DNEG, a leading technology-enabled visual effects (VFX) and animation studio for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content, received seven Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards at the 20th Annual VES Awards which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Framestore, a multi award-winning creative studio working across film, episodic, commercials, theme park attractions and immersive entertainment, bagged four awards at this year’s prestigious award ceremony.
“Thank you to the Visual Effects Society for honoring the incredible work of our teams and congratulations to all of our winners, collaborators, global teams and clients on this epic achievement. “It is important to note that these projects were all in production during the pandemic. Despite the challenges of finding new ways of working in this incredibly difficult time for the world, DNEG has produced work of a quality that has been recognized as outstanding by the VES – an industry body that provides a detailed and comprehensive gauge of the technology and artistry that makes this work so special. This, alongside the unprecedented number of awards that we won last night, is a massive testament to the capabilities of our teams, and the trust of our customers that DNEG will always deliver their vision to the highest possible standard. It is also a huge validation of DNEG’s ambitious growth plans as we go from strength-to-strength, scaling our business, and delivering great results across all of our global teams,” said DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra.
“This year’s nominations spoke to the tremendous breadth of Framestore’s work and the incredible talent of our artists, producers and technologists. Walking away with four awards across film, advertising and rides is a brilliant achievement, showcasing not just the incredible variety of projects we work on but also our capacity to deliver showstopping, award-winning work for every possible client or venue. A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees,” said Framestore CEO Sir William Sargent.
Four of DNEG’s seven awards honored DNEG’s VFX work on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, including the main award for ‘Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature,’ which was presented by Villeneuve himself. DNEG also received two awards for its work on the Apple TV+ drama Foundation, as well as the award for ‘Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature’ for DNEG’s VFX work on Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
This year’s seven VES awards bring DNEG’s all-time total to 18.
DNEG’s complete 2022 Visual Effects Society Award winners are:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature-
[WINNER:] Dune – Paul Lambert, Brice Parker, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature-
[WINNER:] Last Night in Soho – Tom Proctor, Gavin Gregory, Julian Gnass, Fabricio Baessa
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode-
[WINNER:] Foundation; The Emperor’s Peace – Chris MacLean, Addie Manis, Mike Enriquez, Chris Keller, Paul Byrne
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project-
[WINNER:] Dune; Royal Ornithopter – Marc Austin, Anna Yamazoe, Michael Chang, Rachael Dunk
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature-
[WINNER:] Dune; Dunes of Arrakis – Gero Grimm, Ivan Larinin, Hideki Okano, Zuny An
Outstanding Effects Simulation in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project-
[WINNER:] Foundation; Collapse of the Galactic Empire – Giovanni Casadei, Mikel Zuloaga, Steven Moor, Louis Manjarres
Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature-
[WINNER:] Dune; Attack on Arrakeen – Gregory Haas, Francesco Dell’Anna, Abhishek Chaturvedi, Cleve Zhu
DNEG served as lead VFX partner on each of the above projects, with work completed throughout its worldwide studios.
Even Framestore received accolades for their marvelous work in various categories at the 20th Annual VES Awards. Their ten nominations spanned film, advertising and theme park rides, highlighting the rich breadth of the Oscar, Emmy and Cannes Lions-winning studio’s work and varied client base. This achievement was bolstered yet further by a nomination for Method Studios, whose film and episodic teams in Vancouver, Melbourne and Montreal are now part of Framestore.
The company brought home awards in the following categories:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial-
SHEBA; Hope Reef (Grant Walker, Sophie Harrison, Hernan Llano, Michael Baker)
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project-
SHEBA; Hope Reef (Henrique Campanha, Baptiste Roy, Luca Veronese, Timothee Maron)
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project-
JURASSIC WORLD ADVENTURE (Eugénie von Tunzelmann, Maximilian McNair MacEwan, Stephen Goalby, Brad Silby)
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature-
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME; The Mirror Dimension (Eric Le Dieu de Ville, Thomas Dotheij, Ryan Olliffe, Claire Le Teuff)
The year 2022 sees a period of ambitious growth for the company, as it integrates Method Studios’ film and episodic teams in Vancouver, Melbourne and Montreal and brings these talented artists within Framestore’s established pipeline. At the same time, the company is doubling the size of its newest studio in Mumbai, while expanding its successful pre-production services division.