Image courtesy of Deron Yamada. © 2004 DYA367.

Practitioners in the visual effects field are commonly asked questions like: “What is it like to work in Hollywood?” And then, inevitably, a variation on the theme: “Are visual effects taking over/destroying the industry/world?”

As the hope remains that the art of filmmaking is the reason we got into the business, I prefer to think of the question not as an indictment of what we do, but one indicative of the familiarity the public now has with what we do.

Visual effects artists now work worldwide, for a variety of companies, on projects large and small, and the work we do is covered in the mainstream and entertainment press. With such a focus on our industry, it appears time for a quick reflection on our state for the New Year.

A Look Back on ‘05
In short, 2005 is unlikely to go down as the year of “invisible effects.” A quick look at this year’s Academy short list of King Kong, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory outlines one dominated by big shows with lots of shots and big effects. At the same time, more films than ever do have “invisible effects” at the core of their productions.

2005 was the year of big films and big effects as seen in Star Wars: Episode III and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ™ & © 2005 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. Digital work by ILM (left) and courtesy of Warner Bros. Pic

While big films have often been described as “popcorn fare,” audiences and the filmmaking industry persist in embracing these effects laden films. Critical praise for films such as Spider-Man 2 and The Lord of the Rings seems to be continuing with this year’s Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter, Narnia and King Kong. That such films actually received positive critical notice is a huge achievement for the industry as a whole, and one that vfx artists should take note of.

Overall, it added up to one great year for story and visual effects. Such praise for both the work and the story is what most artists aspire to. This has, however, made it a tough year for recognition if your film is in contention for an award, or if you worked on a film that was high quality but lacking the impact of an overwhelming number of shots.

Films that, in past years, would have been recognized in the awards race have been buried in the avalanche of work out there this past year. Big films containing both a story and effects have dominated the award slots, leaving little room to acknowledge work done on films with critically acclaimed story and some hidden effects.