As we count down the final days of yet another awards season, AWN and VFXWorld asked a group of award-winning VFX artists what they look for when judging the quality of visual effects work and what they consider some of the finest work they’ve seen in the last year.
To get a better understanding of which television shows and feature films stood out in 2025 for the quality of their VFX work, a group of award-winning visual effects supervisors and executives were consulted. Among those answering three questions about the craft are Chad Wanstreet (The Sympathizer); Guillaume Rocheron (Life of Pi, 1917); Henrik Fett (CEO, OPSIS Studios); Jake Morrison (Ant-Man, Thunderbolts); Johnny Han (The Penguin, The Nevers); Kaitlyn Yang (American Born Chinese); Raymond McIntyre Jr. (Winning Time, The Tuskegee Airmen); Sara Bennett (Ex Machina, Sherlock); and Sheena Duggal (Body of Lies, Agent Carter). From their responses, it appears that the “wow factor” era of visual effects is fading, as invisible VFX receive more praise than spectacle. Here are some of the more thought-provoking takeaways from the discussions:
What do you look for when judging visual effects work?
Chad Wanstreet: “I look for visual effects that align with the tone and shooting style of the entire project, creating a cohesive visual language. While pure spectacle can be impressive from a technical standpoint, I’m more drawn to visuals that serve the story — effects that feel like a natural extension of the filmmaking rather than a distraction from it.”
Guillaume Rocheron: “When judging visual effects work, you have to consider in how integral the visual effects design and execution is to the success of a film’s storytelling and uniqueness. Are there any technical innovations, or artistic standouts? How well the work is integrated within the film’s overall language?”
Henrik Fett: “How effectively the visual effects serve the story and integrate into the film as a whole. Flawless execution is essential, of course, but for me, intention and placement matter just as much.”
Jake Morrison: “Innovation, consistency, and integration. Sometimes visual effects are front-and-center but often they’re not! As an artist, you work just as hard on an invisible effect as you do on a show-stopper. We enable filmmakers to create something they literally couldn’t have done any other way, whether it’s for technical, financial reasons or just our ability to break the basic laws of reality.”
Johnny Han: “When judging visual effects work, I weigh out two main aspects. Creativity and Craft. Creativity can be aesthetic choices, unique or unexplored imagery, all the way to the intangible, like does it elicit an emotional response in me. Even if someone has a great idea [which can be attributed to creativity], it needs to be manifested into reality. This process is what I consider to be craft. Methodology, technique, and execution. What constraints and technical hurdles were overcome and how? Was there expertise in the techniques used? And with everything they wanted to convey creatively, were the crafted results successful?
I think with weighing both of these aspects, incredible feature film work, where the solution may have been to just CG model one million buildings to make a city, can go head-to-head with a smaller independent film or show that had to create their city with a mixture of CG, photos, and classic hand painted matte painting work.”
Kaitlyn Yang: “If the visual effects work adds to the believability of the world that the story is building. Or if the visual effects work is so invisible and seamless that I have to assume production craze and film logic to really appreciate the enhanced details that ended up in the frame. Looking on IMDb and other trade publications for if the teams executing the effects are as diverse as the world that we are emulating. Capturing stellar nuance in simulation effects or matte painting and presenting them in a new light that inspires me to create something of my own.”
Raymond McIntyre Jr.: “Assuming the visual effects work is adding visual effects to live-action photography, I look for believable integration of the added elements. I look for the visual effects to match lighting, color, and contrast. I also look for the design and animation of the visual effects to be believable and enhance the story, not to have been created ‘just because you can.’ If the visual effects work is full CGI for a live-action photoreal-type show, then in addition to the above I am looking at the entire frame/environment for the above-mentioned items.”
Sara Bennett: “I’m always excited by new approaches and bold ideas, but what really impresses me is visual effects that are so well integrated they feels invisible, so it's all about the story rather than the spectacle.”
