VFXhack

Last night I attended the 6th annual VES Awards where geeks from around the globe throw on a Monkey Suit to pat each other on the back. Of course this mutual admiration is will deserved and all in all I had a fantastic time. I’m big on community and the best part of the evening for me was re-conecting with old friends and colleges and getting a chance to reflect over the VFX accomplishments of the last year and think about where our industry is heading in the future. Now, while everyone is gonna report on the winners and losers today, I thought I’d give you my favorite moments from the ceremony last night.

Eric Roth’s Opening Address

Eric Roth (Exec Director of the VES) opened the evening by making a few proclamations. First, there will be a VES handbook published this year which is sure to be a page turner. He also busted out with some industry predictions claiming that this will be the year that a studio will try to make a fully un-uncanny valley actor for a major motion picture. Roth also foretold the death of roto-scoping and other labor heavy compositing tasks due to advances in software. This prophesy brought a slight chill over the room, I guess some people were shaken by the idea that things as they are might change in the future.

Patton Oswald Presents

OK, everyone knows that I am a sick fanboy for Patton’s work as a stand-up comic. But he really brought the house down last night giving everyone a welcome break from the monotonous droning of the other presenters. He started off with a fake story about working with Steven Spielberg as a snake wrangler on Deul. His yarn began with an all night tequila binge with Lee Marvin and Karen Back and ended with Patton and S.S. tied together in a shirtless knife fight. During the fight Oswald suggests changing Steve’s original idea for villain in Jaws from a Grouper to Great White just before having is trapezius sliced. Patton ended the bit by looking at Spielberg and shouting “And you didn’t even take me with you!” Hilarious.

Everyone Thanks Their Wife

Every winner thanked there wives (or significant others) for putting up with the crap hours that it takes to do VFX. The wives looked a little uncomfortable during this public pseudo-appology, looking like inside they were thinking “Whatever dude, don’t think your getting out of hot water next time just cuz’ you thanked me at an awards ceremony”. It also brought into focus that there are way to few female artists and supervisors in VFX. Looking at the nominees and winners from last night, it seems to me that the VFX world is still an old boys club.

Spielberg Accepts and Comments

Steven Spielberg accepted a lifetime achievement award from the VES last night. He was gracious and articulate, recounting stories from his childhood of making VFX in his bedroom with just some black poster board, a Revell model spaceship and Super-8 camera. I thought is was great that he focused on the passion and creativity of making VFX and loved his suggestion that the VES start a new category for student work to recognize talent on it’s way up. His acceptance speech really brought everyone in the room back that that place that got them into VFX in the first place. That made the whole evening worth it for me.

Michael Bay Kinda Acts Like A Tool

After Spielberg’s stirring speech, Michael Bay came out to present. He told a story about working with Steven as a young turk. The 15 year old Bay had caught wind that his mentor was making a movie call Raiders Of The Lost Arc. After reading the script Bay promptly called all his friends claiming “This movie’s gonna suck!”. Obviously, he thought this was a funny anecdote and played it for laughs. But it just came off as kind of a jerky move right after the guy got a lifetime achievement award. It just shows you that success does not equate with good taste.

LINK to PDF of the 6th annual VES Awards Winners

Filed under “Thank you, Captain Obvious”, ABC Australia reported on a study yesterday that scientists have proven once and for all that, get this, eating junk food makes you feel better but is still really bad for you. I believe that these fine men and women of the University of New South Wales didn’t have to go through all the trouble of carefully designing and carrying a rigorous scientific study to get this information. All they really had to do was visit the kitchen counters and cabinets of a VFX house. Visual Effects companies have known for years that a good stock of crap food is essential for the running of a smooth operation. Got yelled at by client? A coupla’-five bite size Snickers will fix you up real nice. About to throw yourself off the nearest, highest edifice because a client un-finaled a dozen or so shots causing you to cancel that ski trip you’ve been planning for months? Well, does the phrase “Hey, pizza rolls and mini corn-dogs are up!” make you feel any better? Heck, I think some places would put heroin in the York Peppermint Patties if they could get away with it.

The fact is, that we are a young industry and I think we haven’t seen the full effects of what three weeks of ingesting nothing but coffee and hot pockets can do to a person. I know it’s tough, I think I’ve eaten at least four and half pounds of trail mix for each week of the writer’s strike, but I’ve found a stroll around the building can clear the mind better than a package of Kraft’s Cheese ‘N Crackers. So do yourself a favor, skip a snack or two, we all could stand to reduce the size of our chewy liquid center just a little bit.

LINK to the ABC news story