Hugo garners 11 Oscar noms – here’s why

Of all the films nominated for Academy Awards this year, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo received the most – a stunning 11 nominations. In the visual effects field the nominees are Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning. We take a look at some of the other categories Hugo was nominated in and share lead vendor Pixomondo’s VFX reel on the film along with commentary from Legato and Grossmann (from our fxguide.com interviews with them).

Watch Pixomondo’s breakdown of the train station and the film’s homages, with commentary by Ben Grossmann and Rob Legato.

On Hugo, Rob Legato acted as the overall visual effects supervisor. Joss Williams was the special effects supervisor. Ben Grossmann was Pixomondo’s visual effects supervisor and Alex Henning was Pixomondo’s digital effects supervisor. The VFX house completed over 800 stereo effects shots for the film – click here for fxguide’s in-depth coverage of Pixomondo’s work. We also spoke to Rob Legato for a fxpodcast and explored New Deal Studio’s miniature train effects in episode #128 of fxguidetv.

See how both practical effects and CGI were used to create the Automaton in Hugo, with commentary by Ben Grossmann.

Hear Rob Legato and Ben Grossmann discuss the time lapse-inspired shots from the film.

Scorsese himself received two nominations – for Best Director and Best Picture (as one of the producers with Graham King). The director previously won an Oscar for The Departed and has been nominated a further eight times. In a statement, Scorsese said:

“I am deeply honored to have been nominated by the Academy for my work on Hugo. Every picture is a challenge, and this one – where I was working with 3D, HD and Sacha Baron Cohen for the first time – was no exception. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you’ve been recognized by the people in your industry. I congratulate my fellow nominees. It’s an impressive list, and I’m in excellent company.”

Watch a Pixomondo breakdown of Hugo’s dash through the upper reaches of the train station, with commentary by Rob Legato.

Pixomondo’s breakdowns continue, as Rob Legato and Ben Grossmann discuss the opening shot of Hugo and the use of stereo in the film.

Here’s a list of the remaining Hugo nominations:

Art Direction
Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Cinematography
Robert Richardson

Costume Design
Sandy Powell

Film editing
Thelma Schoonmaker

Music (original score)
Howard Shore

Sound Editing
Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

Sound Mixing
Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Screenplay by John Logan

Look out for more Award season coverage on fxguide. We’ll be speaking to all of the lead VFX supes from each of the nominated films, and we’ll be in LA covering the VES Awards and Sci-Tech Oscars.

1 thought on “<em>Hugo</em> garners 11 Oscar noms – here’s why”

  1. Pingback: Hugo shot breakdowns by Pixomondo | VisualFX Hub

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