The seven films in the running for the FX Oscar

[Bishbot]

District 9's effects were kickass, probably second only to Avatar this year, and maybe surpassing it now and then in terms simple verisimilitude rather than simple breathtaking beauty. Did anyone else notice, however, that they seemed to have borrowed the look and expressiveness of the aliens' faces from the movie version of Bumblebee from Transformers? I swear they have practically the same face (transposed from robot to insect).

Avatar to win
District 9 and Transformers 2 to run up. IMO Transformers 2 won't be nominated, but that will be simple critic prejudice.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

IMO Transformers 2 won't be nominated, but that will be simple critic prejudice.

The nominations are determined by the FX branch of the Academy, so critical acclaim, or lack thereof, shouldn't be too much of a factor.

If Star Trek does score an FX nomination it'll be the second Trek film to do so, Star Trek: The Motion Picture being the first and, so far, only film in the series to be so nominated. The last time a Trek film got any nominations was the Best Makeup nomination for Star Trek: First Contact. To date, no Trek film has ever won an Oscar.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Avatar to win
District 9 and Transformers 2 to run up. IMO Transformers 2 won't be nominated, but that will be simple critic prejudice.

IIRC, in the nominations round, only people who work in that category can nominate films, so the three final nominees will be decided by other visual effects artists. The voting won't be open to the entire Academy until they're doing the final ballot for Oscar night.

 

[Bishbot]

Avatar to win
District 9 and Transformers 2 to run up. IMO Transformers 2 won't be nominated, but that will be simple critic prejudice.

IIRC, in the nominations round, only people who work in that category can nominate films, so the three final nominees will be decided by other visual effects artists. The voting won't be open to the entire Academy until they're doing the final ballot for Oscar night.

Ah ok, well that probably explains The Golden Compass then.

 

[USS Mariner]

More than likely, it'll be Avatar, Trek, then District 9.

D9 had far better effects, but Trek's marketing campaign will probably push it ahead, even though most of the work was comparatively subpar.

Oh wait, I'm sorry, money has nothing to do with awards or nominations.

 

[Trent Roman]

Trek's FX were done well, but they were hampered by Abrams' choice to obscure everything with idiotic lens flares. Unfortunately, that made Trek, to me, the most visually unappealing film I've seen in years - the cinematography was so conceitedly clichéd that it makes an average-at-best film mostly unwatchable.

This is how I feel about the FX as well. If you can't see them, what's the point? Shining a light in the audience's face every minute is not 'style', nor is it even innovative since he'd already started doing that elsewhere (MI:3, for instance) and just ran it into the ground here.

I think the real question here is whether or not the judges for the categories take into account only the finished product, the film itself, or all the behind-the-scenes work that went into it. If the former, Trek and Transformers are basically screwed as the ugly, jerky presentation obscures the quality of the FX.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[JacksonArcher]

I loved the lens flares. A Trek film with some style...who woulda' thunk it?

I agree. I also love how the visual effects purposely included some of Abrams' directorial flourishes. It made the transition from live-action to visual effect that much more seamless.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

If Avatar gets in, Transformers 2 has to get in. Both of them focused heavily on special effects with a thin script, thin plot, and a very thin acting group but that's not what FX is.

 

[JacksonArcher]

To date, no Trek film has ever won an Oscar.

That brings a tear to me eye.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

To date, no Trek film has ever won an Oscar.

That brings a tear to me eye.

It would mine as well if any of them had been, you know, Oscar worthy. Even we fans have to admit that only half of them are really any good.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

There have been elements of Trek films that were Oscar-worthy. For example, Jerry Goldsmith would have been a deserving winner for Best Original Score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (he was nominated, but lost to Georges Delerue for A Little Romance).

 

[JacksonArcher]

To date, no Trek film has ever won an Oscar.

That brings a tear to me eye.

It would mine as well if any of them had been, you know, Oscar worthy. Even we fans have to admit that only half of them are really any good.

I think Star Trek II and Star Trek IV were pretty Oscar-worthy, if anything for the special effects, scores, make-up, and I know this is going to be a stretch but screenplay as well.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Here are the Oscar nominations scored by Trek films, along with the competing films in those categories in each respective year:

1979

Best Art Decoration

Alien
All That Jazz (winner)
Apocalypse Now
The China Syndrome
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Best Original Score

10
The Amityville Horror
The Champ
A Little Romance (winner)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Best Visual Effects

1941
Alien (winner)
The Black Hole
Moonraker
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

1986

Best Cinematography

The Mission (winner)
Peggy Sue Got married
Platoon
A Room with a View
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Best Original Score

Aliens
Hoosiers
The Mission
'Round Midnight (winner)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Best Sound

Aliens
Heartbreak Ridge
Platoon (winner)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Top Gun

Best Sound Effects Editing

Aliens (winner)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Top Gun

1991

Best Makeup

Hook
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (winner)

Best Sound Effects Editing

Backdraft
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (winner)

1996

Best Makeup

Ghosts of Mississippi
The Nutty Professor (winner)
Star Trek: First Contact

 

[JacksonArcher]

Wow, comprehensive list. Thanks, Out Of My Vulcan Mind!

 

[cardinal biggles]

And to be honest, I can't argue against any of the winners; I haven't seen 'Round Midnight, so I can't say whether it has a better score than The Voyage Home, but The Mission certainly did (and I'm surprised that it wasn't the winner).

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

District 9 had great effects also, especially since its budget was tiny (in comparison to other sci-fi alien movies). But yes, Avatar WAS a gigantic amazing special effect essentially. It should and will win.

 

[melancholymecha]

I hope District 9 gets a makeup nod too.
I was in love with Sharlto's awesomely juicy alien claw

 

[Tom Servo]

Trek's FX were done well, but they were hampered by Abrams' choice to obscure everything with idiotic lens flares. Unfortunately, that made Trek, to me, the most visually unappealing film I've seen in years - the cinematography was so conceitedly clichéd that it makes an average-at-best film mostly unwatchable. Personally, I think it unfair that ILM had to work so hard to make FX that most people couldn't even see, all because of Abrams' stupidity.

It was not stupidity, it was a stylistic choice, one that gave the film a very interesting and unique look. Not once did I have the jarring feeling that I got whenever I saw a CG shot in any of the Star Wars prequels. While that can also be attributed to more advanced VFX work, but I also think that it has to do with Abrams direction, and stylistic choices made by Abrams and the VFX supervisor.

You may disagree with the lens flare use, but they were in no way stupid. They were a deliberate choice by the director and cinematographer to be used in the film.