On March 3, the VES N.Y. Section presented the 2017 VES Empire Award to visionary director Darren Aronofsky. Born and bred in Brooklyn, Aronofsky is noted for his films Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan and the re-imagined biblical epic Noah. Photo above, from left to right: Eric Robertson, Co-Chair N.Y. Section, VFX Supervisor & Co-founder of Mr. X Gotham; Andrew Bly, Co-Chair N.Y. Section, Board Member of VES Board of Directors, Co-founder of The Molecule; Aronofsky; Dan Schrecker, Former Chair of N.Y. Section, Board Member of VES Board of Directors, VFX Supervisor; and Eric Roth, VES Executive Director.
The VES Board of Directors officers for 2017, who comprise the VES Board Executive Committee, were elected at the January 2017 Board meeting. The officers include Mike Chambers, who was re-elected as Board Chair.
The 2017 Officers of the VES Board of Directors are:
Board Chair Mike Chambers has been a member of the VES for 20 years, serving multiple terms on the Board of Directors. This is his third term as Chair, and he previously served on the Executive Committee as both Vice Chair and Secretary of the organization. He is also a longtime member of the Producers Guild of America. A freelance visual effects producer and independent VFX consultant specializing in large-scale feature film productions, Chambers has contributed to the visual effects efforts on many Academy and BAFTA award-winning films. He has won two VES Awards for Best Visual Effects, for The Day After Tomorrow and Inception, and was also nominated for his work on I Am Legend. Among Chambers’ credits is the upcoming feature Dunkirk, his third collaboration with director Christopher Nolan.
The VES Handbook of Visual Effects: Industry Standard VFX Practices and Procedures (Focal Press) is marching towards a 3rd Edition. Editors Susan Zwerman and Jeffrey A. Okun, VES have begun the collection, writing and editing process as they seek out new sections, authors and section ‘captains’ to begin the updating process. Some topics will be added while some others discarded while still other topics will be updated and re-written. The Handbook has become a ‘go-to’ staple for professionals as a reference, for students as a guide, and lay people to reveal the magic of visual effects. Anyone interested in contributing to the book should contact the VES Office at Visual Effects Society, 5805 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 620, Sherman Oaks, CA 91411. Phone: (818) 981-7861.
Or email the VES through its website at visualeffectssociety.com.