i don’t even know what to say.  this is so awesome that it defies explanation.  Rhythm and Hues won the academy award for best visual effects!  i am … stunned.  i am also REALLY FREAKING EXCITED!

dumping links here for later reference:

• NY Times feature on Golden Compass vfx
• oscar.com transcript of the visual effects award
• vfx academy award winners photo

AND

FUCK YEAH — R&H wins the Special Visual Effects award at BAFTA 2008, for our work on The Golden Compass!

We were up against The Bourne Ultimatium, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End, and Spider Man 3 :) That’s a pretty big win, if you ask me, and a nice little bell on my cap for the look development work I did on the wolves in Bolvangar.

links:

• link to the BAFTA site listing the winners
• youtube video of our awesome vfx supervisor Bill Westenhofer giving his thank-you speech at the BAFTA ceremony in london.

dear $USERNAME,

i’m taking time today to write you to ask you to please make sure to take time today to get to $POLLING_STATION near $USER_HOME, and vote! however, if you find that you’ll be voting for $NOT_MY_CANDIDATE, or that you belong to $WRONG_PARTY, please don’t worry about it. as a matter of fact, you probably should steer clear of $POLLING_STATION altogether, as i hear that some $RABID_GROUP members are picketing near there. you never know what kind of $DISASTER[rand(0,100)] could occur.

thanks,

friendOf($USERNAME).