The Visual Effects Society will be announcing its winners this Tuesday evening. They are one of the few groups to present awards on a week night. Comparing to the Best Visual Effects category at the Oscars, the nominees there are spread across multiple categories, so while we can get an idea of which films have a track towards Oscar, the chief competitors aren’t going to knock each other out with these awards.

VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY AWARDS

Best Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Doctor Strange (Peter, RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (RU:Peter)
The Jungle Book (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Rogue One

Wesley Lovell: Almost the entire film is comprised of anthropomorphic animals and created environments. That level of creativity and detail is sure to appeal to this voting body. Of cousre, the twisty effects of Doctor Strange could be compelling, or the traditional ones of Rogue One. The other two competitors seem unlikely at this point.
Peter J. Patrick: Doctor Strange should have no trouble winning this one, with Fantastic Beasts its only real competition.
Tripp Burton: The almost completely CGI-generated The Jungle Book, which looks frighteningly real, should do well here.
Thomas LaTourette: The fact that almost all of The Jungle Book was made from created visual effects should propel it to a win. The work of Rogue One and especially Doctor Strange will probably have to take comfort in just being nominated.

Best Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Allied (Peter)
Deepwater Horizon (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)
Jason Bourne
Silence (RU:Peter)
Sully (RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: There’s only one Oscar nominee in this bunch, making it the most likely to claim victory. Deepwater Horizon has a ton of effects in it, which is more than the other four films can really say.
Peter J. Patrick: Allied looks like the winner here, although they could throw a bone to the under-rated Silence.
Tripp Burton: Deepwater Horizon is the only Oscar nominee in this category, which signals to me that it is the most respected effects.
Thomas LaTourette: The effects played more of a key role in Deepwater Horizon, so I could see it winning over Sully.

Best Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, Thomas)
Moana (RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
The Little Prince (RU:Wesley)
Zootopia (RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: Another category with only one Oscar nominee in the mix. This group, on the other hand, could prove the most likely to knock an Oscar nominee off course. Kubo has the advantage, but the others all have possibilities.
Peter J. Patrick: Kubo really should take this, although a win for Zootopia would not surprise me.
Tripp Burton: Kubo and the Two Strings made it into the Oscar category, a rarity for an animated film, and should win here and throughout the awards handily. The water of Moana is very impressive, though, and could be a dark horse.
Thomas LaTourette: With an Oscar nomination under its belt, the animated Kubo stands a better chance of winning here than the Disney and Pixar entries.

Best Animated Performance in a Photoreal Feature

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – The Niffler (Peter, Thomas)
The Jungle Book – King Louie (Wesley, RU:Tripp)
The Jungle Book – Shere Khan (Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Rogue One – Grand Moff Tarkin (RU:Peter)
Warcraft – Durotan

Wesley Lovell: King Louie has the most opportunity for creative effects and since Jungle Book is likely to dominate at the top of the order, additional prizes are likely.
Thomas LaTourette: It probably will go to the work in Jungle Book, but I enjoyed the Niffler, so I will list it first. I did not like the character of King Louie, so if it goes to Jungle Book, I hope it goes to Shere Khan instead.

Best Animated Performance in an Animation Feature

Finding Dory – Hank
Kubo and the Two Strings – Kubo (Peter)
Kubo and the Two Strings – Monkey (Wesley, Tripp, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Moana – The Mighty Maui (Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: Monkey had a lot more individual parts to animate than any of the other characters on this list. Maui’s animated chest could prove alluring to this group.
Thomas LaTourette: I would think that the drawn or computer animated work of Moana will win. However the Monkey was a fun figure in Kubo and might sneak in instead.

Best Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature

Deadpool – Freeway Assault (Wesley, Peter)
Doctor Strange – London (RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Doctor Strange – New York City (Tripp, Thomas)
Rogue One – Scarif Complex (RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: I have the least confidence in this group of categories. While there are Oscar nominees in this mix, the creativity of the freeway scene in Deadpool could ultimately triumph.
Thomas LaTourette: I think that the bending worlds created in Doctor Strange will win, it’s just a question of which one.

Best Created Environment in an Animated Feature

Finding Dory – Open Ocean Exhibit (RU:Thomas)
Kubo and the Two Strings – Hanzo’s Fortress (Peter, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Kubo and the Two Strings – Waves (Wesley, Tripp)
Moana – Montouri Island (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: The two scenes in Kubo are certainly creative, but Moana has an equal opportunity.
Thomas LaTourette: I think the scary fortress will win over the open ocean exhibit.

Best Models in a Photoreal or Animated Project

Deepwater Horizon – Deepwater Horizon Rig (Wesley, Tripp, RU:Thomas)
Rogue One – Princess Leia (Peter)
Rogue One – Star Destroyer (Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Star Trek: Beyond – Enterprise

Wesley Lovell: The massive rig of Deepwater Horizon was the lone new creation in this grouping, the rest are already familiar entities and creations, though that could be attractive to visual effects artists.
Thomas LaTourette: The more exotic science fiction model from Rogue One will probably beat out the oil rig.

Best Compositing in a Photoreal Feature

Doctor Strange – New York City (Wesley, Peter, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Independence Day: Resurgence – Under the Mothership
The Jungle Book (Tripp, RU:Thomas)
X-Men: Apocalypse – Quicksilver Rescue (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: Compositing is one of those terms that laymen tend to get confused about, so predicting this category is always a challenge. I give the edge to the complex combination of effects required to make the New York City scenes of Doctor Strange work, though admiration for the slow-motion antic of Quicksilver aren’t to be underestimated.
Thomas LaTourette: Doctor Strange may best The Jungle Book here, or it will go the other direction.

Best Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project

Doctor Strange – New York Mirror Dimension (Peter, RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Game of Thrones – Battle of the Bastards
The Jungle Book (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)
Rogue One – Space Battle (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: Since the cinematographer had to creatively light a single character against a green screen backdrop and then blend that with artificial lighting created against the created environemnt is most challenging and that could give Jungle Book the edge here.
Thomas LaTourette: The Jungle Book might prevail here, though the mirror dimensions were impressive in Doctor Strange.

Best Effects Simulations in an Photoreal Feature

Alice Through the Looking Glass – Rust
Doctor Strange – Hong Kong Reverse Destruction (Peter, Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp)
The Jungle Book – Nature Effects (Wesley, Tripp, RU:Thomas)
Rogue One – Jedha Destruction (RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: The Jungle Book is likely to dominate, but the intense Hong Kong destruction scene in Doctor Strange was pretty creative.
Thomas LaTourette: The rebuilding, so to speak, of Hong Kong was memorable and might win over the effects in The Jungle Book.

Best Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings – Water (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, Thomas)
Moana (RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
Zootopia (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: Kubo had some of the most amazing effects of any animated film this year, which could give it the edge; however, the wins at the Annie Awards over the weekend might help boost Zootopia.
Thomas LaTourette: Both of these have much to do with water, but I would think it would have been harder to pull off in stop motion, so I will give Kubo the win.