Every Best Visual Effects Winner Ever

This year's Oscar nominees have been announced! So time to update our VFX award video from last year. We have added the winner from last year, this year's nominees, and a whole bunch of great updates throughout the video entirely. Enjoy!

Burger Fiction: 

For the 1927/28 Academy awards, the award was for engineering effects. There was no award again until 1938 where it was called a special award "for outstanding achievement in creating special photographic and sound effects. The very next year the award was combined with sound effects and called the Award for Special Effects. It wasn't until 1963 that the award became the Award for Best Visual Effects (which it is still called today). It was given every year from 1963 to present, with the exception of 1973.

Web Origins Documentary: What Comes Next Is the Future

What Comes Next Is the Future is a documentary film about the web created by Bearded founder Matt Griffin. It is the story of Tim Berners-Lee’s creation – how it came to be, where it’s been, and where it’s going – as told by the people who build it. In the film, Griffin knits together a narrative by mining dozens of conversations with important figures from throughout the web’s history including Jeffrey Zeldman, Denise Jacobs, Tim Berners-Lee, Ethan Marcotte, Chris Wilson, Lyza Danger Gardner, Eric Meyer, Irene Au, Alex Russell, Trent Walton, Val Head, Jonathan Snook and many more. Twitter: @FutureIsNext @elefontpress @BeardedStudio Website: http://www.futureisnext.com/ IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6036786/

What Comes Next Is the Future is a documentary film about the web created by Bearded founder Matt Griffin. It is the story of Tim Berners-Lee’s creation – how it came to be, where it’s been, and where it’s going – as told by the people who build it. In the film, Griffin knits together a narrative by mining dozens of conversations with important figures from throughout the web’s history including Jeffrey Zeldman, Denise Jacobs, Tim Berners-Lee, Ethan Marcotte, Chris Wilson, Lyza Danger Gardner, Eric Meyer, Irene Au, Alex Russell, Trent Walton, Val Head, Jonathan Snook and many more.

Preposterous - A short film about absurdity

Preposterous is a short about absurdity, random short scenes that do not make any sense. Music by : Vic Mizzy © 2016 www.florentporta.com

In life, these things are certain: If a balloon lands on a cactus, it will pop. If you point a fan at a house of cards, the cards will fall. If you happen to drop a piece of toast, it will inevitably land jam-side down. (OK, so that last one isn’t always a given—but it definitely feels that way.)

These are a few of the inevitabilities that graphic designer Florent Porta subverts in his new film, Preposterous. “I really like old cartoons, humor, and absurd things,” he says. Set against sherbet colored backdrops, his 50-second animated short is full of expectation-defying moments crafted in Cinema 4D. Instead of the balloon popping, the cactus crumbles; instead of the cards falling, the fan blows itself backwards; miraculously, the piece of toast lands on its dry side.

Stephen Fry Hates Dancing

Lost Angeles-based filmmaker and dancer Jo Roy responds to Stephen Fry's tongue-in-cheek rant on his aversion to dance.

Stephen Fry Hates Dancing turns a monologue on the myriad ways in which the British comedian and actor hates rhythmic human movement into a strange celebration of the art through a spirited interpretive-dance reenactment/rebuttal. Directed, choreographed and performed by the US dancer and filmmaker Jo Roy, the result is a delightfully charged piece of performance art that’s utterly engaging, whichever side of the dance divide you tap your feet.

My Mutant Brain

Written & Directed by: Spike Jonze Actress: Margaret Qualley Executive Producer: Humberto Leon & Carol Lim Costumes: Heidi Bivens Song: Mutant Brain (feat. Assassin) by Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums Production Design: KK Barrett Director of Photography: Hoyte van Hoytema Choreographer: Ryan Heffington Editor: Eric Zumbrunnen Producers: Natalie Farrey and Vincent Landay for MJZ Co-Producer: Amanda Adelson Agency: Framework KENZO World - The new perfume created by Carol Lim & Humberto Leon and KENZO Parfums. Discover the film directed by Spike Jonze starring Margaret Qualley with an original track by Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums feat. Assassin “Mutant Brain”. Listen on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/MutantBrain.sp #KENZOWORLD

I've been somewhat obsessed with this short film by Spike Jonze since the moment I saw it first making its way through social networks. From the music and dance, to the filmmaking behind it, to the fact that it is an ad for perfume in the most non-traditional way possible. Mostly I keep re-watching trying to recapture the moments of surprise I experienced the first few times I saw it. That moment when your brain registers what is actually happening as she runs up those steps and there are reflections everywhere, was, is, so satisfying. 

The film is a creative relative to Jonze's music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice." Both of those films make me wish for a collaboration between Jonze, Qualley and Walken.   

Client: Kenzo
Kenzo CD/EPs: Carol Lim and Humberto Leon
Written & Directed by: Spike Jonze
Actress: Margaret Qualley
VFX: Digital Domain
VFX supervisor: Janelle Croshaw
Costumes: Heidi Bivens
Song: Mutant Brain (feat. Assassin) by Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums
Production Design: KK Barrett
Director of Photography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Choreographer: Ryan Heffington

Music video by Fatboy Slim performing Weapon Of Choice. (P) (C) 2003 Skint Records under exclusive license to Astralwerks. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured by Astralwerks, 104 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001