Published 16:09 IST, February 11th 2020
Oscars 2020: James Corden & Rebel Wilson's 'Cats' joke slammed by VFX society
The Visual Effects Society has slammed The Academy for making VFX 'a joke' by featuring Cats stars James Corden and Rebel Wilson blaming the bad CGI in the film
The Visual Effects Society has slammed The Academy for making VFX 'a joke' by featuring Cats stars James Corden and Rebel Wilson blaming the bad CGI in their film as the sole reason for it not working at the Box Office.
As castmembers of the motion picture Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects!' the duo said onstage the Oscars while dressed like their characters Bustopher Jones and Jennyanydots the Gumbie Cat.
The joke did not go down well
But the joke has not gone down well with the Visual Effects Society that has over 4,000 members who belong to the technical field of filmmaking. "Last night, in presenting the Academy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects, the producers chose to make visual effects the punchline and suggested that bad VFX were to blame for the poor performance of the movie Cats.
"The best visual effects in the world will not compensate for a story told badly," the film body said in a statement posted on their official website. The VES lamented that the award organisers made "visual effects the butt of a joke" during a ceremony that celebrates the work of "talented artists".
"It demeaned the global community of expert VFX practitioners doing outstanding, challenging, and visually stunning work to achieve the filmmakers' vision. "Our artists, technicians, and innovators deserve respect for their remarkable contributions to filmed entertainment, and should not be presented as the all-too-convenient scapegoat in service for a laugh," it added.
Concluding the statement, the body hoped that the Academy will properly honour the "craft of visual effects and all of the crafts, including cinematography and film editing because we all deserve it".
(Inputs and quotes taken from agencies)
Updated 16:09 IST, February 11th 2020