15 Compete for VFX Oscar Race

15 Compete for VFX Oscar Race
The list of films qualifying for the VFX Oscar has been narrowed to 15. Not too many surprises. All of the usual suspects are there, with the likely contenders consisting of Captain America: The First Avenger, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
The Tree of Life happily made the cut for its spectacular birth of the universe sequence, yet Anonymous did not for its superb virtual recreation of Elizabethan London. Also, The Adventures of Tintin was overlooked. Then again, it’s competing in the animation race, which was probably a major factor.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
• “Captain America: The First Avenger”
• “Cowboys & Aliens”
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
• “Hugo”
• “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
• “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
• “Real Steel”
• “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
• “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
• “Sucker Punch”
• “Super 8″
• “Thor”
• “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
• “The Tree of Life”
• “X-Men: First Class”
In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive committee, who selected the 15 films, will narrow the list to 10.
All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to the annual bakeoff to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Thursday, Jan. 19. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by ABC. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.