The 14th annual HPA Awards took place Thursday night, honoring a range of individuals and companies exhibiting exceptional talent and brilliance in the evolving world of storytelling. Awards were given to individuals and teams working in 12 creative craft categories, recognizing outstanding contributions to color grading, sound, editing and visual effects for commercials, television and feature film.
Visual effects prizes went to Disney’s photoreal feature The Lion King, the epic final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones and Seth McFarlane’s sci-fi FOX series The Orville.
The winners and nominees of the 2019 HPA Awards Creative Categories are:
Outstanding Visual Effects – Theatrical Feature
WINNER: “The Lion King” Robert Legato Andrew R. Jones Adam Valdez, Elliot Newman, Audrey Ferrara // MPC Film Tom Peitzman // T&C Productions
“Avengers: Endgame” Matt Aitken, Marvyn Young, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo, Sean Walker, David Conley // Weta Digital
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” Alexis Wajsbrot, Sylvain Degrotte, Nathan McConnel, Stephen Kennedy, Jonathan Opgenhaffen // Framestore
“Alita: Battle Angel” Eric Saindon, Michael Cozens, Dejan Momcilovic, Mark Haenga, Kevin Sherwood // Weta Digital
“Pokemon Detective Pikachu” Jonathan Fawkner, Carlos Monzon, Gavin Mckenzie, Fabio Zangla, Dale Newton // Framestore
Outstanding Visual Effects – Episodic (Under 13 Episodes) or Non-theatrical Feature
WINNER: “Game of Thrones – The Bells” Steve Kullback, Joe Bauer, Ted Rae Mohsen Mousavi // Scanline Thomas Schelesny // Image Engine
“Game of Thrones – The Long Night” Martin Hill, Nicky Muir, Mike Perry, Mark Richardson, Darren Christie // Weta Digital
“The Umbrella Academy – The White Violin” Everett Burrell, Misato Shinohara, Chris White, Jeff Campbell, Sebastien Bergeron
“The Man in the High Castle – Jahr Null” Lawson Deming, Cory Jamieson, Casi Blume, Nick Chamberlain, William Parker, Saber Jlassi, Chris Parks // Barnstorm VFX
“Chernobyl – 1:23:45” Lindsay McFarlane Max Dennison, Clare Cheetham, Steven Godfrey, Luke Letkey // DNEG
Outstanding Visual Effects – Episodic (Over 13 Episodes)
WINNER: “The Orville – Identity: Part II” Tommy Tran, Kevin Lingenfelser, Joseph Vincent Pike // FuseFX Brandon Fayette, Brooke Noska // Twentieth Century FOX TV
“Hawaii Five-O – Ke iho mai nei ko luna” Thomas Connors, Anthony Davis, Chad Schott, Gary Lopez, Adam Avitabile // Picture Shop
“9-1-1 – 7.1” Jon Massey, Tony Pizadeh, Brigitte Bourque, Gavin Whelan, Kwon Choi // FuseFX
“Star Trek: Discovery – Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2” Jason Zimmerman, Ante Dekovic, Aleksandra Kochoska, Charles Collyer, Alexander Wood // CBS Television Studios
“The Flash – King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd” Armen V. Kevorkian, Joshua Spivack, Andranik Taranyan, Shirak Agresta, Jason Shulman // Encore VFX
Outstanding Color Grading – Theatrical Feature
WINNER: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” Natasha Leonnet // EFILM
“First Man” Natasha Leonnet // EFILM
“Roma” Steven J. Scott // Technicolor
“Green Book” Walter Volpatto // FotoKem
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” Tom Poole // Company 3
“Us” Michael Hatzer // Technicolor
Outstanding Color Grading – Episodic or Non-theatrical Feature
WINNER: “Game of Thrones – Winterfell” Joe Finley // Sim, Los Angeles
“The Handmaid’s Tale – Liars” Bill Ferwerda // Deluxe Toronto
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Vote for Kennedy, Vote for Kennedy” Steven Bodner // Light Iron
“I Am the Night – Pilot” Stefan Sonnenfeld // Company 3
“Gotham – Legend of the Dark Knight: The Trial of Jim Gordon” Paul Westerbeck // Picture Shop
“The Man in The High Castle – Jahr Null” Roy Vasich // Technicolor
Outstanding Color Grading – Commercial
WINNER: Hennessy X.O. – “The Seven Worlds” Stephen Nakamura // Company 3
Zara – “Woman Campaign Spring Summer 2019” Tim Masick // Company 3
Tiffany & Co. – “Believe in Dreams: A Tiffany Holiday” James Tillett // Moving Picture Company
