2019 Oscar Nominees for Best Visual Effects - Where Did They Go To School?

The Visual Effects Oscar race is one of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated competitions. And with VFX royalty such as Marvel Studios and Steven Spielberg competing for the title, this year’s race is tight.

While the world waits to see which film will win the coveted golden statuette, we would like to give you a little background on this year’s nominees. All of these award-winning artists made it to where they are today with a tremendous amount of talent and imagination, plus a little help from some of the world’s best schools.

Let’s take a look at some of the schools, programs and people that helped this year’s VFX nominees make it all the way to the 91st Annual Academy Awards.

2019 Oscar Nominees for Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Infinity War

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Kelly Port, Russell Earl, Dan Sudick and Dan DeLeeuw

Kelly Port holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from UCLA and he has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences since 2008. He has contributed to more than 27 films in his 24 years at Digital Domain. As a Visual Effects Supervisor, in addition to Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Port oversaw work on Star Trek (2009), Thor (2011), Maleficent (2014), and Beauty and the Beast (2017), among other films. Kelly Port has contributed his talents to many other films including Apollo 13 (1995), Titanic (1997), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), King Kong (2005), and Stealth (2005).

Russell Earl holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While in college, Earl interned at VIFX and contributed to feature films such as Patriot Games (1992), Batman Returns (1992), and Toys (1992). He is also known for his work on Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), which was awarded the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2006. Russell Earl has been nominated for three Academy Awards.

Dan Sudick and his VFX team were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Iron Man 3 (2013), and Iron Man (2008). Sudick is also known for his work on Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), The Avengers (2012), and most recently, Black Panther (2018), where he served as Special Effects Supervisor. Education information for Dan Sudick was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Dan Deleeuw began his visual effects career in 1992 at Dream Quest Images and then joined the teams of Rhythm & Hues. DeLeeuw is known for his work on Armageddon (1998), Iron Man 3 (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). Education information for Dan Deleeuw was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Christopher Robin

Chris Corbould, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Christopher Lawrence

Chris Corbould “bunked off school” at age 16 to help on the filming of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, according to the Telegraph. “He never returned to class, instead taking up what he says was a “lucky” apprenticeship for a special effects firm based in Pinewood,” UK. Though he did not graduate from college, Corbould has been awarded two Honorary Doctorates from Southampton Solent University (UK) and University of Hertfordshire (UK).

Corbould is best known for the action scenes on some 11 James Bond films since the early 1980s, as well as his work on The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Corbould received an Oscar nomination for The Dark Knight and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 83rd Academy Awards for his work on Inception.

Michael Eames is Global Director of Animation at Framestore in the UK. He began his career in 2D animation before heading to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to work on films such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Later at Framestore, Eames was Animation Supervisor on the celebrated TV series Dinotopia (2002). His list of credits Framestore and other studios also include several Harry Potter and Narnia films, Children of Men (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015).

Education information for Michael Eames was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Theo Jones is CG Supervisor at Framestore New York. He joined the company in 2003 as Technical CG Artists. Jones is known for his work on Troy (2004), Doom (2005), and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Education information for Theo Jones was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Christopher Lawrence is a visual effects supervisor, who, along with his VFX team, won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the 2013 film Gravity. In 2016, Lawrence received his second Academy Award nomination for his work on the film The Martian. Lawrence is also known for his work on Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Education information for Christopher Lawrence was unavailable at the time this article was published.

First Man WINNER!

Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm

Paul Lambert is VFX Supervisor at Double Negative (DNG) in Vancouver, Canada. He is best known for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Mission: Impossible II (2000), TRON: Legacy (2010), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), for which he received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Education information for Paul Lambert was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Ian Hunter grew up in Los Angeles, a son of artists. He says that he “had always been interested in working on films and literally answered a want ad in the Los Angeles Times looking for model makers, which was a skill I had having worked at an aerospace mode company.” The ad was to work on the models for James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989). Today, Hunter is Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-founder of New Deal Studios (NDS). He won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the 2014 film Interstellar.

