84th Oscar Visual Effects Updates (1/30/12)

I correctly predicted 4 out of the 5 nominees in this category (80%), with Real Steel being the film that I consistently underestimated. I missed it when they introduced both the long lists and the short lists, so perhaps there is something more there that I should be considering.

In the end, though, I think the real contenders are Apes, Potter and Hugo. In my opinion, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes deserves to win, and the attention that Andy Serkis has received this year could very well place it on top. Harry Potter, on the other hand, has the end of an era mystique to it. It also won the SAG’s stunt ensemble prize, which has nothing to do with the visual effects race per se, but does suggest a sort of broad support that could carry over. Hugo, on the other hand, is the only film in this category to also receive a best picture mention.



1. Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett for Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (Predicted Winner) (previous rank 1)
2. Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (previous rank 3)
3. Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning for Hugo (previous rank 2)
4. Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier for Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (previous rank 4)
5. Eric Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg for Real Steel (previous rank 9)

As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!
To see how I am doing in each race, check out my Track Record Page.
See Visual Effects predictions for other years HERE.
If you’re into visual effects, you might also like Cinematography and Film Editing.
See predictions for other categories at the 84th Oscars HERE.
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