‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Takes Top VFX Society Award; ‘Dune 2’ Claims Three Trophies as VES Spreads the Wealth

variety.com:

Carolyn Giardina “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature at the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards.

Yet Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton, the Society spread the wealth, awarding three trophies, the most in the live-action feature categories, to “Dune: Part Two.” In “Kingdom,” VFX studio Weta FX led by its production VFX supervisor Erik Winquist worked to advance the realism of its emotive apes in areas such as facial animation and muscle simulation, while placing them in environments including rapids and a great flood.

The sequel to 2021’s VFX Oscar and top VES winner “Dune”, which again features key work by DNEG led by production VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, collected prizes in the categories for CG cinematography, for the Arrakeen Basin; effects simulation, for the atomic explosions and wormriding; and compositing and lighting, for wormriding, geidi prime, and the final battle.

Also in the feature competition, “Better Man” won the award for character, for Weta FX-created Robbie Williams, who appears as a CG chimp in the musical biopic; and “Alien: Romulus” received a trophy in the model category, for its Renaissance Space Station.