Ziva VFX, Auto Align Post 2, Trinity 2 to Be Honored at Academy’s 2025 SciTech Awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its 2025 scientific and technical achievements honorees, which will be awarded at the annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, rescheduled to April 29 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
To receive the honor, the recipient must “demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures,” according to the Academy. An Oscar statuette, which will reside at the Academy Museum, will be presented to “all the individuals who have developed and supported captioning technology, whether open or closed, for film.”
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“As part of the Academy’s mission to celebrate artistry and innovation in filmmaking, we are honored to recognize the exceptional contributions of this year’s Scientific and Technical Awards recipients. Their work has powerfully driven advancements in our industry,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang say in a statement. “Also, we are deeply honored to present the Academy Award of Merit to the individuals who created and supported the development of captioning for films. This is an essential technology that plays a vital role in making the cinematic experience accessible to all.”
Darin Grant and Raymond Yeung, co-chairs of the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, add: “Each year, our international committee of industry professionals conducts thorough evaluations of the innovation and impact of technologies developed for the motion picture industry. This year’s awards encompass a wide range of film production advancements, from fire stunt safety, stabilized hand-held camera operation, and animation to post-production innovations in dialogue capture and CG imagery rendering systems. These vital technologies have expanded the visual possibilities of cinema, creating new and compelling experiences for moviegoers.”
See below for this year’s scientific and technical achievement honorees.
Technical Achievement Awards (Academy Certificates)
To Essex Edwards, James Jacobs, Jernej Barbic, Crawford Doran and Andrew van Straten for the design and development of Ziva VFX.
Ziva VFX is a system for constructing and simulating muscles, fat, fascia, and skin for digital characters. An artist-friendly interface that emphasizes easily understood physical metaphors, coupled with a robust, physically accurate solver, has enabled a broad range of studios to bring visually rich creatures to life.
To Javor Kalojanov and Kimball Thurston for the creation of Wētā FX’s ML Denoiser.
This denoiser prioritizes temporal filtering using innovative optical flow techniques to preserve crucial details. Novel training strategies allow its machine learning algorithms to denoise computer-generated imagery to the most exacting standards.
To Neeme Vaino for the development of Fireskin360 Naked Burn Gel.
This widely available gel allows longer targeted burns directly on the skin, broadening the range of fire stunts performed across the industry.
To Dustin Brooks and Colin Decker for the development of naked burn gel.
Fire for Hire’s gel first publicly demonstrated a “naked burn,” where fire appears directly on the skin, enabling a new form of safe fire stunts in motion pictures.
To Attila T. áfra for the creation of Intel Open Image Denoise, and to Timo Aila for his pioneering work at NVIDIA applying U-Nets to denoising.
Open Image Denoise is an open-source library that provides an elegant API and runs on diverse hardware, leading to broad industry adoption. Its core technology is provided by the widely adopted U-Net architecture that improves efficiency and preserves detail, raising the quality of CG imagery across the industry.
To Mark Noel for adapting and enhancing the safety and reliability of transportable six-degrees-of-freedom motion base technology for motion picture use.
The NACMO series of modular motion bases enables filmmakers to dynamically control simulated actions, providing precise movements, enhancing special effects, and enriching the visual experience for audiences worldwide.
To Su Tie for the development of the sensor analysis and stabilization software, to Bei Shimen for the electrical engineering, and to Zhao Yanchong for the mechanical design and engineering of the Ronin 2 gimbal system.
Utilizing three-axis stabilization through multiple sensors, the DJI Ronin 2 has achieved broad adoption. It is controllable from a diverse set of input devices, enabling filmmakers to create complex, dynamic camera moves.
To Tabb Firchau for the conception and development, to John Ellison and Steve Webb for the attitude control system, to David Bloomfield for the motor design, and to Shane Coltonfor the motor driver system design of the Mōvi gimbals.
Freefly Systems’ introduction of handheld stabilized gimbals provides single-person or collaborative remote camera operation with various controllers, enabling previously difficult shots without dolly or crane-supported stabilized heads.
Scientific and Engineering Awards (Academy Plaques)
To Jayson Dumenigo for the development of the Action Factory Hydrogels.
Action Factory hydrogels are engineered to allow longer burns at higher temperatures with quick turnaround times, increasing the safety and efficiency of fire stunt performances.
To Thijs Vogels, Fabrice Rousselle, David Adler, Gerhard R?thlin and Mark Meyer for the creation of Disney’s ML Denoiser.
This sophisticated machine learning denoiser features a ground-breaking kernel-predicting convolutional network and temporal stability. It has been adopted far beyond its original domain of animation and is an essential tool for creating computer-generated imagery in feature films.
To Nir Averbuch, Yair Chuchem and Dan Raviv for the concept, design and development of Auto Align Post 2.
Sound Radix’s Auto Align Post 2 allows the seamless blending of multiple moving microphones during film post-production, eliminating phase distortion, saving significant time over manual alignment methods and raising the reproduction quality of dialogue recorded on set.
To Curt Schaller for the concept, design and development of the Trinity 2 system, and to Dr. Roman Foltyn for the software and hardware design of its motorized stabilized head.
The ARRI Trinity 2 is a body-worn system that combines a traditional inertial camera stabilization system with electronic gimbal technology, allowing unprecedented freedom of camera movement for acquiring shots with multiple transitions that are otherwise unobtainable.
To Steve Wagner for the initial concept and software, to Garrett Brown for the design, and to Jerry Holway and Robert Orf for the engineering of the Steadicam Volt stabilization system.
The Tiffen Steadicam Volt revolutionizes inertial stabilization with its advanced two-axis motorized design, creating artificial inertia and simulated friction while providing adjustable tactile feedback. Different modes allow the operator to alter the physical feel of the rig. The Volt empowers filmmakers to achieve dynamic shots with more complex camera movement while maintaining a stable roll axis.
To Dave Freeth for the design, engineering and development of the hand-held Stabileye three-axis motorized camera stabilization system.
The compact size and live adjustment of operating parameters of these devices facilitate subtle and dynamic camera moves closer to actors, and in tighter quarters than previously possible. Its low latency allows for instinctive operation whether controlled by a single operator or remotely.
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