‘We feel very proud’: Vancouver artists earn Oscar nominations for visual effects work on major blockbusters

This month's Oscar nominations reinforced Vancouver's status as Hollywood North.

Vancouver’s reputation as Hollywood North continues to grow after this year’s Oscar nominations highlighted the work of local visual effects artists.

Industrial Light and Magic’s Vancouver studio, one of the largest visual effects hubs in the world, earned Oscar nominations for best visual effects for its contributions in Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Sinners.

The studio’s work on Avatar: Fire and Ash has drawn international praise for its richly detailed digital animation. Associate VFX supervisor Marko Chulev says the team focused on precision at the smallest level.

“We go down to like how individual hairs move,” Chulev said.

Chulev and his team helped transform live action performances into fully realized digital characters, a process he says requires meticulous attention.

“It’s something that you don’t see if you don’t focus to it but it just adds to the realism and the complexity of the work,” he said.

ILM Vancouver also played a key role in creating the visual effects for Jurassic World: Rebirth including elaborate smoke and water simulations. Effects supervisor Hedi Namar says the technical demands were significant.

“Our main bulk of work on ‘Jurassic’ was loads of smoke, volumetric, water and some interaction and destruction,” Namar explained.

One short opening scene alone required hundreds of hours of work from a team of seven or eight artists

“Overall a sequence like that is like two minutes, it took us a few months to do,” he said.

ILM Vancouver’s credits span some of the world’s biggest franchises including Indiana Jones, Stranger Things and Star Wars. But this year’s Oscar nominations mark a new milestone for the growing studio.

“It is a huge testament to the talent based here in Vancouver and across British Columbia,” said Spencer Kent, ILM’s vice president of finance.

Director of production Michelle Eisenreich says the recognition reflects years of dedication from hundreds of artists.

“We feel very proud of our work and to get recognized in this way is very,” Eisenreich told CTV News.

Industrial Light and Magic was founded by George Lucas in 1975. The company opened its Vancouver studio 15 years ago and it has since expanded to nearly 1,000 employees.

“It is great at attracting the best talent in the industry. ILM Vancouver is now the largest of all of the ILM studios globally,” Eisenreich said.

An Oscar win would be the first ever for the Vancouver studio. The Academy Awards are scheduled for March 15.