Visual Effects Society

When it comes to Visual Effects for the 2013 calendar year, there's Gravity and then there's everything else and this year it will just have to be a honor to be nominated for everything other than the grand space opera.  To the surprise of no one, Gravity led the field with six wins from the Visual Effects Society onward to it's forthcoming inevitable Oscar win.

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A VISUAL EFFECTS-DRIVEN MOTION PICTURE
Gravity

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS
The Lone Ranger

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER   
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- Smaug

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT
Gravity- Exterior

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT (Animated Feature)
Frozen- Elsa's Ice Palace

OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
Gravity

OUTSTANDING MODELS
Gravity- ISS Exterior

OUTSTANDING FX AND SIMULATION ANIMATION
Gravity- Parachute and ISS Destruction

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING
Gravity

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING (Animated Feature)
Frozen- Elsa's Blizzard  

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: John Dykstra
VISIONARY AWARD: Alfonso Cuarón

VES Awards

The Visual Effects Society favored Life of Pi and Brave.  The Visual Effects Academy Award looks like a virtual lock for Ang Lee's oceanic adventure.

VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN EFFECTS DRIVE FILM
Life of Pi

OUTSTANDING ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FILM
Brave

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS
The Impossible

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A LIVE ACTION FILM
Life of Pi- Richard Parker

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FILM
Brave- Merida

OUTSTANDING FX/SIMULATION IN A LIVE ACTION FILM
Life of Pi- Storm of God

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A LIVE ACTION FILM
Marvel's The Avengers- Midtown Manhattan

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FILM
Brave- The Forest

OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING
Life of Pi- Storm of God

OUTSTANDING MODELS
Marvel's The Avengers- Helicarrier

OUTSTANDING FX/SIMULATION IN AN ANIMATED FILM
Brave

Two hiss fit points on Visual Effects.  Firstly, the Academy's saddening rejection of The Impossible with its bravura tsunami sequence-- a brilliant display of visual effects as storytelling, a point made even more shameless with the inclusion of the weaker, but similar Academy-approved take in Clint Eastwood's wan Hereafter a few year back.  The second one is a bit more complex, and likely involves a great deal more in the politics of rewarding the best in filmmaking than the actual fruits of the labor itself.  It was unsurprising that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would make the cut-- a clearly a deserving one considering the immense visual achievement, but the horror or shrieks come from the fact the film, a deviation of the already hugely honored Lord of the Rings films was shortlisted without actually being viewed by its jury.  That's shameful!