February 11, 2019

Behind the Scenes with Technicolor on the 2019 Academy Award Winners and Nominees

Once again, Technicolor is thrilled for our filmmaking partners and clients in the industry who received 2019 Oscar wins and nominations for their outstanding achievements.

Once again, Technicolor is thrilled for our filmmaking partners and clients in the industry who received 2019 Oscar wins and nominations for their outstanding achievements. They include two Best Picture nominees, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, which received a total of ten and seven nominations respectively. Among the other nominees Technicolor enjoyed working on are Mary Poppins Returns, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, If Beale Street Could Talk, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ready Player One.

Soon after the announcement, Technicolor talent reflected on their work with some of this year’s winners and nominees.

Roma (10 nominations, winning for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign-Language Film)

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma has been the talk of the town for the better part of a year – and has lived up to all expectations beginning with its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won top prize, the Golden Lion. Other awards include New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Film, Director, and Cinematographer; three Golden Globe nominations and two wins quickly followed; and now the autobiographical period drama has received 10 Oscar nominations.

Technicolor, MR. X, and MPC Film provided a wide range of services including dailies, post production, and VFX on this stunning film.

“Roma is such a personal film and Alfonso Cuarón’s craft and amazing storytelling is apparent in each and every frame of the movie,” said Sherri Potter, President, Worldwide Post Production at Technicolor. “From his very personal memories, historical research and attention to detail – to his choice to shoot in color and finish in black and white in order to give the film its beauty and for the emotional impact it evokes – this film is truly a work-of-art. Technicolor, along with our family of creative studios, is honored to have been part of the Roma journey and we offer our most sincere congratulations to Alfonso and his entire team!”

MPC VFX Supervisor David Griffiths agreed, “It was an honor to work with Alfonso and help deliver his vision for Roma. He is a very driven and creative director and an inspiration to work with.”

“You can imagine just how much life in the city has changed over the last 50 years,” added VFX Supervisor Aaron Weintraub of Technicolor’s MR. X. “We did a lot of restoring back to the way it used to be, based on Alfonso’s designs with the production designer – the streets, the streetcars, the storefronts – everything down to the very last detail of how he remembered things.”

Black Panther (7 nominations, winning for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Music Score)

Technicolor Senior Colorist Maxine Gervais made Hollywood history last year by becoming the first woman to win the HPA award for Outstanding Color Grading on a Feature Film (Alpha). In her career, she’s collaborated on more than 50 blockbusters and critically-acclaimed features. Oscar-nominee Black Panther, which falls into both categories, was her first experience working with Marvel.

“I knew right from the start that this was going to be something special,” says Gervais, “a superhero movie that brought something more to the genre. Everyone on the Marvel team was fantastic to work with – including DP Rachel Morrison, VFX Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, and of course Director Ryan Coogler, a true visionary. I’m very happy for this well-deserved nomination, and that the Academy recognizes this as more than a superhero movie, but as an amazing piece of art.”

Technicolor Editor Carl McKay added, “Once I began working with Marvel on the marketing campaign for Black Panther, I knew I was a part of something special. Each piece we worked on brought excitement. Both the great story and visual presentation were spectacular. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on it.”

Avengers: Infinity War (Best Visual Effects nominee)

Lead VFX Artist Eroc Moralls has been with Technicolor since 2013, and on Marvel projects just as long, beginning with Thor: Dark World released that same year. In total, he’s worked on 13 Marvel features, culminating with two of this year’s Oscar nominees: Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, nominated for Best Visual Effects.

Being part of the Marvel family is a thrill for anyone in the industry, and Eroc says, part of that is because of their super high standards. “Working with Marvel, you’re kept to the same high standards, and that just creates unending opportunities to grow and excel in what we do,” says Eroc. “And because we’ve worked with the Marvel team for so long, we have a good idea what they’re looking for right from the start and can hit the ground running.”

VFX Executive Producer Tricia Pifer: “We have had the privilege to work on several Marvel films that Dan [VFX Supervisor Dan DeLeeuw] has supervised, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that he is up for this nomination for Avengers: Infinity War. It’s so well-deserved!”

All of the Technicolor team congratulates Marvel on their nominated pictures from the MCU!

Mary Poppins Returns (4 nominations, including Best Production Design)

One of the most accomplished colorists in Hollywood, Technicolor Supervising Digital Colorist Michael Hatzer has worked alongside many top Academy Award winning directors and cinematographers over his 25+ year career. This past year, he had the pleasure of working on two nominated pictures, Ready Player One (with Amblin Post Executives Mark Graziano and Justin Ostensen) and Mary Poppins Returns (with Post Supervisor Jennifer Lane).

“Mary Poppins Returns was a fantastic experience in every way!” said Hatzer. “Rob Marshall and Dion Beebe create such beautiful films together, and I was just happy to be part of the team on this iconic Disney classic. I also worked very closely with Editor Wyatt Smith throughout the DI. His attention to detail is unmatched, and he played a critical role in bringing the entire film together.”

Ready Player One (Best Visual Effects nominee)

Expectations for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, high from the beginning, skyrocketed after its "surprise" world premiere screening at last year’s SXSW just three weeks before hitting theaters.

“It was a pleasure to work on Ready Player One with VFX Supervisor Roger Guyet,” said Hatzer. “I’m thrilled for him and the team at ILM for their Oscar nod. It was also a joy to work with Steven Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski on our fifth film together. They oversaw every detail of the movie, and together with Roger created some of the best visual effects sequences I’ve ever worked on.”

Technicolor Marketing Services Producer Jacquelynne Belardi said, “Being a part of the team working on Stephen Spielberg’s, “Ready Player One” was pretty surreal. Not only was it incredible to be working on a project with such an iconic filmmaker, but also because this project really set a new standard for visual effects. I’m thrilled to hear that the visual effects were nominated for this film; it couldn’t be more well deserved. Congratulations to the whole visual effects team!”

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2 nominations)

Technicolor UK is very proud of the work they provided in Picture Post-Production on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the Coen Brothers six-part Western anthology film on Netflix.

If Beale Street Could Talk (3 nominations, winning for Best Supporting Actress - Regina King)

Technicolor Marketing Services also worked the marketing materials for the platform release and marketing push through the awards season on If Beale Street Could Talk. Director Barry Jenkin’s amazing work documenting racial injustice and cultural morality has been a real success at awards shows this season. Annapurna’s commitment to producing challenging films on sometimes difficult subject matter always makes them a very rewarding client to support and this film was a clear highlight for our group to partner with Annapurna. Technicolor Marketing Services Producer Greg Weaver said, “Working with the Annapurna Pictures team on this thoughtful and dynamic film was a true honor.”

Ralph Breaks the Internet (Animated Feature Film nominee)

From the team that worked on Marketing Services for Ralph Breaks the Internet, Technicolor Creative Services Colorist Mike Underwood said, "It's been a real pleasure to be part of the Wreak It Ralph team. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a great story with vivid colors and wonderful characters. I'm very excited about this nomination."

Congratulations to this year’s list of diverse and exciting nominees. The entire Technicolor family wishes you the best of luck when the Oscars are presented live on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.