The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced that 11 distinct scientific and technical investigations have been launched for 2024 in the lead-up to the Scientific and Technical Awards, which will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
When someone mentions “The Academy” or “Oscar,” what comes to mind for most people are the creative aspects of filmmaking and that coveted golden statuette that is awarded yearly for excellence in categories honoring actors and actresses, directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, makeup artists and hairstylists, composers, musical scorers, costumers, editors, sound designers, production designers, animators, and visual effects artists. This group represents a wide range of talent, creatives all of them.
The Academy also honors technologists and innovators, individuals and companies whose discoveries and inventions have made a significant and lasting impact on the film industry. For more than nine decades now, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has been honoring these pioneers for their work. These awards are honorary and fall into three categories: Academy Award of Merit, whose recipients receive an Academy statuette (Oscar); Scientific and Engineering Award, whose recipients get an Academy bronze tablet; and Technical Achievement Award, whose winners are given an Academy certificate.
Additionally, there are two special honorary awards voted on by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee: the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy, and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award given to an individual in the motion-picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.
Recipients of these Scientific and Technical Awards, known as the Sci-Tech Awards, are recognized during a formal dinner ceremony, which is held a few weeks prior to the principal Academy Awards ceremony.
There are two deadlines for the Sci-Tech Awards submissions. The first date is for submitting technology to be considered. The second gives individuals and companies with similar technology, devices, and claims the chance to submit their achievements for review. This year, the call for submissions closed on July 25. The second deadline is approaching—September 5 at 5:00 pm PST—after which time a thorough investigation will be held into each technology category. The committee will then meet in the fall to vote on recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors, which will make the final awards decisions.
The next Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony will be held on February 18, 2025.
So, what technical innovations are on tap for the 97th Academy Awards? According to the Academy, 11 distinct scientific and technical investigations have been launched for 2024. These include the following areas:
- Character dental prosthetics
- On-set tools for live compositing of virtual characters and environments
- In-camera visual effects rendering or playback engines
- LED processors for in-camera visual effects
- Image-based lighting for CG rendering
- Heat-protective gel for stunt performer safety
- Artist-friendly tools for constructing anatomical character simulation setups
- Final frame post-process denoisers for CG rendering
- Dynamic time alignment of multiple moving microphones
- Stabilized multi-camera systems for capturing wide FOV plates
- Transportable six-degrees-of-freedom motion bases capable of supporting heavy loads
“The Awards committee is thrilled to have a wide range of applicants representing innovation across our branches. Our diverse committee of industry experts will investigate 11 areas of advancement. The continued evolution of production and post-production, along with technologies that merge them, such as components of virtual production related to in-camera visual effects, highlights the evolution of motion-picture workflows based on these advancements,” said Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Co-chairs Darin Grant and Raymond Yeung.