The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an
Academy Award given for the best achievement in
visual effects.
History of the award
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1929, presenting a plaque for "Best Engineering Effects" to the first Best Picture Oscar winner, the World War I flying drama Wings.
Producer
David O. Selznick, then production head at
RKO Studios, petitioned the Academy Board of Governors to recognize the work of animator
Willis O'Brien for his groundbreaking work on 1933's King Kong.
It was not until 1938 when a film was actually recognized for its effects work, when a "Special Achievement Award for Special Effects" was given to the Paramount film Spawn of the North. The following year, "Best Special Effects" became a recognized category, although on occasion the Academy has chosen to honor a single film outright rather than nominate two or more films. From 1939 to 1963, it was an award for a film's visual effects as well as audio effects, so it was often given to two persons, although some years only one or the other type of effect was recognized. In 1964, it was given only for visual effects, and the following year the name of the category was changed to "Best Special Visual Effects".
Honorees for this award have been bestowed several times as a
Special Achievement Academy Award. In 1977, the category was given its current name "Best Visual Effects." For decades, shortlisted finalists were selected by a steering committee. They are presently chosen by the visual effects branch executive committee.[1] 1990 was the last year there were no official nominees. Back to the Future Part III, Dick Tracy, Ghost and Total Recall advanced to a second stage of voting, but only Total Recall received a requisite average and it was given a special achievement Oscar.[2]
In 1979, there were five films nominated. For most of the next three decades, there were three nominees a year, although at some times there were two and at others, a single film was given the award outright.
In 2007, it was decided that a list of no more than 15 eligible films would be chosen, from which a maximum of seven would be shortlisted for further consideration. A vote would then proceed, with a maximum of three nominees. Since 2010, there are ten shortlisted finalists which, using a form of
range voting, produce five nominees.[5] No more than four people may be nominated for a single film.[6]
According to the official Academy Award
rules, the criteria are:
(a) consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and (b) the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.
Only two directors have won in the same category: Four time
Best Director nominee
Stanley Kubrick's only Oscar win for 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Japanese filmmaker
Takashi Yamazaki's first Oscar win for 2023's Godzilla Minus One.[4][7] The credits for 2001 list four effects contributors, including
Douglas Trumbull. However, according to the rules of the Academy in effect at the time, only three persons could be nominated for their work on a single film, which would have resulted in the omission of either Trumbull,
Tom Howard, Con Pederson or Wally Veevers. Ultimately, it was Kubrick's name that was submitted as a nominee in this category, resulting in his winning the award, which many consider a slight to the four men whose work contributed to the film's success.[8]
Engineering Effects Award
The table below display the Oscar nominees for Best Engineering Effects.
Finalists for Best Visual Effects are selected by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee. Beginning with a long list of up to 20 titles, the committee then advances ten films to the shortlist.[12] Prior to the
83rd Academy Awards, only fifteen films were long-listed, and only seven films were shortlisted.[13] The full membership of the Visual Effects Branch is invited to view excerpts and is provided with supporting information at a "bake-off" where balloting determines the five nominees. These are the additional films that presented at the bake-off.
^The nomination for
Ralph Hammeras was not associated with any individual film.
^According to the Academy's in-house records, the nomination for
Nugent Slaughter was most often connected with The Jazz Singer. It is not considered an official nomination for that film.
^From 1939 until 1962, visual effects and sound effects artists competed in a combined Best Special Effects category.
^When nominations were announced on February 9, 1942, Dive Bomber was nominated in place of The Sea Wolf. Both were
Warner Bros. productions with photographic effects by
Byron Haskin and sound effects by
Nathan Levinson. By February 19, the Dive Bomber nomination was replaced with The Sea Wolf. The reason for the substitution is unknown.
^In 1957, The Enemy Below won the Best Special Effects Oscar for audible effects by
Walter Rossi. It was not cited for its visual effects.
^"89TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS OF MERIT"(PDF). oscars.org. 2016. RULE TWENTY-TWO SPECIAL RULES FOR THE VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD.
Archived(PDF) from the original on July 2, 2016. Five productions shall be selected using reweighted range voting to become the nominations for final voting for the Visual Effects award.
