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Filmmakers are increasingly using previsualization, a now-standard technique for planning highly technical shots and sequences, as a tool for pitching a project to production companies, investors and studio executives — before a single full scene has actually been shot.

More creatives are relying on the technique, dubbed “pitchvis,” to fashion a compelling and engaging presentation to get a studio to greenlight a project, such as the recent James Cameron-produced anime adaptation “Alita: Battle Angel.”

“This was a new IP for film, different from properties the filmmakers had previously done,” says Austin Bonang, senior visualization supervisor at previs provider The Third Floor. “They wanted to demonstrate how a highly stylized IP could go more into real-world visuals, including CG characters in digital worlds like ‘Avatar,’ with ‘Avatar’-like techniques, but different and unique.”

Cameron, director Robert Rodriguez and producer John Landau brought in other key members of the creative team to...

From BAFTA to DGA, the Latest Winners this Awards Season

With the Oscars upon us, the awards season is almost over! But the last trek to the Academy Awards include many guild awards and of course, BAFTA! So here.s the latest congratulatory awards list of the winners from BAFTA to DGA, from Annie to Ace and everything in between!

Your full BAFTA winners (winners are highlighted):

Best Film

Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole

Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland

The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson

The Imitation Game Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman

The Theory Of Everything Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten

Director

Birdman Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Boyhood Richard Linklater

The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson

The Theory Of Everything James Marsh

Whiplash Damien Chazelle

Leading Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game

Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything...

The Visual Effects Society has announced the winners of the 13th Annual Ves Awards.

Comedian Patton Oswalt served as host to the more than 1000 guests gathered at the Beverly Hilton to celebrate VFX talent in 23 awards categories.

Big Hero 6 was the big winner of the evening garnering five awards. The teams from Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (feature film), Game of Thrones (broadcast) and Sse (commercial) led the wins in their respective categories, taking home three awards each.

Zoe Saldana made a crowd-pleasing presentation to her Star Trek: Into Darkness director, award-winning writer-director-producer J.J. Abrams, recipient of the Ves Visionary Award.

Winners of the 13th Annual Ves Awards are as follows:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Joe Letteri

Ryan Stafford

Matt Kutcher

Dan Lemmon

Hannah Bianchini

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects...

The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 13th Annual Ves awards "the prestigious yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials and video games and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on-the-keys artists who bring this work to life."

Ves members selected the nominees and Laika's "The Boxtrolls," Disney's "Big Hero 6," and Fox's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" topped the nominations receiving 5 nods each.

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) is a global professional honorary society and the entertainment industry's only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio executives, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers. Ves. almost 3,000 members in 33 countries worldwide contribute to all areas of entertainment . film, television, commercials, animation, music videos, games and new media. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Ves has member Sections in Australia, Bay Area (CA), London,...

The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominees for its 13th Annual Ves Awards, which recognize outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Among the nominees — Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, Maleficent, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies and X-Men: Days Of Future Past – for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture. The awards will be held February 4 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. See the complete list below.

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Joe Letteri

Ryan Stafford

Matt Kutcher

Dan Lemmon

Hannah Blanchini

Guardians of the Galaxy

Stephane Ceretti

Susan Pickett

Jonathan Fawkner

Nicolas Aithadi

Paul Corbould

Interstellar

Paul Franklin

Kevin Elam

Ann Podlozny

Andrew Lockley

Scott Fisher

Maleficent

Carey Villegas...