For visual effects buffs looking to place bets on the Oscar race, ILM made an impressive showing on Sunday’s VES awards. The three nominated films for the Visual Effects Oscar are Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Transformers and The Golden Compass, and ILM’s projects — Pirates and Transformers each scored Visual Effects Society acknowledgments, while Compass was left in the cold.

Transformers won four awards, including the top prize of best visual effects in an effects-driven film. Congrats to Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson,  Russell Earl and Scott Benza. The giant robot movie also won best single visual effect of the year (the desert highway sequence), best models and miniatures, and best compositing.  Pirates won for best created environment in a live action movie (the Maelstrom), and best animated character in a live action movie (for Davy Jones).

Congrats to everyone at Industrial Light & Magic for these accomplishments.

As previously reported here, the winnowing processes for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award category has changed slightly this year, starting with a long long list that gets shortened to a “Bakeoff” of seven contenders from which the final three nominations are selected. ILM dominated the long long list, with fully a third of the productions selected having come out of the effects house. Yesterday, the Academy’s Visual Effects Steering Committee pared down that list to the seven “semi-finalists,” and ILM has a strong showing with three entries among this group: Evan Almighty, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Congrats to ILM supervisors John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russel Earl, Bill George, Lindy De Quattro and their hard-working teams for this recognition.

Members from the Visual Effects branch will again convene in Los Angeles on January 16 to vote on the final three nominees which will be announced on January 22.

In response to the late release of some films, the Academy’s Visual Effects Steering Committee has adopted a new procedure, selecting a semi-finalist long, long list of 15 films to be considered prior to determining the seven which make up the “Bakeoff” long list (and from there, the nominees are chosen… still following?)

The new policy allows members to see more of the year’s visual effects stand-outs before determining which films will ultimately be in contention for the Best Visual Effects Oscar.

With five films represented, ILM’s 2007 releases make up a full third of the long list:

VISUAL FX SEMI-FINALIST LIST (In alphabetical order; ILM productions in bold)

Beowulf

The Bourne Ultimatum

Evan Almighty (ILM)

The Golden Compass

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (ILM)

I Am Legend

Live Free or Die Hard

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (ILM)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (ILM)

Ratatouille

Spider-Man 3

Sunshine

300

Transformers (ILM)

The Water Horse

On January 3, the Steering Committee will meet again to make an informed decision determining the Bakeoff seven. After this, it is business as usual; On January 16, all members of the Visual Effects branch will meet at the Bakeoff screening in LA to vote on the final three nominees. From there it is off to the Oscars on February 24. Congratulations to all the tireless folks at ILM!