The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an
Academy Award given for the best achievement in
visual effects.
History of the award
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1929, presenting a plaque for "Best Engineering Effects" to the first Best Picture Oscar winner, the World War I flying drama Wings.
Producer
David O. Selznick, then production head at
RKO Studios, petitioned the Academy Board of Governors to recognize the work of animator
Willis O'Brien for his groundbreaking work on 1933's King Kong.
It was not until 1938 when a film was actually recognized for its effects work, when a "Special Achievement Award for Special Effects" was given to the Paramount film Spawn of the North. The following year, "Best Special Effects" became a recognized category, although on occasion the Academy has chosen to honor a single film outright rather than nominate two or more films. From 1939 to 1963, it was an award for a film's visual effects as well as audio effects, so it was often given to two persons, although some years only one or the other type of effect was recognized. In 1964, it was given only for visual effects, and the following year the name of the category was changed to "Best Special Visual Effects".
Honorees for this award have been bestowed several times as a
Special Achievement Academy Award. In 1977, the category was given its current name "Best Visual Effects." For decades, shortlisted finalists were selected by a steering committee. They are presently chosen by the visual effects branch executive committee.[1] 1990 was the last year there were no official nominees. Back to the Future Part III, Dick Tracy, Ghost and Total Recall advanced to a second stage of voting, but only Total Recall received a requisite average and it was given a special achievement Oscar.[2]
In 1979, there were five films nominated. For most of the next three decades, there were three nominees a year, although at some times there were two and at others, a single film was given the award outright.
In 2007, it was decided that a list of no more than 15 eligible films would be chosen, from which a maximum of seven would be shortlisted for further consideration. A vote would then proceed, with a maximum of three nominees. Since 2010, there are ten shortlisted finalists which, using a form of
range voting, produce five nominees.[5] No more than four people may be nominated for a single film.[6]
According to the official Academy Award
rules, the criteria are:
(a) consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and (b) the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.
Only two directors have won in the same category: Four time
Best Director nominee
Stanley Kubrick's only Oscar win for 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Japanese filmmaker
Takashi Yamazaki's first Oscar win for 2023's Godzilla Minus One.[4][7] The credits for 2001 list four effects contributors, including
Douglas Trumbull. However, according to the rules of the Academy in effect at the time, only three persons could be nominated for their work on a single film, which would have resulted in the omission of either Trumbull,
Tom Howard, Con Pederson or Wally Veevers. Ultimately, it was Kubrick's name that was submitted as a nominee in this category, resulting in his winning the award, which many consider a slight to the four men whose work contributed to the film's success.[8]
Engineering Effects Award
The table below display the Oscar nominees for Best Engineering Effects.
Finalists for Best Visual Effects are selected by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee. Beginning with a long list of up to 20 titles, the committee then advances ten films to the shortlist.[12] Prior to the
83rd Academy Awards, only fifteen films were long-listed, and only seven films were shortlisted.[13] The full membership of the Visual Effects Branch is invited to view excerpts and is provided with supporting information at a "bake-off" where balloting determines the five nominees. These are the additional films that presented at the bake-off.
^The nomination for
Ralph Hammeras was not associated with any individual film.
^According to the Academy's in-house records, the nomination for
Nugent Slaughter was most often connected with The Jazz Singer. It is not considered an official nomination for that film.
^From 1939 until 1962, visual effects and sound effects artists competed in a combined Best Special Effects category.
^When nominations were announced on February 9, 1942, Dive Bomber was nominated in place of The Sea Wolf. Both were
Warner Bros. productions with photographic effects by
Byron Haskin and sound effects by
Nathan Levinson. By February 19, the Dive Bomber nomination was replaced with The Sea Wolf. The reason for the substitution is unknown.
^In 1957, The Enemy Below won the Best Special Effects Oscar for audible effects by
Walter Rossi. It was not cited for its visual effects.
^"89TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS OF MERIT"(PDF). oscars.org. 2016. RULE TWENTY-TWO SPECIAL RULES FOR THE VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD.
Archived(PDF) from the original on July 2, 2016. Five productions shall be selected using reweighted range voting to become the nominations for final voting for the Visual Effects award.