Visual Effects Society Announces Special 2021 Honorees

VES celebrated a distinguished group of VFX practitioners at its festive VES Honors event this past November, held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Visionary filmmaker James Cameron and CG pioneer Gary Demos were named Honorary VES Members. This year’s venerated VES Fellows bestowed with the post-nominal letters “VES” were Brooke Breton, Mike Chambers, Van Ling and Nancy St. John. New VES Hall of Fame honorees included Roy Field, John P. Fulton, ASC, Phil Kellison, the Lumière Brothers and John Whitney, Sr. (See photos on opposite page.)

Previously announced VES 2021 honorees include award-winning Visual Effects Producer Mike Chambers and venerated international business and marketing consultant Rita Cahill, who were named recipients of the 2021 VES Founders Awards. The Society also designated digital production manager and noted VFX historian Gene Kozicki, acclaimed creative and cinematic director Richard Winn Taylor II, VES, Mike Chambers and Rita Cahill with Lifetime VES memberships.

Honorary Member James Cameron is an acclaimed, Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and VES award-winning filmmaker, known for his expansive vision and innovative visual effects-driven films, which have repeatedly smashed box-office records. A recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, Cameron received an Academy Award for Best Director for Titanic (which won 11 Oscars) and his films Aliens, Avatar, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Abyss each received Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects.

Honorary Member Gary Demos is a pioneer in the development of computer-generated images and digital image processing for use in motion pictures. He is the recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award and the Gordon E. Sawyer Oscar for lifetime technical achievement. The inventor of approximately 100 patents, Demos is a SMPTE Fellow and recipient of the SMPTE Digital Processing Medal. 

Fellow Brooke Breton, VES has been involved in prominent live-action films, animated films, television series and theme park projects, which have received Academy, BAFTA, Emmy, Annie and VES awards and nominations. A three-term VES Board member, Breton is a member of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch, Visual Effects Executive Council, and Science and Technology Council.

Fellow Mike Chambers, VES is an award-winning freelance Visual Effects Producer and Independent VFX Consultant specializing in large-scale feature film productions. He has contributed to the visual effects on numerous Academy and BAFTA award-winning films, and is the recipient of three VES Awards for Best Visual Effects on Dunkirk, Inception and The Day After Tomorrow. A 20-year VES member, Chambers served six years as the Chair of the VES.

Fellow Van Ling, VES is a renowned visual effects supervisor, graphic designer, editor and digital artist. His diverse credits range from films to theme park attractions to designing and creating THX trailers and innovative laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray formats. In addition to his service on the VES Board and Committees, Ling is a member of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch.

Fellow Nancy St. John, VES has a VFX and computer animation career that has spanned over 38 years, and VFX teams under her leadership have garnered Academy Awards for Babe and Gladiator. In addition to her service on the VES Board and Membership Committee, St. John is a member of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch and VFX Executive Committee.