VES announces nominees for 16th annual awards
January 16, 2018

VES announces nominees for 16th annual awards

LOS ANGELES — The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the nominees for the 16th Annual VES Awards, the yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials and video games.  Blade Runner 2049 and  War for the Planet of the Apes tie for the most feature film nominations, each with seven.  Despicable Me 3 is the top animated film contender with five nominations, while  Game of Thronesleads the broadcast field and scores the most nominations overall with 11. 

Nominees in 24 categories were selected by VES members via events hosted by 10 of its Sections, including Australia, Bay Area, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, New Zealand, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington. The VES Awards will be held on February 13th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As previously announced, the VES Georges Méliès Award will be presented to Academy Award-winning visual effects master Joe Letteri, VES. The VES Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to acclaimed producer-writer-director Jon Favreau. Actor-comedian-author Patton Oswalt will once again host the VES Awards.
 
The nominees for the 16th Annual VES Awards in 24 categories are as follows:
 
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
 
Blade Runner 2049
John Nelson
Karen Murphy Mundell
Paul Lambert
Richard Hoover
Gerd Nefzer
 
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Christopher Townsend
Damien Carr
Guy Williams
Jonathan Fawkner
Dan Sudick
 
Kong: Skull Island
Jeff White
Tom Peitzman
Stephen Rosenbaum
Scott Benza
Michael Meinardus
 
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ben Morris
Tim Keene
Eddie Pasquarello
Daniel Seddon
Chris Corbould
 
War for the Planet of the Apes
Joe Letteri
Ryan Stafford
Daniel Barrett
Dan Lemmon
Joel Whist
 
 
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
 
Darkest Hour
Stephane Naze
Warwick Hewitt
Guillaume Terrien
Benjamin Magana
 
Downsizing
James E. Price
Susan MacLeod
Lindy De Quattro
Stéphane Nazé
 
Dunkirk
Andrew Jackson
Mike Chambers
Andrew Lockley
Alison Wortman
Scott Fisher
 
Mother!
Dan Schrecker
Colleen Bachman
Ben Snow
Wayne Billheimer
Peter Chesney
 
Only the Brave
Eric Barba
Dione Wood
Matthew Lane
Georg Kaltenbrunner
Michael Meinardus
 

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
 
Captain Underpants
David Soren
Mark Swift
Mirielle Soria
David Dulac
 
Cars 3
Brian Fee
Kevin Reher
Michael Fong
Jon Reisch
 
Coco
Lee Unkrich
Darla K. Anderson
David Ryu
Michael K. O'Brien
 
Despicable Me 3
Pierre Coffin
Chris Meledandri
Kyle Balda
Eric Guillon
 
The LEGO Batman Movie
Rob Coleman
Amber Naismith
Grant Freckelton
Damien Gray
 
The LEGO Ninjago Movie
Gregory Jowle
Fiona Chilton
Miles Green
Kim Taylor

 
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
 
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Orientation Part 1
Mark Kolpack
Sabrina Arnold
David Rey
Kevin Yuille
Gary D'Amico
 
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall
Joe Bauer
Steve Kullback
Chris Baird
David Ramos
Sam Conway
                 
Legion; Chapter 1
John Ross
Eddie Bonin
Sebastien Bergeron
Lionel Lim
Paul Benjamin
 
Star Trek: Discovery; The Vulcan Hello
Jason Michael Zimmerman
Aleksandra Kochoska
Ante Dekovic
Mahmoud Rahnama
 
Stranger Things 2; The Gate
Paul Graff
Christina Graff
Seth Hill
Joel Sevilla
Caius the Man
 

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
 
Black Sails; XXIX
Erik Henry
Terron Pratt
Yafei Wu
David Wahlberg
Paul Dimmer
 
Fear The Walking Dead; Sleigh Ride
Peter Crosman
Denise Gayle
Philip Nussbaumer
Martin Pelletier
Frank Ludica
 
