All articles tagged with #visual effects
A new io9 video details the cutting-edge VFX and production tricks behind Ryan Coogler’s vampire film Sinners, including a camera rig that lets Michael B. Jordan play two characters on screen; with 16 Oscar nominations, the film’s visual effects are strong and could win tech awards even as competition remains stiff.
Avatar: Fire and Ash dominated the 24th Visual Effects Society Awards with seven wins, including Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, while Netflix/Sony Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters captured three awards in animation; other honors went to Sinners for Supporting Visual Effects, The Wizard of Oz at Sphere for a Special Venue Project, and industry veterans Jerry Bruckheimer (Lifetime Achievement) and Richard Taylor (Visionary Award).
The Visual Effects Society announced the 2026 VES Awards nominees across 25 categories. Avatar: Fire and Ash leads with 10 nominations, including outstanding visual effects in a photoreal feature, with F1: The Movie, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, and How To Train Your Dragon also in the top photoreal feature category. Animated features KPop Demon Hunters, Elio, and Zootopia 2 each earned five nominations, while Netflix’s Stranger Things, The Last of Us, and Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age lead the episodic nominations with four each. Winners will be unveiled Feb. 25 at The Beverly Hilton; Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and Sir Richard Taylor the Visionary Award.
Avatar: Fire and Ash headlines the 2026 Visual Effects Society nominations with 10 nods across eight categories, facing competition from F1: The Movie, The Lost Bus, Jurassic World: Rebirth and How to Train Your Dragon; animated titles KPop Demon Hunters, Elio and Zootopia 2 also earned multiple noms, while Stranger Things, The Last of Us and Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age pace the TV field; the 24th VES Awards are set for February 25 at the Beverly Hilton, continuing a pattern where VES winners often align with the FX Oscar.
Fans of Stranger Things Season 5 criticize its production quality, citing cheap visual effects, overuse of green screens, and a generally low-budget appearance despite the show's high budget, leading to complaints about the series' cinematic quality.
'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is an improved and more focused installment in the franchise, featuring spectacular action sequences and advanced visuals, though it no longer offers the visual novelty of previous films. The story centers on Jake Sully's quest for revenge and introduces new characters and conflicts, maintaining Cameron's signature blend of immersive spectacle and storytelling, despite feeling somewhat familiar.
'Avatar: Fire And Ash' is a thrilling, visually stunning war epic set in Pandora, continuing the story with intense action, emotional family dynamics, and new threats from the Ash People and RDA, led by James Cameron's signature spectacle and compelling characters.
Tron: Ares is a safe, visually impressive Disney sci-fi film that follows the battle between two companies over the digital world, featuring a transformation of the character Ares and notable performances, especially by Jared Leto, with a focus on themes of technology and life. It is fun and visually stunning but lacks the edginess of previous Tron films, offering a familiar and formulaic experience.
Microsoft acknowledges that features like OneDrive syncing and visual effects in Windows 11/10 can slow down PCs, and suggests disabling or pausing these features to improve performance.
James Cameron discusses the re-release of 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' the upcoming 'Fire and Ash' film, his views on AI's role in art, and his creative process, emphasizing the importance of artists over AI in filmmaking.
The Backstreet Boys' new residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas is a groundbreaking concert experience inspired by science fiction, featuring a cohesive space-themed story, innovative visuals, and effects influenced by iconic sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Blade Runner, and The Matrix, creating a highly praised immersive show that celebrates 20 years of their album Millennium.
At SDCC 2025, the team behind the upcoming film 'Project Hail Mary' revealed their innovative depiction of Rocky, an alien with no face or features, using a blend of practical puppetry and visual effects, emphasizing empathy and creative challenges in bringing the character to life, with the film set to release on March 20, 2026.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos highlights that AI will enhance the quality of movies and TV shows by expanding creative possibilities and improving production efficiency, as demonstrated by projects like the Argentine sci-fi series 'El Eternauta' which used AI-powered visual effects to achieve faster and cost-effective results.
James Gunn based the computer-generated superhero dog Krypto on his own unruly rescue dog Ozu, using a 3-D scan and footage of Ozu acting naturally, to create a more authentic and relatable character for the 'Superman' movie, with plans for Krypto's future roles.
The article discusses Eliza McNitt’s short film Ancestra, created using AI models from Google, highlighting both the potential and current limitations of generative AI in filmmaking. While AI helped reduce production costs and team size, it also raises concerns about job displacement and the technology's current inability to produce compelling narrative art. The film serves as a showcase for AI's capabilities and limitations, emphasizing that the technology is still in its early stages and primarily used for hype rather than groundbreaking cinematic storytelling.