“The Creator” was the top feature-film winner at the Visual Effects Society’s 22nd annual VES Awards, which took place on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi film won five awards, including Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, the VES category that most closely corresponds to the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
It also won awards for its created environment, model, effects simulations and compositing & lighting.
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” swept the animated-feature categories, winning four awards, while other feature-film awards went to “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which won two, and “Nyad” and “Oppenheimer,” which won one each.
In the television categories, “The Last of Us” dominated with four awards, while “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” and “The Mandalorian” each received one.
In the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project, the result was a tie between “Postcard From Earth,” the immersive film directed by Darren Aronofsky and made for the Sphere venue in Las Vegas, and “Rembrandt Immersive Artwork.”
The film winner at the VES Awards has gone on to win the VFX Oscar 12 times in the last 21 years, but only three times in the last nine years and only once in a seven-year stretch between 2015 and 2021.
The ceremony took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by comedian and actor Jay Pharoah. The ceremony included the special presentation of the VES Award for Creative Excellence to “Star Trek” star William Shatner, while visual effects producer Joyce Cox received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award.
The winners:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “The Creator”
Jay Cooper
Julian Levi
Ian Comley
Charmaine Chan
Neil Corbould
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “Nyad”
Jake Braver
Fiona Campbell Westgate
R. Christopher White
Mohsen Mousavi
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Alan Hawkins
Christian Hejnal
Michael Lasker
Matt Hausman
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: “The Last of Us,” Season 1: “Infected”
Alex Wang
Sean Nowlan
Stephen James
Simon Jung
Joel Whist
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” Season 2: “BEAT LA”
Raymond McIntyre Jr.
Victor DiMichina
Javier Menéndez Platas
Damien Stantina
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project: “Alan Wake 2”
Janne Pulkkinen
Johannes Richter
Daniel Kończyk
Damian Olechowski
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial: Coca-Cola: “Masterpiece”
Ryan Knowles
Antonia Vlasto
Gregory McKneally
Dan Yargici
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
(tie)
“Postcard From Earth”
Aruna Inversin
Eric Wilson
Corey Turner
William George
“Rembrandt Immersive Artwork”
Andrew McNamara
Sebastian Read
Andrew Kinnear
Sam Matthews
Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”: Rocket
Nathan McConnel
Andrea De Martis
Antony Magdalinidis
Rachel Williams
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”: Spot
Christopher Mangnall
Craig Feifarek
Humberto Rosa
Nideep Varghese
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic or Real-Time Project: “The Last of Us,” “Endure & Survive”: Bloater
Gino Acevedo
Max Telfer
Dennis You
Fabio Leporelli
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature: “The Creator”: Floating Village
John Seru
Guy Williams
Vincent Techer
Timothée Maron
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature: “Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse”: Mumbattan City
Taehyun Park
YJ Lee
Pepe Orozco
Kelly Han
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic or Real-Time Project: “The Last of Us”: Post-Outbreak Boston
Melaina Mace
Adrien Lambert
Juan Carlos Barquet
Christopher Anciaume
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
Joanna Davison
Cheyana Wilkinson
Michael Cozens
Jason Desjarlais
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project: “The Creator”: Nomad
Oliver Kane
Mat Monro
Florence Green
Serban Ungureanu
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature: “The Creator”
Ludovic Ramisandraina
Raul Essig
Mathieu Chardonnet
Lewis Taylor
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Pav Grochola
Filippo Maccari
Naoki Kato
Nicola Finizio
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic or Real-Time Project: “The Mandalorian,” Season 3: Lake Monster Attack Water
Travis Harkleroad
Florian Witzel
Rick Hankins
Aron Bonar
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature: “The Creator”: Bar
Phil Prates
Min Kim
Nisarg Suthar
Toshiko Miura
Outstanding Compositing and Lighting in an Episode: “The Last of Us,” “Endure and Survive”: Infected Horde Battle
Matthew Lumb
Ben Roberts
Ben Campbell
Quentin Hema
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Commercial: Coca-Cola: “Masterpiece”
Ryan Knowles
Greg Mckneally
Taran Spear
Jordan Dunstall
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project: “Oppenheimer”
Scott Fisher
James Rollins
Mario Vanillo
Emerging Technology Award: “The Flash”: Volumetric Capture
Stephan Trojansky
Thomas Ganshorn
Oliver Pilarski
Lukas Lepicovsky
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project (award sponsored by Autodesk): “Silhouette”
Alexis Lafuente
Antoni Nicolaï
Chloé Stricher
Elliot Dreuille