Education information for Ian Hunter was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Tristan Myles is VFX Supervisor at DNEG. He is known for his work on Children of Men (2016), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Interstellar (2014), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), for which he received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Education information for Myles was unavailable at the time this article was published.

J.D. Schwalm is known for his work on Ted 2 (2015), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out (2016), The Jungle Book (2016), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and The Fate of the Furious (2017). Education information for Schwalm was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Ready Player One 

Matthew E. Butler, Grady Cofer, David Shirk and Roger Guyett

Matthew E. Butler holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Manchester UK and an Master of Science (MS) in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and is best known for his work on Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), which earned him an Academy Award nomination as well as Apollo 13 (1995), Titanic (1997), Fight Club (1999), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Vanilla Sky (2001), xXx (2002), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

Grady Cofer attended UCLA from 1993-1995. He is a Visual Effects Supervisor at ILM. Cofer is known for his work on Star Trek (2009) and Battleship (2012), and he was instrumental in Darren Aronofsky’s vision on the critically acclaimed and visually unique film, Noah (2014). Cofer oversaw the creation sequence, a depiction of evolution told in a kinetic time lapse. The sequence, over a year in the making, earned Cofer a nomination from the Visual Effects Society for Outstanding Created Environment.

David Shirk studied Fine Art and Film at Pratt Institute in New York City. Shirk initially joined ILM as an animator in 2004 and after several years he departed to work as an associate Animation Supervisor for Robert Zemeckis at Image Movers Digital for two films and then to London as Animation Director for Framestore on Alfonso Cuaron’s 2013 film Gravity. The film won him an array of accolades in the visual effects community including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Visual Effects.

Shirk is also known for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Island (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Transformers (2007), and Elysium (2013).

Roger Guyett has been in the entertainment industry since the 1980s. He began his career in London doing TV commercials and moved to the U.S. in 1993. He joined ILM in 1994 and currently serves as Visual FX Supervisor and Second Unit Director. Guyett’s credits include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2001), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Star Trek into Darkness (2013), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), Star Trek into Darkness (2013), and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), to name a few.

Education information for Roger Guyett was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Patrick Tubach, Dominic Tuohy, Rob Bredow and Neal Scanlan

Patrick Tubach graduated summa cum laude from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas with a BA in Communications, and although much of his schooling centered on cShow Formatting optionsreative writing and journalism, his lifelong interest in film led him to Los Angeles, where he began his visual effects career at Kodak’s Cinesite. Tubach is a Visual Effects Supervisor at ILM, and he is known for his work on Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015).

Dominic Tuohy has 22 years of experience in Special Effects, beginning his career at Effects Associates in 1984 and moving on to work as a Special Effects Supervisor. Tuohy is known for his work on Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Based at Pinewood Studios, Effects Associates is a Cinesite company. Education information for Mr. Tuohy was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Rob Bredow has been CTO and VFX Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, Chief Technology Officer & VFX Supervisor at Lucasfilm, and currently, SVP, Executive Creative Director at ILM. He is member of the VFX Branch of Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and the AMPAS Science and Technology Council. Bredow has contributed as a supervisor on films such as Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), Stuart Little (1999), Cast Away (2000), Surf’s Up (2007), Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (2009), and others. Education information for Rob Bredow was unavailable at the time this article was published.

Neal Scanlan began his career the age of nineteen as a Stop Motion Designer for Cosgrove Hall, on their production of Wind in the Willows (1981). Three years later, he moved to London and began his animatronics career on Walt Disney's Return to Oz (1984). Scanlan went on to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Babe in 1996 and is best known for his work on Star Wars—all of them. Education information for Mr. Scanlan was unavailable at the time this article was published.

The 91st Academy Awards Show airs Sunday, Feb 24, 2019 at 5:00 PM PST (7:00 PM CST) at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.