Academy Reveals 21 Contenders for 2014 Sci-Tech Oscars

Last Friday the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a list of 21 scientific and technical achievements in 16 different areas, which have been selected for further awards consideration.

According to the Academy:

The list is made public to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims of prior art the opportunity to submit achievements for review. The deadline to submit additional entries is Tuesday, August 26, at 11:59 p.m. PT. After thorough investigations are conducted in each of the technology categories, the committee will meet in early December to vote on recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors, which will make the final awards decisions. The 2014 Scientific and Technical Awards will be presented on Saturday, February 7, 2015.

Animation studios are well represented in the list below. Laika’s use of 3D printing, which we wrote about on Cartoon Brew last week, is among this year’s contenders. Other vfx/animation studios that have technical achievements under consideration are ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Weta Digital, DreamWorks Animation, and Digital Domain.

Here are this year’s achievements that are in the running for an Oscar:

• Portable, remote-controlled telescoping camera columns

  Prompted by MAT-TOWERCAM TWIN PEEK (MAT – Mad About Technology)

• Drivable, high-speed vehicle platforms

  Prompted by THE BISCUIT JR. (Allan Padelford Camera Cars)

• Neutral density filters that remove infrared contamination

  Prompted by INFRARED NEUTRAL DENSITY FILTER TECHNOLOGY (Tiffen Company)

• Lightweight, prime lens sets for high-resolution cameras

  Prompted by LEICA SUMMILUX-C PRIME LENS SERIES (CW Sonderoptic)

• Optical audio transfer processes

  Prompted by CHACE OPTICAL SOUND PROCESSOR (Deluxe)

• Enabling technology of digital cinema projectors

  Prompted by TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DLP CINEMA TECHNOLOGY (Texas Instruments)

• Interactive blend shape modeling and manufacturing

  Prompted by LAIKA RAPID PROTOTYPING AND FACIAL ANIMATION TECHNOLOGY (LAIKA, Inc.) and ILM SHAPE SCULPTING SYSTEM (ILM)

• Measurement toolsets for quality control of cinematic experience

  Prompted by LSS-100P (Ultra-Stereo Labs)

• Displays providing suitable visual reference for feature film review

  Prompted by SONY TRIMASTER EL ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE PICTURE MONITORS (Sony Pictures Imageworks)

• Collaborative, enhanceable image playback and review systems

  Prompted by RV MEDIA PLAYER (Tweak Software)

• High-resolution motion capture techniques for deforming objects

  Prompted by MOVA (MOVA) and GEOMETRY TRACKER (ILM)

• Systems for interactive grooming and direct-manipulation of digital hair

  Prompted by BARBERSHOP (Weta Digital)

• Systems for placing, grooming and resolving collisions of digital feathers

  Prompted by DREAMWORKS FEATHER SYSTEM (DreamWorks Animation)

• Systems for modeling, animation and rendering of digital vegetation

  Prompted by SPEEDTREE (IDV)

• Digital technologies for high-density physical destruction simulation

  Prompted by DROP DESTRUCTION TOOLKIT (Digital Domain) and FINITE ELEMENT DESTRUCTION MODELING (UC Berkeley) and ODIN – UNIFIED HPC MULTI-PHYSICS SIMULATION PLATFORM (Weta Digital)

• Efficient volumetric data formats

  Prompted by FIELD 3D (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and VDB: HIGH-RESOLUTION SPARSE VOLUMES WITH DYNAMIC TOPOLOGY (DreamWorks Animation)