Oscar glory beckons for Weta team

MAARTEN HOLL/The Dominion Post

LABOUR OF LOVE: Some of the Weta team who worked on District 9 or Avatar are, clockwise from top left, Matt Aitken, Wayne Stables, Eric Saindon and Guy Williams.

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The visual effects team of nearly 1000 based in Wellington that helped bring the alien world of Avatar to life has put the movie on a path to Oscar glory.

The film received nine Oscar nominations, including for best picture. Nine New Zealand film industry figures are also Oscar nominees.

Weta Digital workers were behind Avatar and District 9 – two out of the three films nominated for the best visual effects award.

The Weta Digital team of Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R Jones are collectively nominated for the best visual effects Oscar for Avatar.

Weta Digital's Matt Aitken has been nominated for the company's visual effects work on Neill Blomkamp's and Sir Peter Jackson's science-fiction thriller District 9.

Sir Peter could also add to his Oscar collection if the low-budget alien film wins best picture.

Other Kiwis who got the Oscar nod include Avatar set director Kim Sinclair for best art direction and sound recordist Tony Johnson for best sound mixing. Both were part of team nominations.

Weta's Mark Sagar has already won a Scientific and Engineering Oscar at the "geek version" of the awards for Avatar.

Wellington producer Finola Dwyer will also be at the glitzy Oscar ceremony, with her British film An Education, which is up for three awards. Sir Peter's The Lovely Bones was nominated in only one category, with Stanley Tucci getting a nod for best supporting actor.

Kiwi director Jane Campion's film Bright Star also got one nomination – Australian Janet Patterson for best costume design.

Yesterday, three men who worked on Avatar for Weta Digital talked of the hard work paying off.

Visual effect supervisor Wayne Stables said 950 staff had worked long days for three years on the film.

"I don't actually think that we're that surprised really at all [with the nomination]. It's a huge body of very high quality work. We're very proud of the work that we all did on it."

Eric Saindon and Guy Williams also supervised visual effects teams on Avatar.

Mr Williams said it had attracted a lot of workers to Weta Digital, and added to the company's fast-growing reputation.

Director James Cameron had showed the Weta workers some early images of Avatar without the visual effects about three years ago.

"We got really excited about it. We came out of it and thought `This is going to be an amazing film. I hope we get it [Oscar]."

- © Fairfax NZ News