Is all the ballyhoo over Ex Machina’s 2016 Oscar upset-win for best VFX really all it’s cracked up to be? The short answer is yes. And for more than because it beat out Star Wars. Much ballyhoo is being made over the first female VFX Supervisor to nab an Oscar in this category.
Here at SWIM, we host a podcast, showcase digital content, and blog about Strong Women In Motion. SWIM’s mission is to encourage and celebrate talented females making waves in various aspects of the motion industry by providing a platform for insight, inspiration, and community.
So when the opportunity comes up to toot a few extra horns over a first of its kind WIN, we are gonna say, “Super Kudos, Sara Bennett!” Sara’s credit role dates back further than just Ex Machina. Her dues have been paid as a VFX supervisor in 2015 on The Martian, Poltergeist; 2014’s Get Santa, Dracula Untold; 2013’s Redemption, and on and on (visit her IMDB page to see the full list). She further has numerous credits as a compositing supervisor, compositor, and 2d artist dating as far back as 1998. Bennett is also the co-founder of UK studio Milk, the studio that did the work nominated for the Oscar.
Sara has spent 18 years in an industry that hasn’t changed much in terms of its demographic make up, that by itself is an accomplishment. Naturally, her work over those years has grown, matured, and expanded to finally be worthy of a win (in the eyes of her “peers” anyway). She was the third ever nominated in the category of Best Visual Effects and the second to win, the first having been awarded to Suzanne M. Benson in 1987 for her work on Aliens.
I would love to see more women in prominent creative roles in our Industry – I was a little shocked to find out I was the third ever female VFX Oscar nominee – Sara Bennett
Enough can’t be said on the disparity between the numbers of women who work in this industry compared to men. According to the latest study conducted by Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., sponsored by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women comprised 19% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. This represents an increase of 2 percentage points from 2014. In 2015, 91% of films had no female directors. These numbers are quite staggering in a society that eats up movies like they’re Reese’s Pieces, lives perennially in reality television, and is just about 51% female.
On winning her Oscar, Bennett is quoted as saying,“I am beyond excited!! We are thrilled and honored to be recognized by The Academy for our work on Ex-Machina. It was a privilege to work with Alex Garland, to bring his incredible vision to life, alongside Andrew Whitehurst and the Dneg team. I would love to see more women in prominent creative roles in our Industry – I was a little shocked to find out I was the third ever female VFX Oscar nominee.”
That is certainly worth the hype.
We here at SWIM are simply happy to be able to share this accomplishment with our audience and hope you share it with your people too.