MAM
DNEG wins its fifth VFX Oscar – second consecutive win
MUMBAI: DNEG, Prime Focus’ creative services arm, was recognized at the Oscar’s in Los Angeles for the work on First Man with a 5th Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
This is DNEG’s second consecutive VFX Oscar, with Paul Lambert winning the award last year as VFX Supervisor on director Dennis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, and it means DNEG has now received the Best VFX OSCAR for four out of the last five years. DNEG’s Academy Award-winning VFX Supervisor Paul Lambert and DNEG DFX Supervisor Tristan Myles accepted the award for ‘Best Visual Effects’ for their outstanding in-camera FX work on First Man, alongside Miniature Effects Supervisor Ian Hunter, and Special Effects Supervisor J.D. Schwalm.
DNEG won its first VFX OSCAR in 2011 for work on director Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Inception. This was followed by another collaboration with Nolan on the sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar, which won in 2015. In 2016, DNEG accepted the VFX OSCAR for work on Alex Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina, followed by Blade Runner 2049 last year.
Speaking about the award, VFX Supervisor Paul Lambert said: “It’s such a great honour to have won this wonderful award. We did things a little bit differently in terms of the visual effects for First Man so being recognised by the Academy is all the more special. It goes without saying that none of this would have been possible without our amazing cast and crew throughout the project – pre-production, the shoot and everybody in post — All of us led by the truly inspirational Damien Chazelle.”
“Huge thanks to the producers of the movie: Marty Bowen; Wyck Godfrey; Isaac Klausner and Adam Merims; Universal VFX Heads Jennifer Bell and Bill Tlusty; my VFX Producer Kevin Elam; and a big shout out to Michelle Eisenreich and all my people at DNEG Vancouver. We seem to have done it for the second year running!”
Meanwhile, DFX Supervisor Tristan Myles, said: “Wow! What an achievement to have won this prestigious award! Special ‘Thank You’ to the talented VFX team back home in Vancouver, without whose fantastic work this would not have been possible.”
DNEG CEO, Namit Malhotra, said: “It’s a huge honour for the team’s work on First Man to be recognised with an OSCAR. While our primary focus is always on supporting the amazing storytellers we work with through the creation of state-of-the-art effects, it’s fantastic for our global teams to be recognised by the industry for their hard work and dedication.
“We are massively grateful to the director, Damien Chazelle, for having the confidence in our teams and technology to push the boundaries of visual effects.”
Digital
Anthropic eyes $900bn valuation in new funding round ahead of IPO: Reports
Claude maker may surpass OpenAI as investor interest heats up sharply
SAN FRANCISCO: Anthropic is exploring a fresh funding round that could value the company at more than $900 billion, potentially making it the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup, according to Bloomberg reports.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported that the Claude maker is in early-stage discussions with investors and is entertaining offers at more than double its current valuation. No deal has been finalised yet.
The interest marks a sharp jump from February this year, when Anthropic raised $30 billion at a valuation of $380 billion. Since then, investor appetite appears to have intensified, with multiple pre-emptive offers on the table.
According to TechCrunch, the company has received proposals to raise around $50 billion at valuations ranging between $850 billion and $900 billion. A decision is expected to be taken at a board meeting in May.
If the deal goes through at the upper end of that range, Anthropic would overtake OpenAI, which was valued at $852 billion in March, to become the most valuable AI startup globally.
The potential fundraise also comes against the backdrop of a possible initial public offering, which could be launched as early as October, the Bloomberg report noted.
The company counts tech heavyweights such as Amazon and Google, part of Alphabet, among its key backers. Both firms have continued to deepen their ties with Anthropic through multi-billion-dollar, performance-linked investments.
Interestingly, earlier reports had suggested that Anthropic was cautious about raising funds at valuations of $800 billion or more. The latest developments, however, indicate that market enthusiasm for advanced AI models and infrastructure may be shifting those thresholds quickly.
As the race for AI dominance accelerates, Anthropic’s next move could set a new benchmark for startup valuations, and signal just how high investors are willing to bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
