The night started well at restaurant Kate Mantilini just a couple of doors down from the Oscar Bake Off screening. The traditional pre and post show party at the famous restaurant was completely packed (see right).

There was an honor roll of visual effects artists and senior vfx supervisors on hand including (but not limited to) Ken Ralston, Michael Fink, John Knoll, Price Pethel, Chris Watts, Rick Baker, John Landis, Michael Bay, John Dykstra, Leigh Pesqueira and the evening was hosted by Bill Taylor – of Illusion Arts fame.

The seven films invited to the bakeoff were selected by the 48 people steering committee members from around 360 eligible films.

For our point of view fxguide was left with two primary issues:

1) The format of the bakeoff is a short five mins introduction, a clip reel from the film and then just three mins of questions per film.

The primary problem with the bake off format is that the presenting potential nominees are not allowed to show an effects reel, just clips from the finished film. Now even with the superb projection and audio reproduction at the screening, it is just near impossible to see the hundreds of effects shots in say Bourne Ultimatum. The work is just so seamless that while we were told there were effects such as digital cars etc – the work was so good – no one we spoke to could pick them. But with this translate into a nomination ? How can the work be compared to the more obvious visual effects of Pirates or Transformers fairly? It is not that the later are ‘bad’ effects (the exact opposite) – it is just that one knows a 50ft robot is an effects shot – but one could be forgiven for thinking that – maybe Matt Damon is just that good a driver ! Should the Bourne Ultimatum team be punished as their work is so hard to find visually?

2) In so many of the films – from Compass to Pirates, from Legend to Transformers, the visual effects crews were providing the supporting actor(s). In so many of last nights films, the visual effects were not only creating impressive environments – but actually providing entire cast members often with large supporting roles. While one could argue that in full animated films, digital character fill the leading cast roles, the characters in films like Pirates blend perfectly with the live action cast to deliver amazingly strong ‘performances’.

And for the record: The quote of the evening had to go to John Knoll while discussing the vast amount of water simulation ILM faced for Pirates 3 : “as many of you know it hard to make water look just not terrible yet alone good…”

UPDATE:
Thanks to a reader we should amend our comments to point out that all members of the Visual Effects branch are sent additional material the week before the Bakeoff. These materials allow all potential nominees to write in-depth discussions about how the effects were done for the film.
In the past for example there have been special Cinefex reprints of just that film’s article when the film has been featured.
– fxg