Stunning Effects Made Possible by GenArts Sapphire Help Bring "Alice in Wonderland" and "Iron Man 2" to Academy's Attention

GenArts, Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, marks yet another year having been used to create visually rich effects in Oscar-nominated films. Visual effects (VFX) artists who worked on nominees "Alice in Wonderland" and "Iron Man 2" created many of the blockbusters' effects using GenArts Sapphire, the industry-standard VFX toolkit. With these nominations, GenArts celebrates 14 consecutive years of having been integral to creating effects for a nominee in the Best Visual Effects category.

If you’ve seen Black Swan, it’s likely that the beautiful but agonizing dénouement, when Natalie Portman’s Nina transforms into the title winged creature, is indelibly etched into your mind’s eye. Visual effects studio LOOK Effects created over 200 shots for this multiple Academy Award-nominated movie, including the unforgettable visual imagery in the final scene when Nina spins off into madness.

LOOK Effects (LOOK) is a long-time NVIDIA customer, with 30 artists from its New York and Los Angeles studios working on Quadro professional graphics processing unit (GPU)-equipped workstations. On Black Swan, Quadro solutions played a key role in the creation of Portman’s transformational scene, enabling director Darren Aronofsky to work closely with lead 3D artist Shawn Lipowski and quickly iterate shots for review. The breathtaking sequence also clinched a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Special Visual Effects award nomination for LOOK.