Palms Casino – “Unstatus Quo” Ricky Gausis // Moving Picture Company
Audi – “Cashew” Tom Poole // Company 3
Outstanding Editing – Theatrical Feature Sponsored by Blackmagic Design
WINNER: “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” Fred Raskin, ACE
“Green Book” Patrick J. Don Vito, ACE
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” David Tedeschi, Damian Rodriguez
“The Other Side of the Wind” Orson Welles, Bob Murawski, ACE
“A Star Is Born” Jay Cassidy, ACE
Outstanding Editing – Episodic or Non-theatrical Feature (30 Minutes and Under) Sponsored by Blackmagic Design
WINNER: “VEEP – Pledge” Roger Nygard, ACE
“Russian Doll – The Way Out” Todd Downing
“Homecoming – Redwood” Rosanne Tan, ACE
“Withorwithout” Jake Shaver, Shannon Albrink // Therapy Studios
“Russian Doll – Ariadne” Laura Weinberg
Outstanding Editing – Episodic or Non-theatrical Feature (Over 30 Minutes) Sponsored by Blackmagic Design
WINNER: “Stranger Things – Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt” Dean Zimmerman, ACE, Katheryn Naranjo
“Chernobyl – Vichnaya Pamyat” Simon Smith, Jinx Godfrey // Sister Pictures
“Game of Thrones – The Iron Throne” Katie Weiland, ACE
“Game of Thrones – The Long Night” Tim Porter, ACE
“The Bodyguard – Episode One” Steve Singleton
Outstanding Sound – Theatrical Feature Sponsored by DTS
WINNER: “Godzilla: King of Monsters” Tim LeBlanc, Tom Ozanich, MPSE // Warner Bros. Erik Aadahl, MPSE, Nancy Nugent, MPSE, Jason W. Jennings // E Squared
“Shazam!” Michael Keller, Kevin O’Connell // Warner Bros. Bill R. Dean, MPSE, Erick Ocampo, Kelly Oxford, MPSE // Technicolor
“Smallfoot” Michael Babcock, David E. Fluhr, CAS, Jeff Sawyer, Chris Diebold, Harrison Meyle // Warner Bros.
“Roma” Skip Lievsay, Sergio Diaz, Craig Henighan, Carlos Honc, Ruy Garcia, MPSE, Caleb Townsend
“Aquaman” Tim LeBlanc // Warner Bros. Peter Brown, Joe Dzuban, Stephen P. Robinson, MPSE, Eliot Connors, MPSE // Formosa Group
Outstanding Sound – Episodic or Non-theatrical Feature Sponsored by DTS
WINNER: “The Haunting of Hill House – Two Storms” Trevor Gates, MPSE, Jason Dotts, Jonathan Wales, Paul Knox, Walter Spencer // Formosa Group
“Chernobyl – 1:23:45” Stefan Henrix, Stuart Hilliker, Joe Beal, Michael Maroussas, Harry Barnes // Boom Post
“Deadwood: The Movie” John W. Cook II, Bill Freesh, Mandell Winter, MPSE, Daniel Colman, MPSE, Ben Cook, MPSE, Micha Liberman // NBC Universal
“Game of Thrones – The Bells” Tim Kimmel, MPSE, Onnalee Blank, CAS, Mathew Waters, CAS, Paula Fairfield, David Klotz
“Homecoming – Protocol” John W. Cook II, Bill Freesh, Kevin Buchholz, Jeff A. Pitts, Ben Zales, Polly McKinnon // NBC Universal
Outstanding Sound – Commercial Sponsored by DTS
WINNER: John Lewis & Partners – “Bohemian Rhapsody” Mark Hills, Anthony Moore // Factory
Audi – “Life” Doobie White // Therapy Studios
Leonard Cheshire Disability – “Together Unstoppable” Mark Hills // Factory
New York Times – “The Truth Is Worth It: Fearlessness” Aaron Reynolds // Wave Studios NY
John Lewis & Partners – “The Boy and the Piano” Anthony Moore // Factory
As previously announced, special awards presented at the gala included the HPA Engineering Excellence Award to Adobe, Epic Games, Pixelworks and Portrait Displays, Inc. and LG Electronics; the HPA Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation to They Shall Not Grow Old; the HPA Legacy Award to Peter Caranicas; and the HPA Lifetime Achievement Award to Robert Legato, ASC.
Produced by Homerun Entertainment, the HPA Awards were presented thanks to Diamond Title Sponsor Blackmagic Design; Platinum Sponsor IMAX; Bronze Sponsors Avid and Fox Post Production Services; and Supporting Sponsors DTS, EFILM, FuseFX, Picture Shop, and Pixelogic; and Star Sponsor Signiant.
The HPA Awards were created to foster awareness and recognize the achievements of individuals and companies that have contributed to groundbreaking technologies and creative excellence within the professional media content industry and build involvement in the Hollywood Professional Association. The HPA is a partner of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®). www.hpaonline.com.