Life of Pi has taken the top prize at the Visual Effects Society Awards, tying with Brave and Game of Thrones with four awards in total.
Among its awards, Life of Pi was honored for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture, while director Ang Lee also received the VES Visionary Award, presented by visual effects designer Dennis Muren. Actor Harrison Ford also presented veteran visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund with the VES Lifetime Achievement Award.
Disney-Pixar's Brave scooped the animated film categories while HBO series Game of Thrones dominated the TV categories.
However, Australian effects company Fuel VFX lost out in both categories it was nominated in: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture and Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture for its work on Prometheus (both categories won by Life of Pi).
The Winners
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
LIFE OF PI
Donald R. Elliott
Susan Macleod
Guillaume Rocheron
Bill Westenhofer
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
THE IMPOSSIBLE
Felix Bergés
Sandra Hermida
Pau Costa Moeller
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
BRAVE
Mark Andrews
Steve May
Katherine Sarafian
Bill Wise
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
GAME OF THRONES: Volar Morghulis
Rainer Gombos
Steve Kullback
Sven Martin
Juri Stanossek
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
BOARDWALK EMPIRE: Episode 308
John Bair
Parker Chehak
Paul Graff
Lesley Robson-Foster
Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II
Jason Blundell
Barry Whitney
Colin Whitney
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Nike: BIOMORPH
Rafael Colon
Aladino Debert
David Liu
Nicola Wiseman
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
DESPICABLE ME: MINION MAYHEM
Heather Drummons
Joel Friesch
Brooke Breton
Chris Bailey
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
LIFE OF PI: Richard Parker
Erik De Boer
Sean Comer
Betsy Asher Hall
Kai-Hua Lan
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
BRAVE: Merida
Travis Hathaway
Olivier Soares
Peter Sumanaseni
Brian Tindall
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
GAME OF THRONES: Training the Dragons
Irfan Celik
Florian Friedmann
Ingo Schachner
Chris Stenner
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
THE AVENGERS: Midtown Manhattan
Richard Bluff
Barry Williams
David Meny
Andy Proctor
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
BRAVE: The Forest
Tim Best
Steve Pilcher
Inigo Quilez
Andrew Whittock
Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
GAME OF THRONES: Pyke
Rene Borst
Thilo Ewers
Adam Figielski
Jonas Stuckenbrock
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
Matt Aitken
Victor Huang
Christian Rivers
R. Christopher White
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
ZombiU
Dominique Boidin
Léon Bérelle
Rémi Kozyra
Maxime Luère
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
THE AVENGERS: Helicarrier
Rene Garcia
Bruce Holcomb
Polly Ing
Aaron Wilson
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
LIFE OF PI: Storm of God
Harry Mukhopadhyay
David Stopford
Mark Williams
Derek Wolfe
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
BRAVE
Chris Chapman
Dave Hale
Michael K. O'Brien
Bill Watral
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
Guinness: CLOUD
Tom Bussell
Neil Davies
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
LIFE OF PI: Storm of God
Ryan Clarke
Jose Fernandez
Sean Oharas
Hamish Schumacher
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program
GAME OF THRONES, Episode 210: White Walker Army
Falk Boje
Esther Engel
Alexey Kuchinsky
Klaus Wuchta
Outstanding Compositing in a Commercial
Chevy 2012 Silverado
Dominik Bauch
Nicholas Kim
Benjamin Walsh
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
NATALIS
Daniel Brkovic
David Kirchner
Jan-Marcel Kuehn
Tom Ferstl