娱乐英语新闻:AMPAS honors 25 individuals, firms with scientific Oscars

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five individual or group developers representing the most advanced level in Hollywood were named as recipients of this year's Scientific and Technical Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Thursday.

The awards, which will be presented on Feb. 9 in nine categories, will honor developers of a computer-graphics software, camera-positioning system, advanced camera lenses, among others.

Unlike other Academy accolades, the scientific and technical achievements did not necessarily need to be developed in 2012, but they must have exhibited a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures, AMPAS said.

The recipients of Technical Achievement Awards (Academy certificates) are:

-- J.P. Lewis, Matt Cordner and Nickson Fong for the invention and publication of the Pose Space Deformation technique used in the creation of computer-generated characters;

-- Lawrence Kesteloot, Drew Olbrich and Daniel Wexler for the creation of the Light system for computer graphics lighting at PDI/DreamWorks;

-- Steve LaVietes, Brian Hall and Jeremy Selan for the creation of the Katana computer graphics scene management and lighting software at Sony Pictures Imageworks;

-- Theodore Kim, Nils Thuerey, Markus Gross and Doug James for the invention, publication and dissemination of Wavelet Turbulence software;

-- Richard Mall for the design and development of the Matthews Max Menace Arm, a sophisticated positioning device for lighting fixtures, cameras or accessories.

Scientific and Engineering Awards (Academy plaques) will go to:

-- Simon Clutterbuck, James Jacobs and Dr. Richard Dorling for the development of the Tissue Physically-Based Character Simulation Framework;

-- Dr. Philip McLauchlan, Allan Jaenicke, John-Paul Smith and Ross Shain for the creation of the Mocha planar tracking and rotoscoping software;

-- Joe Murtha, William Frederick and Jim Markland of Anton/Bauer, Inc.for the design and creation of the CINE VCLX Portable Power System allowing for extended use of power cameras and other equipment.

Cooke Optics Limited will receive the Academy Award of Merit (an Oscar statuette) as it has continued innovation in the design and manufacture of advanced camera lenses "that have helped define the look of motion pictures over the last century."