I actually hold out hope that the fx boys will throw their love to SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. After all, they have shown that a huge budget and gaudy special effects do not guarantee a nomination. The more subdued fx of DISTRICT 9 were nominated over the in-your-face fx of TRANSFORMERS 2, THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, WOLVERINE, 2012, TERMINATOR SALVATION, et al.

So it is very possible SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD could make it into the top five over more overblown films like ALICE IN WONDERLAND and IRON MAN 2.

Nominations for fx, sound, sound editing, and film editing would almost make up for the low grosses. Almost.
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Post by OscarGuy »

Sonic, if it helps, you didn't break your precursor rule. This is an official Academy short list.
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Post by Hollywood Z »

I would also like to contribute to the "holy crap, I'm holding out for a Best Visual Effects nomination for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World". I just recently watched it and had such a blast watching it, but the one thing I remembered was how it was on the semi-finalists list. Then when all of the graphics came up, the fight scenes, heck, even the snow melting under Ramona Flowers' roller blades was just so impressive. The effects were both subtle and in your face, which is not very common in movies today.

I love Edgar Wright's movies and I would love to see Scott Pilgrim not only up for Effects and Editing, but also Sound Design & Mixing (listen to those fight scenes again and hear the wonderful blend of old school video games and Chinese kung-fu sounds) and even a surprise Adapted Screenplay nomination.
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Post by rolotomasi99 »

I would also like to say "Holy shit! Awesome!" for SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD still being in the running for FX. While there is a good chance it could miss a nomination, I think this is an indication it has its supporters in the Academy. At the very least I am hoping it can pull a surprise Sound and Sound Editing nomination like WANTED did. FX and Editing nominations would be extra sweet.
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Post by Sonic Youth »

I broke my "No Following the Precursors" rule to look at this.

I came away from Scott Pilgrim with the same heady buzz I had after viewing the first Matrix, that I had just witnessed a milestone in film history regarding visual presentation. However, I think it may have had more to do with Scott Pilgrim's editing than the special effects. Were it nominated for Editing, I'd be really stoked.

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Post by OscarGuy »

I love that Scott Pilgrim is still on the list, but considering the other nominees, I would say the most likely two to get bumped out are Hereafter and Scott Pilgrim just because the others seem more obvious nominees. Though, Scott Pilgrim making the final five would be sweet.
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Post by dreaMaker »

Scott Pilgrim?? Dear God...
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Post by Sabin »

SCOTT PILGRIM!!!
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Post by Eric »

Going to presume Iron Man 2 isn't a sure-fire nominee, in which case, Scott Pilgrim stands a fighting chance I'd say.
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Post by The Original BJ »

So basically this list was announced to tease the VFX teams of Hereafter and Scott Pilgrim.
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Post by Mister Tee »

Narrowed to 7. And Scott Pilgrim still lives.

Seven films will vie in the Visual Effects bakeoff on January 20 for an Oscar nomination, when members of the VFX branch will see 15-minute reels of each film and then vote for the final five to be announced January 25. The list is what was expected.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Alice in Wonderland”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
“Hereafter”
“Inception”
“Iron Man 2”
“Scott Pilgrim vs the World”
“Tron: Legacy”
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Post by The Original BJ »

Having seen TRON: Legacy, I'll now side with those who think Inception is the front-runner in this category.

Tron was a gorgeous-looking film, with some genuinely impressive effects...but it also had that cheesy-looking work on the young Jeff Bridges, which a lot of people seem to be griping about.

Inception's effects were more original, and well-integrated into a far better story. And TRON's box-office has been decent but not earth-shattering; I think overall greater enthusiasm for Inception will end up carrying the day here.
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Post by Hollywood Z »

Something I just thought of, if the history of the Academy has taught us anything, it's that the Best Picture nominee/winner will always win out. Think about it:

2009: Avatar over District 9 and Star Trek
2008: Curious Case of Benjamin Button over The Dark Knight and Iron Man
2001-3: The Lord of the Rings over A.I., Pearl Harbor, Spider-Man, Star Wars Episode II, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and Master and Commander
2000: Gladiator over Hollow Man and The Perfect Storm
1997: Titanic over The Lost World and Starship Troopers
1995: Babe over Apollo 13
1994: Forrest Gump over The Mask and True Lies
1982: E.T over Blade Runner and Poltergeist
1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark over Dragonslayer
1977: Star Wars over Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1963: Cleopatra over The Birds

The only exception I can think of is Tora Tora Tora winning visual effects over Patton, but that was over 40 years ago. And even if another competitor was also a Best Picture nominee, it seems to go to the movie that had the better chance at the award (Avatar over District 9, Return of the King over Master and Commander), which makes me wonder if Braveheart wasn't release in 1995, would Babe have been an upset winner? (Neither Ron Howard or Ang Lee were nominated for Director, Michael Radford's nomination for Il Postino was just to show support for the movie and Babe won the Golden Globe for Comedic/Musical Picture also).

Back to my original point, I think if this holds true, then no matter how flashy Tron: Legacy looked, I think Inception has this one in the bag. I'm still pretty anxious to see how this year's winner will turn out, especially since it's going to seem to come down to these two films, which will be a battle between quality and quantity.
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Post by Hollywood Z »

Does anyone know where I can find the names that are being submitted for these films? I know the following:

Alice in Wonderland: Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas & Sean Phillips
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Angus Bickerton & Brian Cox
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicholas Ait'hadi & Christian Manz
Inception: Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lackley & Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2: Janek Sirrs
The Last Airbender: Pablo Helman
Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief: Kevin Mack
Tron: Legacy: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Karl Denham & Nikos Kalaitzidis

I love memorizing the names, but ever since awards.fennec.org shut down, I don't know the names of the finalists, let alone the semi-finalists (2006-2009 has been a scramble race for me).
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