Industry insiders
Thoughts & opinions from the experts “I think it’s great that the VFX Oscar can go to such a diverse range of crafts within the VFX industry. Last year we had the digital makeup work done on Peggy Carter for Captain America up against an accurately simulated black hole for Interstellar and a raccoon with a bad attitude for Guardians of the Galaxy. It was all incredible work and each movie posed very different challenges. I think that the VFX Oscar is a wonderful way of celebrating that diversity and its catch-all nature should be embraced!” “In the case of two closely-matched films the [bake-off] presentation can make the difference, drawing attention to work that might have otherwise been missed and so on. All that being said, there are clearly some movies that are going through whatever happens on the night; Avatar, for example. Crafting a successful VFX Oscar campaign is a real art and a good presentation at the bake-off can make the difference between a nomination or being an also-ran. That being said, it’s a real vindication of your work just to get to the bake-off!” “A bake-off presentation needs to entertain, inform and engage. The reel should convey the experience of the film and give context to the work being presented. Most of the footage should be VFX shots, but it really helps to have a few small bits of dialogue or non-vfx work. Make sure to highlight all of your strongest work, but avoid being repetitive. If there is significant practical FX work in the film, make sure to feature that. Rehearse your speech, but not so much that it becomes dry or overly polished. Include interesting anecdotes; every project has them and people will want to relate to your experience.”