Sheena Duggal: “When I’m judging visual effects work, the first thing I ask is whether it’s serving the story rather than competing with it. The shots that stay with me are the ones where the design, animation, and simulation disappear into the performances, the camera, and the emotional tone of the scene. I pay close attention to integration and plausibility, the light and shadow sitting correctly in the plate, lens behavior that feels photographed rather than rendered, and a real sense of physicality in how characters and environments interact. Beyond that, originality of visual ideas, nuance in the character work, and consistency across an entire project are what separate strong work from something truly award-worthy.”
What visual effects work stood out to you in 2025 and why?
Chad Wanstreet: “Stranger Things didn’t disappoint this season. I felt the team surpassed their previous work with a truly unified visual vision. Foundation continues to impress me as well; the way its world-building spans from sound and costume design to visual effects makes it a complete sensory experience. F1 was another standout — the filmmaking and effects work never pull you out of the action, perfectly maintaining the pace and intensity of the story. Other favorites for me were The Residence, The Last of Us, and It: Welcome to Derry — all great examples of artists committing fully to the visual language of the worlds they’ve helped create and sustain.”
Guillaume Rocheron: “This is again a very strong year for our craft, and I really love that most of the interesting work isn’t about bigger and flashier. For example, some of the close-ups on Avatar: Fire and Ash are amazingly translating and honoring the performances of the actors; the work in F1 is not only great technically but an integral part of how the movie was put together, which to me is the sign of a great synergy between all departments, the director and the visual effects team.
Henrik Fett: “I love the range of visual effects work showcased in last year’s projects — from the seamless use of visual effects as a storytelling tool, such as The Lost Bus, where a photoreal disaster environment is convincingly recreated, to films like F1, which let us see that world in ways we’ve never been able to before. And at the other end of the spectrum, there are the incredible fantasy creatures and environments that play with — and completely upend — our perception of reality.”
Jake Morrison: “I really loved the sheer gusto of Stef’s team on Superman being unchained and allowed to ‘go big or go home.’ But you can’t beat the utterly seamless work on Sinners; it allows you to completely forget the split screens, face-replacements, and multiple make-up changes.”
Johnny Han: “I think Visual Effects Supervisor Michael Ralla’s visual effects work on Sinners truly stood out. The visual effects challenge for the work to remain truly anonymous and invisible, and at the same time spectacularly scary and horrific, is a monumental task that I feel was achieved. In series work, The Last of Us S2, with Visual Effects Supervisor Alex Wang, raised the bar in television once again with that jaw dropping hoard attack in Episode 202. My jaw is still dragging behind me.”
Kaitlyn Yang: Sinners. It's a masterpiece of storytelling on the basis of advocacy. It wasn't about the visual effects, but the stories came together by relying on the seamless integration of CG characters and places. It has earned its place among the classics that we study in film school and beyond.
Raymond McIntyre Jr.: “The visual effects work in Sinners stands out to me for two reasons. One, it is done extremely well and fits seamlessly in the shots. Two, the visual effects were created to support the story and did not attempt to ‘be the story’ or create something ‘just because you can.’ The visual effects work in Avatar: Fire and Ash stand out for the quantity of beautiful visual effects work that was created. Extreme attention to detail. The advancement in the state-of-the-art dinosaur work shows very well in Jurassic World Rebirth. The addition of feathers adds a complexity that was not as much a part of dinosaurs in the past. The visual effects fire created in The Lost Bus stands out as extremely well done in service to the story and something not possible to do practically. The visual effects work in F1 stands out to me due to the different methodologies used to create / modify the race cars needed for the shots. Seamless work.”
Sara Bennett: “The work on Tron: Ares really stood out to me in 2025. The visual effects were beautifully designed and felt like a thoughtful homage to the original ’80s films, while still pushing the aesthetic forward in a modern way.”
