Editor’s Opinion on the 2024 VFX Oscar Nominees

This past month at SCAD, students were able to witness a glimpse of the hunt for the Best Visual Effects Oscar through the streaming of The Bake Off. After watching this event, I have to admit, I didn’t have any expectations of who the nominees for Best Visual Effects were going to be. However, when reading the nominations a week later, my perception slightly changed. In this article, I will be discussing my opinion of the Best Visual Effects Nominees and who I believe should have been part of the top 5.  

The Creator

Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, and Neil Corbould

“The Creator” is characterized by the beautiful blend between practical performance and CGI. One of the most impressive aspects I believe could take “The Creator” to win the famous statuette is the seamless composite within the hybrid human/robot characters. I have yet to see this film, however, based on the visuals from the trailer and the detailed breakdown shown at The Bake Off, I believe “The Creator” has a high chance of winning the Oscar. Apart from this, the Academy is well known for honoring those films that enhance the harmony between practical and digital effects. 

Godzilla Minus One

Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima 

One of the most impressive aspects of “Godzilla Minus One” is the level of quality achieved despite a low budget and small staff. I am glad the amount of work the 35 Visual Effects artists put into this movie was recognized through the nomination. However, the question still remains: “Godzilla Minus One” was worthy of a nomination, but will it be good enough to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects? In my opinion, there is a very small chance that it will win. Even though they have an overall impressive achievement, when comparing it to previous Godzilla movies or the other Oscar nominees, I don’t think the movie’s visual effects match up adequately.

Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, and Theo Bialek 

Grooming and simulations were key aspects of “The Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3”. Aiming to bring Rocket’s animalistic features to life along with many new creatures. Even though they did a great job pushing forward the photorealistic aspect of it, I felt that it lacked innovative approaches to make this film worthy of an Oscar. I think the other nominees have more potential of winning the famous statuette. 

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, and Neil Corbould

The overall story of Mission: Impossible had a lot of potential, however, after watching the film, it felt a little bland. While watching the movie, I thought that for several shots, it was possible for this film to get nominated for an Oscar. I was not wrong. Having said that, after seeing the breakdown at The Bake Off, I was underwhelmed and unimpressed by the Visual Effects shown. Even though the blend between practical assets and CGI was seamless, it still had a rather traditional approach, which surprised me to see Mission: Impossible as part of the top 5. 

Napoleon

Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco, and Neil Corbould 

“Napoleon”’s visual style was highly unique, as artists recreated a painterly feel of Napoleon’s classical paintings. Even though the Visual Effects could be considered repetitive as they are commonly seen in war movies, I believe the artists behind “Napoleon” did a great job. They pushed forward the visuals with invisible effects to make the film even more beautiful while at the same time enhancing the story. Due to its unique approach and harmony between practical effects, digital effects, and subtle painterly look, I feel like “Napoleon” has a high chance of winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. 

After reading who the Oscar nominees were for Best Visual Effects, I was disappointed to not see “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” did not make the top 5 Oscar Nominations. The de-aging techniques for Harrison Ford, I believe were Oscar-worthy. Apart from this, I was really looking forward to seeing the Academy get out of the box and nominate for the first time an animated film within this category. The use of Visual Effects tools in “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” to push forward the stylized animation was really impressive. Even though I did not see it as part of the Visual Effects category, I am glad it was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. We will see who shall be the winners this year! 

This year, the winner of the Visual Effects category is highly unpredictable. We will all find out who shall win the Oscar during The Academy Awards taking place at the Dolby Theater on Sunday, March 10.