Brynn Hinnant

. When the nominees are announced on Tuesday, January 23, for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards, it will be another competitive year with outstanding films in contention for the VFX Oscar.

Feeding new technology into a pipeline while a project is in production is a high-wire adventure, whether the production is visual effects for a live-action film, an animated feature or a streaming episode. Instead, by using short films as test beds, some studios try new technology and give aspiring directors a less stressful playing field.

By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Apple Studios and Columbia Pictures.

In just a few years, turbocharged by the pandemic, remote work has become widely established in the VFX industry and is now a preferred option for many visual artists.

By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Prime Video. Essential for any successful digital augmentation is having a member of the visual

By OLIVER WEBB Images courtesy of AMC Networks. Following the events of the final season of The Walking Dead , Daryl Dixon washes

By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Apple+ and Legendary Entertainment.

By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Netflix. Producer and long-time David Fincher collaborator Peter Mavromates extend their partnership

By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Netflix. As Akira Kurosawa was a major influence on George Lucas' The Hidden Fortress in

By OLIVER WEBB Images courtesy of Republic Pictures and Theodor Groeneboom.