Sheena Duggal: “Projects like Thunderbolts* and Superman demonstrated how large-scale visual effects can feel grounded when they’re rooted in character, performance, and cinematic language rather than spectacle. This year there was also a strong emphasis on environment and world-building as a storytelling tool. Films like Tron: Ares, where the visual rules of the world are clearly defined and consistently applied, allowing the design language of the film to support the story telling. Franchise work like Jurassic World Rebirth continues to evolve, particularly in how scale, physical interaction, and environmental detail are handled. On the opposite end of the spectrum, films like Sinners stood out for demonstrating how almost imperceptible visual effects can carry mood and psychological weight without ever calling attention to themselves... a reminder that some of the most effective work is the work that is often invisible to the viewer.
There were also several ambitious projects this year defined by the sheer scope and volume of their visual effects. These films leaned more heavily into stylization and heightened reality, prioritizing scale, fantasy, and visual invention. While that approach may not always align with the grounded-realism I tend to respond to most, the level of craft, coordination, and creative risk involved is undeniable. The artists behind these films delivered work of enormous complexity and ambition, and that kind of effort deserves to be recognized for pushing the industry forward.”
Do you notice any particular trends in regard to television shows and movies being nominated this time around for visual effects?
Chad Wanstreet: “What really jumps out at me this year is how global the field feels now. When you look across the nominations, especially on the episodic side, you see really thoughtful, story-driven work coming from all over, not just the usual suspects. The big legacy players are still there, but they’re increasingly sharing space and shots with a wider mix of vendors, which I find genuinely exciting.
I’m also seeing a lot more discipline in how shows and films are using visual effects as part of the overall world-building instead of as one-off ‘look at this’ moments. The work that stands out tends to have a clear, unified vision — the effects sit comfortably alongside the production design, cinematography, and tone, so you’re just living in the world rather than noticing the shots. For me, that combination of global reach and really cohesive, integrated visual storytelling is the throughline in this year’s nominations.”
Guillaume Rocheron: “Television keeps getting bolder and bolder in terms of scale and visual ambition and the work is often excellent despite the volume of shots. On the other hand, I like that the work in movies is about empowering filmmakers to create unique experiences and not necessarily just about sheer spectacle.”
Henrik Fett: “It’s all subjective, of course, but I appreciate that the Academy recognizes the vastly different ways visual effects are being used. I don’t think our craft should cater to or try to create trends. There’s something for everyone, even if I still found myself scanning the shortlist more than once, looking for a few projects I expected to find.”
Jake Morrison: “The quality level is immensely high all round and I felt that the streaming shows were really punching at the same level as the features, sharing the same teams and the same mature pipelines. Great work everyone, let’s keep making the audience wonder how we did it!”
Johnny Han: “In 2025, I did notice more high profile work visual effects done with consideration into non-CGI solutions. Marvel’s Fantastic Four incorporated miniature model work into their spaceship sequences. It looked amazing, and felt appropriate for a film whose production design was meant to bring us back to a more analogue, tactile, retro world. Frankenstein also went to great lengths to mix media with prosthetic work, practical builds, on top of which extensive CG visual effects were, I wouldn’t say ‘replaced,’ but evolved or accentuated the practical work, preserving the filmmaker’s intent.”
Kaitlyn Yang: “Stories that pierced through the cultural zeitgeist will have a higher chance in the competition.”
Raymond McIntyre Jr.: “I am not sure I have noticed a nomination trend. I hope the visual effects winners are chosen based on beauty and service to the story and that the voters watch each of the movies nominated. I have felt in the past that some movies should have done better during awards season but were not a commercial success. I feel voters do not always watch the available breakdown material for less popular movies.”
Sara Bennett: “I’ve noticed how varied the nominated work is this year. It’s great to see recognition going beyond big, flashy moments to effects that are seamlessly woven into the story and used in more creative, narrative driven ways. To me, that signals a shift in how we define great visual effects.”
Sheena Duggal: “There is a noticeable shift is toward visual effects that feel cohesive and grounded, even within highly stylized or fantastical worlds. Many of this year’s nominated projects prioritize believable physics, naturalistic lighting, and consistent visual systems, worlds that feel designed and lived in like F1 and The Lost Bus. Overall, it feels like the industry is increasingly rewarding visual effects that are grounded, immersive, and collaborative, resulting in work that elevates story and performance.”
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.