Mr. Robot; eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00
Ariel Altman
Lauren Montuori
John Miller
Luciano DiGeronimo
 
Outlander; Eye of the Storm
Richard Briscoe
Elicia Bessette
Aladino Debert
Filip Orrby
Doug Hardy
 
Taboo; Pilot
Henry Badgett
Tracy McCreary
Nic Birmingham
Simon Rowe
Colin Gorry
 
Vikings; On the Eve
Dominic Remane
Mike Borrett
Ovidiu Cinazan
Paul Wishart
Paul Byrne
 
 
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
 
Assassin's Creed Origins
Raphael Lacoste
Patrick Limoges
Jean-Sebastien Guay
Ulrich Haar
 
Call of Duty: WWII
Joe Salud
Atsushi Seo
Danny Chan
Jeremy Kendall
 
Fortnite; A Hard Day's Night
Michael Clausen
Gavin Moran
Brian Brecht
Andrew Harris
 
Sonaria
Scot Stafford
Camille Cellucci
Kevin Dart
Theresa Latzko
 
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Shaun Escayg
Tate Mosesian
Eben Cook
 
 
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
 
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Leon Berelle
Maxime Luère
Dominique Boidin
Remi Kozyra
 
Kia Niro; Hero's Journey
Robert Sethi
Anastasia von Rahl
Tom Graham
Chris Knight
Dave Peterson
 
Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle
Simon French
Josh King
Alexia Paterson
Leonardo Costa
 
Monster; Opportunity Roars
Ruben Vandebroek
Clairellen Wallin
Kevin Ives                 
Kyle Cody
 
Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich
Diarmid Harrison-Murray
Tomek Zietkiewicz
Amir Bazazi
Martino Madeddu
 

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
 
Avatar: Flight of Passage
Richard Baneham
Amy Jupiter
David Lester                 
Thrain Shadbolt
 
Corona; Paraiso Secreto
Adam Grint
Jarrad Vladich
Roberto Costas Fernández
Ed Thomas
Felipe Linares
 
Guardians of the Galaxy; Mission: BREAKOUT!
Jason Bayever
Amy Jupiter
Mike Bain
Alexander Thomas
 
National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey
Thilo Ewers
John Owens
Gioele Cresce
Mariusz Wesierski
 
Nemo and Friends SeaRider
Anthony Apodaca
Kathy Janus
Brandon Benepe
Nick Lucas
Rick Rothschild
 
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire
Ben Snow
Judah Graham
Ian Bowie
Curtis Hickman
David Layne
 

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
 
Blade Runner 2049; Rachael
Axel Akkeson
Stefano Carta
Wesley Chandler
Ian Cooke-Grimes
 
Kong: Skull Island; Kong
Jakub Pistecky
Chris Havreberg
Karin Cooper
Kris Costa
 
War for the Planet of the Apes; Bad Ape
Eteuati Tema
Aidan Martin
Florian Fernandez
Mathias Larserud
 
War for the Planet of the Apes; Caesar
Dennis Yoo
Ludovic Chailloleau
Douglas McHale
Tim Forbes
 
 
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature
 
Coco; Hèctor
Emron Grover
Jonathan Hoffman
Michael Honsel
Guilherme Sauerbronn Jacinto
 
Despicable Me 3; Bratt
Eric Guillon
Bruno Dequier
Julien Soret
Benjamin Fournet
 
The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garma Mecha Man
Arthur Terzis
Wei He
Jean-Marc Ariu
Gibson Radsavanh
 
The Boss Baby; Boss Baby
Alec Baldwin
Carlos Puertolas
Rani Naamani
Joe Moshier
 
The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Garmadon
Matthew Everitt
Christian So
Loic Miermont
Fiona Darwin
 
 
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
 
Black Mirror: Metalhead
Steven Godfrey
Stafford Lawrence
Andrew Robertson
Lestyn Roberts
 
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Zombie Polar Bear
Paul Story
Todd Labonte
Matthew Muntean
Nicholas Wilson
 
