How VES Awards’ New Emerging Technology Category Will Spotlight Cutting-Edge Visuals

variety.com:

Karen Idelson The Visual Effects Society is celebrating the awards season with an evening that features an unprecedented number of nominations for one film, a significant new awards category and a changing of the guard at the top of the organization. “Avatar: The Way of Water” (pictured) received a whopping 14 nominations, breaking the record of 13 noms for “The Mandalorian” in 2021.

The film was nommed for a diverse array of work, including outstanding animated character in a photoreal feature and outstanding created environment in a photoreal feature.

The first “Avatar” earned 11 nominations in 2010. “The thing about ‘Avatar 2’ that strikes a chord is that Jim [Cameron, the director] knows how to tell a story; the technology he uses to tell that story is beside the point,” says Jeffrey A.

Okun, VES fellow and VFX supervisor. “So, when visual effects people are looking at the work, the first thing that comes to them is whether it is elevating the story in an invisible way. [Jim] doesn’t settle for less than what he has in his mind.” This year, VES also introduces a new category – emerging technology – which aims to spotlight technological leaps that help artists realize the overall vision of a project. “Avatar 2” made a predictably strong showing here, taking three of the five nominations, as Cameron is known for aggressively developing cutting-edge film tools.