And the Oscar could go to … reusable cable-cutting devices for motion picture squibs, post-process depth of field software, layerable hierarchical 3D scene description frameworks or interactive renderers that provide a representative approximation of final offline renders during post-production.
Those are among the 10 areas that are being considered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, the Academy said Tuesday.
Rather than come out and name winners of the awards that are popularly known as the Sci-Tech Oscars, the Academy instead publicly names areas in which they believe that awards-worthy breakouts have been made. This process is designed to allow companies or individuals with claims of innovation in those areas to make their own claims for those awards, which will be voted on and announced in the fall and then handed out at the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Feb. 23, 2024.
From the AMPAS news release, here are the areas that are being considered by the sci-tech committee:
- Onboard remote driving apparatus
- Reusable cable-cutting devices for motion picture squibs
- Post-process depth of field software
- Mathematically lossless encoding of motion picture camera raw files
- Motor-stabilized motion picture camera support systems for hand/body-supported operation
- Interactive renderers that provide a representative approximation of final offline renders during post-production
- Volumetric surface reconstruction
- Pattern-based 3D clothing creation software
- Layerable hierarchical 3D scene description frameworks
- Digital image processing film restoration software utilized for theatrical re-release and archival preservation
Unlike the Oscars, the Sci-Tech Awards are not given out for achievements that take place in a specific year. The awards are handed out in three different forms, depending on the level of achievement: an Academy Award of Merit, for which the winner receives an Oscar statuette; a Scientific & Engineering Award, which brings a plaque; and a Technical Achievement Award, which comes in the form of a certificate.