Game of Thrones; Eastwatch; Drogon Meets Jon
Jonathan Symmonds
Thomas Kutschera
Philipp Winterstein
Andreas Krieg
 
Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Drogon Loot Train Attack
Murray Stevenson
Jason Snyman
Jenn Taylor
Florian Friedmann
 
 
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial
 
Beyond Good and Evil 2; Zhou Yuzhu
Dominique Boidin
Maxime Luère
Leon Berelle
Remi Kozyra
 
Mercedes Benz; King of the Jungle
Steve Townrow
Joseph Kane
Greg Martin
Gabriela Ruch Salmeron
 
Netto; The Easter Surprise; Bunny
Alberto Lara
Jorge Montiel
Anotine Mariez
Jon Wood
 
Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich
David Bryan
Maximilian Mallmann
Tim Van Hussen
Brendan Fagan
 
 
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
 
Blade Runner 2049; Los Angeles
Chris McLaughlin
Rhys Salcombe
Seungjin Woo
Francesco Dell'Anna
 
Blade Runner 2049; Trash Mesa
Didier Muanza
Thomas Gillet
Guillaume Mainville
Sylvain Lorgeau
 
Blade Runner 2049; Vegas
Eric Noel
Arnaud Saibron
Adam Goldstein
Pascal Clement
 
War for the Planet of the Apes; Hidden Fortress
Greg Notzelman
James Shaw
Jay Renner
Gak Gyu Choi
 
War for the Planet of the Apes; Prison Camp
Phillip Leonhardt
Paul Harris
Jeremy Fort
Thomas Lo
 
 
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature                 
 
Cars 3; Abandoned Racetrack
Marlena Fecho
Thidaratana Annee Jonjai
Jose L. Ramos Serrano
Frank Tai
 
Coco; City of the Dead
Michael Frederickson
Jamie Hecker
Jonathan Pytko
Dave Strick
 
Despicable Me 3; Hollywood Destruction
Axelle De Cooman
Pierre Lopes
Milo Riccarand
Nicolas Brack
 
The LEGO Ninjago Movie; Ninjago City
Kim Taylor
Angela Ensele
Felicity Coonan
Jean Pascal leBlanc
 
 
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
 
Assassin's Creed Origins; City of Memphis
Patrick Limoges
Jean-Sebastien Guay
Mikael Guaveia
Vincent Lombardo
 
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake
Daniel Villalba
Antonio Lado
José Luis Barreiro
Isaac de la Pompa
 
Game of Thrones; Eastwatch
Patrice Poissant
Deak Ferrand
Dominic Daigle
Gabriel Morin
 
Still Star-Crossed; City
Rafael Solórzano
Isaac de la Pompa
José Luis Barreiro
Óscar Perea
 
Stranger Things 2; The Gate
Saul Galbiati
Michael Maher
Seth Cobb
Kate McFadden
 
 
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
 
Beauty and the Beast; Be Our Guest
Shannon Justison
Casey Schatz
Neil Weatherley
Claire Michaud
 
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; Groot Dance/Opening Fight
James Baker
Steven Lo
Alvise Avati
Robert Stipp
 
Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Crait Surface Battle
Cameron Nielsen
Albert Cheng
John Levin
Johanes Kurnia
 
Thor: Ragnarok; Valkyrie's Flashback
Hubert Maston
Arthur Moody
Adam Paschke
Casey Schatz
 
 
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
 
Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Headquarters
Alex Funke
Steven Saunders
Joaquin Loyzaga
Chris Menges
 
Despicable Me 3; Dru's Car
Eric Guillon
François-Xavier Lepeintre
Guillaume Boudeville
Pierre Lopes
 
