Rhythm & Hues’ visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer was recognized with an Oscar® for Achievement in Visual Effects last night at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized Rhythm & Hues’ groundbreaking animation and effects work on the fantasy epic “The Golden Compass,” which included the photo-realistic animal “daemons,” along with the movie’s climactic battle sequence.

“It was a thrill to be part of the tapestry of the world that Phillip Pulman created,” said Westenhofer afterwards.  “Our task was to portray the connection between the human and the daemon forms and make clear the intimacy between the two.  This required very close interaction with live action performers and CGI characters, and, I must say, it’s the most challenging interaction of its type that I’ve been a part of in all my years of professional experience in this industry.” 

Westenhofer continued, “It’s extremely gratifying that the Academy acknowledged our efforts with this award and a testament to our expert crew and staff that we were able to turn Chris Weitz' creative vision into reality.”

Lee Berger, president of Rhythm & Hues’ Film Division said “We at Rhythm & Hues are so genuinely grateful to the Academy for this incredible recognition.  I'd like to thank New Line Cinema and Lauren Ritchie for their unwavering support and for allowing us the opportunity to work on the film in the first place.  Of special note, too, is visual effects supervisor Mike Fink and his producer Susan MacLeod, whose guidance and direction allowed us to be successful.  And lastly I'd like to thank all the dedicated artists and support divisions that make up the entity that is Rhythm & Hues, both in Los Angeles and India.”

Westenhofer added, “I'd especially like to thank our leads Raymond Chen, Eric Jan de Boer and Mike Meaker, and our production crew led by Gary Nolin, in addition to all the staff and crew at Rhythm & Hues.”  He congratulated fellow visual effects supervisor Ben Morris of London-based Framestore CFC, and Trevor Wood, the special effects supervisor, who also received Oscars for “Compass” on Sunday night.

A crew of 500 digital artists working on two continents contributed to the more than 400 shots that Rhythm & Hues produced for the movie. 

Earlier this year, “The Golden Compass” received the BAFTA Award for Special Visual Effects from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, for which Westenhofer was also a recipient, along with the other “Compass” nominees.  

In addition, the studio was recognized earlier this year with a Scientific and Technical Academy Award for the development of its fluid simulation tools which are featured in the daemon death sequence of “The Golden Compass” as well as a host of other movies the studio has worked on.  Rhythm & Hues earned two prior SciTech Awards in the 1990’s.

This is the second Oscar for Achievement in Visual Effects for Rhythm & Hues Studios, now in its 21st year of continuous operation. The studio won previously in 1995 for “Babe.”

Rhythm & Hues is currently in production on a number of large scale projects for release in 2008 and 2009, including “The Incredible Hulk,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Cirque de Freak,” They Came From Upstairs,” “Land of the Lost,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “State of Play.”