DNEG takes home three prizes at the Visual Effects Society Awards

Member News  |  26 February 2024

The visual effects leader was honoured with awards for its work on The Last of Us and Nyad.

Nyad
Image Courtesy of DNEG © 2023 Netflix

DNEG, a world-leading visual entertainment services company, has announced that its teams were recognized by the Visual Effects Society (VES) with three awards at the 22nd Annual VES Awards, which took place on 21 February 2024 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

DNEG and its teams were honored for their work on The Last of Us and Nyad. These VES Awards add to an expansive list of industry honors received by DNEG visual effects and animation experts, bringing DNEG’s all-time VES Awards count to 22.

The Last of Us
Image Courtesy of DNEG © 2023 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DNEG’s work on the HBO drama The Last of Us earned recognition for ‘Outstanding Visual Effects In A Photoreal Episode’ as well as for ‘Outstanding Created Environment In An Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, Or Real-Time Project.’ Earlier this year, DNEG’s Stephen James and Nick Marshall were part of the Emmy Award-winning team for ‘Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie’ on The Last of Us at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Nyad
Image Courtesy of DNEG © 2023 Netflix

DNEG also received the prestigious award for ‘Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects In A Photoreal Feature’ for its work on Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s Nyad. Led by DNEG VFX Supervisor Mohsen Mousavi, VFX Executive Producer Vera Zivny and VFX Producer Darren Spence, DNEG contributed to over 225 shots across 13 sequences as the show’s lead VFX partner. The team created a completely photo-realistic simulated ocean surface across a large body of shots in 4K resolution. From envisioning the water as the third character in the narrative to seamlessly replacing water in close-up shots while preserving the actor’s performance, DNEG’s meticulous attention to detail ensured that every frame vividly portrayed Nyad’s breath-taking journey. Additionally, DNEG worked on the development of CG hero assets including the digital double of Diana Nyad, the voyager boat, kayaks and jellyfish.

The Last of Us
Image Courtesy of DNEG © 2023 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

It’s always an incredible honor for the work of our global teams to be recognized by our peers, and I want to thank everyone at the Visual Effects Society for this appreciation of their work. DNEG’s promise is to always deliver the highest quality work for our clients, and I continue to remain in awe of the creativity and the collaborative spirit of our teams. Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees, to the rest of tonight’s winners – and to the VES for this wonderful celebration of the best of our craft.

Namit Malhotra, CEO at DNEG

DNEG’s complete list of 2024 VES Awards includes:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode

  • Winner: The Last of Us – Alex Wang, Sean Nowlan, Stephen James, Simon Jung, Joel Whist

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic, or Real-Time Project

  • Winner: The Last of Us; Post-Outbreak Boston – Melaina Mace, Adrien Lambert, Juan Carlos Barquet, Christopher Anciaume

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

  • Winner: Nyad Jake Braver, Fiona Campbell Westgate, R. Christopher White, Mohsen Mousavi

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