Life; The ISS
Tom Edwards
Chaitanya Kshirsagar
Satish Kuttan
Paresh Dodia
 
US Marines; Anthem; Monument
Tom Bardwell
Paul Liaw
Adam Dewhirst
 
 
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
 
Kong: Skull Island
Florent Andorra
Alexis Hall
Raul Essig
Branko Grujcic
 
Only the Brave; Fire & Smoke
Georg Kaltenbrunner
Thomas Bevan
Philipp Zaufel
Himanshu Joshi
 
Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Bombing Run
Peter Kyme
Miguel Perez Senent
Ahmed Gharraph
Billy Copley
 
Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Mega Destroyer Destruction
Mihai Cioroba
Ryoji Fujita
Jiyong Shin
Dan Finnegan
 
War for the Planet of the Apes
David Caeiro Cebrián
Johnathan Nixon
Chet Leavai
Gary Boyle
 

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
 
Cars 3
Greg Gladstone
Stephen Marshall
Leon JeongWook Park                 
Tim Speltz
 
Coco
Kristopher Campbell
Stephen Gustafson
Dave Hale
Keith Klohn
 
Despicable Me 3
Bruno Chauffard
Frank Baradat
Milo Riccarand
Nicolas Brack
 
Ferdinand
Yaron Canetti
Allan Kadkoy
Danny Speck
Mark Adams
 
The Boss Baby
Mitul Patel
Gaurav Mathur
Venkatesh Kongathi
 
 
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
 
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake
Manuel Ramírez
Óscar Márquez
Pablo Hernández
David Gacituaga
 
Game of Thrones; The Dragon and the Wolf; Wall Destruction
Thomas Hullin
Dominik Kirouac
Sylvain Nouveau
Nathan Arbuckle
 
Heineken; The Trailblazers
Christian Bohm
Andreu Lucio Archs
Carsten Keller
Steve Oakley
 
Outlander; Eye of the Storm; Stormy Seas
Jason Mortimer
Navin Pinto
Greg Teegarden
Steve Ong
 
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
 
Blade Runner 2049; LAPD Approach and Joy Holograms
Tristan Myles
Miles Lauridsen
Joel Delle-Vergin
Farhad Mohasseb
 
Kong: Skull Island
Nelson Sepulveda
Aaron Brown
Paolo Acri
Shawn Mason
 
Thor: Ragnarok; Bridge Battle
Gavin McKenzie
David Simpson
Owen Carroll
Mark Gostlow
 
War for the Planet of the Apes
Christoph Salzmann
Robin Hollander
Ben Morgan
Ben Warner
 
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
 
Game of Thrones; Beyond the Wall; Frozen Lake
Óscar Perea
Santiago Martos
David Esteve
Michael Crane
 
Game of Thrones; Eastwatch
Thomas Montminy Brodeur
Xavier Fourmond
Reuben Barkataki
Sébastien Raets
 
Game of Thrones; The Spoils of War; Loot Train Attack
Dom Hellier
Thijs Noij
Edwin Holdsworth
Giacomo Matteucci
 
Star Trek: Discovery
Phil Prates
Rex Alerta
John Dinh
Karen Cheng
 
 
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
 
Destiny 2; New Legends Will Rise
Alex Unruh
Michael Ralla
Helgi Laxdal
Timothy Gutierrez
 
Nespresso; Comin' Home
Matt Pascuzzi
Steve Drew
Martin Lazaro
Karch Koon
 
Samsung; Do What You Can't; Ostrich
Michael Gregory
Andrew Roberts
Gustavo Bellon
Rashabh Ramesh Butani
 
Virgin Media; Delivering Awesome
Jonathan Westley
John Thornton
Milo Paterson
George Cressey
 
 
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
 
Creature Pinup
Christian Leitner
Juliane Walther
Kiril Mirkov
Lisa Ecker
 
Hybrids
Florian Brauch
Romain Thirion
Matthieu Pujol
Kim Tailhades
 
Les Pionniers de l'Univers
Clementine Courbin
Matthieu Guevel
Jérôme Van Beneden
Anthony Rege
 
The Endless
Nicolas Lourme
Corentin Gravend
Edouard Calemard
Romaric Vivier