An Oscar statue appears in the ballroom during the 90th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) Engineers and inventors who create innovations for the movie business have their own Academy Awards.
Presented since 1931, the film academy's Scientific and Technical Awards recognize engineering and design achievements that have had a lasting influence on the art of filmmaking, from newfangled camera rigs to advanced computer software that makes animated renderings more precise.
"The academy tries to recognize cleverness and the things that change the movies," said Doug Roble, creative director of software at Digital Domain and vice-chair of the academy's Scientific and Technical Awards committee.
Since 1977, these prizes have been awarded at a dinner ceremony ahead of the Academy Awards. The private, untelevised event is generally hosted by a celebrity or two, who often struggle to explain the inventions being honored.
This year's ceremony, set for Saturday, will be hosted by Patrick Stewart.
The Sci-Tech Awards, as they are colloquially known, comprise certificates, plaques and Oscar statuettes. Unlike the Academy Awards, Sci-Tech prizes aren't for the previous year's work. Inventions aren't generally considered for Sci-Tech Awards until they've been used in various productions, Roble said.
"We take the long view," he said. "We are awarding software or hardware or engineering that has stood the test of time... One of the things we look for is adoption of the technology beyond just the people who created it."
All kinds of game-changing inventions are eligible for consideration.
"Last year we gave a mechanical horse puppet a Sci-Tech Award," Roble said.
The creation makes it easier to film scenes on "horseback," for both the performer and director. But it's not just a hydraulic marvel.
"It had to be horsey enough that the horses around the actor will accept it," Roble said, adding that the puppet has a tail that swishes back and forth. It was used in 2015's "The Revenant," among other films.
Other inventions that have been recognized include a pump device that helps flip cars in action films and software (created by Roble) that digitized certain shots of food that were previously done with practical effects.
This year's awardees include an advanced camera rig mount that makes aerial shots easier and several software developments critical to modern animated movies.
The Presto and Premo character animation systems allow artists to see their fully rendered characters interact with other characters in real time. The old process was far less detailed and way more time consuming, Roble said.
"The technology these guys built is just beautiful, and it's optimized to take full advantage of the latest hardware," he said, adding that it's been used in Pixar and DreamWorks Animation productions.
Three Oscar statuettes will be presented Saturday as well, with two of them recognizing the Houdini visual effects and animation system.
"It has become the de-facto standard for doing visual effects at studios," Roble said. "It's like a Photoshop for destruction."
Where Photoshop allows users to manipulate images, Houdini allows them to manipulate three-dimensional objects. Artists can program specific details that are then extrapolated out to entire structures or scenes.
It's this technology that created the warped buildings in Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and galactic destruction in "Rogue One."
The program's pioneer, Mark Elendt, and the company he works for, Side Effects Software, will each receive the Academy Award of Merit, an Oscar statuette. Visual effects artist Jonathan Erland will receive the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Oscar statuette for his career contributions that include pioneering effects for "Star Wars" in 1977 and "Star Trek" two years later.
Roble noted that the innovations recognized with the film academy's Sci-Tech Awards all share one thing in common: "This is all in service of art."
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