Oscar hardware for software magic
Canadians to be honoured with scientific-technical awards for work, including Star Wars
TORONTO — Ontario-raised research and development engineer Mike Jutan is facing two of the biggest events of his life this weekend.
On Saturday, the Oscars will honour his work in the scientific and technical worlds, for co-developing rigging software at George Lucas’s visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic.
The technology has been used on dozens of films since 2004, including various Star Wars titles as well as Iron Man and Thor: Ragnarok.
And on Sunday, his wife is due to give birth to their first child.
“As long as she doesn’t go into labour that morning, then she told me I’m good,” said Jutan, noting it’s a quick flight from their San Francisco home to the ceremony in Beverly Hills.
“She’s like, ‘Get down there, put on your tux, get your thing, eat your dinner and get on the plane and get back before I have the baby.’
“So it’s definitely going to be an exciting week. Trying to balance those two things in my head has been crazy.”
Jutan, who was born in Hamilton and grew up in London, Ont., is one of several Canadians who will be honoured at the annual dinner presentation, hosted this year by Patrick Stewart.
He’ll receive a technical achievement award certificate from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the architecture and engineering of the BlockParty procedural rigging system. Also named in the honour are Americans Jason Smith, Jeff White, and Rachel Rose.
Jutan said the software “has essentially revolutionized” the way artists at the company breathe life into characters and objects such as the Incredible Hulk and the Millennium Falcon.
Meanwhile, Toronto-based Mark Elendt and SideFX Software will receive an academy award of merit Oscar statuette for the creation and development of the Houdini visual effects and animation system.
Three other Canadians connected to Houdini — Jeff Lait, Mark Tucker, and Cristin Barghiel — are also being honoured. They, along with American John Lynch, will receive a scientific and engineering award academy plaque for their contributions to the design and architecture of Houdini.
Houdini is 3D software used in films including the Star Wars franchise as well as Frozen, Moana and The Shape of Water.