2017 Oscar Predictions – Visual Effects

VFX Online October 26, 2016, 1:32 pm 1.6k Views 1 Comment

2017 Oscar Predictions – Visual Effects

This category can tie up with Cinematography and even Production design at times. It also tends to go in line with both sound categories.

The most recent winner of the Academy Award for best visual effects, Ex Machina, surprised many when it took out the top prize at the 88th Oscars. Could the winner of the next vfx Oscar also be a relative outsider?

As we learned last year with “Ex Machina” winning this prize, the Academy can often go their own way. We look to be back to the blockbuster this year as “The Jungle Book” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” are firmly in the hunt. Early rumors about “Passengers” and what it brings could also be something to behold.

The Predicted Nominees Are

“The Jungle Book” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (Walt Disney)
“Passengers” (Sony Pictures)
“Captain America: Civil War” (Marvel)
“Arrival” (Paramount Pictures)

The Next Five

“A Monster Calls” (Focus Features)
“Doctor Strange” (Marvel)
“Star Trek Beyond” (Paramount Pictures)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (20th Century Fox)
“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (Sony Pictures)

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book. Essentially shot entirely against bluescreen with only one live-action actor, the film made the most of virtual production techniques, detailed animation, and advances in photorealistic rendering to bring its cg characters to life. Plus, it was a hit with audiences and, you can assume, Academy voters.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

You can expect Disney to engage in a slightly different kind of marketing behind the visual effects of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Here, as they did with The Force Awakens, Disney is likely to highlight the practical shooting side of the filmmaking, even though of course digital visual effects are likely to be a key part of the final product. Arguably, that’s a response to an on-going commentary about films being ‘too-CGI’, causing some filmmakers and studio marketing teams to talk up the practical aspects. Still, based on the trailers and clips released so far, Rogue One has to be a shoe-in for a vfx nomination.

Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is another film that could easily sell its practical shooting wares, despite a whole lot of digital work (consider the airport sequence, for example). Marvel hasn’t yet had any luck in the vfx Oscar race, although several of its films have been nominated in past years. One thing that Civil War has going for it, in particular, is how many of its characters were digital creations or hybrids – Black Panther, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America—without the audience necessarily noticing.

Doctor Strange

With its kaleidoscopic and psychedelic scenes, Doctor Strange is almost the most ‘effectsy’ film of the most-likelys. It’s one of the big event films of the year, too, which will bring its effects much attention. Right now, the trailers are showing off some of the city folding Inception-like mind-bending imagery, but Marvel does always tend to leave more up its sleeve and each of their films tend to have one huge, memorable sequence (often achieved with spectacular visual effects).