John Gaeta
Gaeta in Taormina, Sicily in 2021
John C. Gaeta (born 1965) is a designer and inventor, best known for his work on the Matrix film trilogy , where he advanced methods and formats known as Bullet Time .
Career
John Gaeta was born in New York City and raised in Shoreham, Long Island . He pursued film studies at New York University 's Tisch School of the Arts , earning a BFA degree with honors in 1989. He was introduced to the industry as a staff production assistant for the Saturday Night Live film unit, as well as doing camera and lighting work for a variety of media types and makers.[ 1] Some of these early work experiences included holography with Jason Sapan, stop-motion animation with Peter Wallach, motion control with Bran Ferren, nature documentary , filming birdlife for National Geographic Explorer , timelapse and experimental photography in Namibia, Africa on Miramax's first feature, Dust Devil .[ 2]
After co-supervising development for 3-D paint effect stylizations and LIDAR laser scanning (Reality Capture) for the film What Dreams May Come , which won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects , Gaeta began his first solo effects supervision project for The Wachowskis ' science fiction film, The Matrix .[citation needed ]
In 2000, Gaeta won Best Visual Effects at the 73rd Academy Awards for his work on The Matrix , alongside Janek Sirrs , Steve Courtley and Jon Thum .[ 3] The same year, Gaeta was brought on as the senior visual effects supervisor to complete the Matrix trilogy, including The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions . These films were created in parallel and featured over 2000 visual effects shots. Many were photographed and post-processed at a custom-built complex called ESC, located at the Alameda Naval Base near San Francisco. Overall conceptual design as well as research and development was initiated for the final two installments in January 2000. The centerpiece innovations and new methodologies presented through the Matrix universe were the creation of "Virtual Cinematography" and "Virtual Effects," phrases coined by Gaeta in 1999 and 2000.[ 4]
In 2022, Gaeta took the role of Chief Creative Officer at Inworld AI, a company that powers the memories, behavior, and dialogue of AI NPCs and characters.[ 5]
Awards
2000 Academy Award for Visual Effects , for The Matrix
2000 BAFTA Awards for Best Achievement in Special Effects, for The Matrix
2000 MTV Movie Award, Best Action
2003 Visual Effects Society Award for Best Single Visual Effect of the Year in Any Medium, for The Matrix Reloaded (trailer "Top Crash"), shared with Dan Glass , Adrian De Wet, Greg Juby
2003 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects Photography in a Motion Picture for The Matrix Reloaded (U-cap facial photography), shared with Kim Libreri, George Borshukov, Paul Ryan
Hollywood Film Festival : Hollywood Visual Effects Award, 2003 [1] [2]
Nominated, 2003 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture for The Matrix Revolutions , shared with Kim Libreri, George Murphy , Craig Hayes
2014 Palo Alto International Film Festival, Muybridge Award for Innovation
References
^ "Matrix2 : Bullet Time was just the beginning. F/x guru John Gaeta reinvents cinematography with The Matrix Reloaded ." (Wired , May 2003)
^ "Artist Profile: John Gaeta" . Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-03-27 .
^ John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, Jon Thum Academy Award Acceptance Speech - Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database , retrieved 2021-09-17
^ "'The Matrix' Revealed : An Interview with John Gaeta" (VFXPro , March 9, 2004)
^ Morris, Chris (September 9, 2022). "How the creator of 'bullet time' for 'The Matrix' wants to transform the metaverse" . Fast Company . Retrieved March 14, 2023 .
External links
Awards for John Gaeta
1963–1980
Emil Kosa Jr. – Cleopatra (1963)
Peter Ellenshaw , Eustace Lycett , and Hamilton Luske – Mary Poppins (1964)
John Stears – Thunderball (1965)
Art Cruickshank – Fantastic Voyage (1966)
L. B. Abbott – Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Stanley Kubrick – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Robie Robertson – Marooned (1969)
A. D. Flowers and L. B. Abbott – Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Alan Maley , Eustace Lycett , and Danny Lee – Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers – The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Frank Brendel , Glen Robinson , and Albert Whitlock – Earthquake (1974)
Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson – The Hindenburg (1975)
Carlo Rambaldi , Glen Robinson , and Frank Van der Veer – King Kong (1976)
John Stears , John Dykstra , Richard Edlund , Grant McCune , and Robert Blalack – Star Wars (1977)
Les Bowie , Colin Chilvers , Denys Coop , Roy Field , Derek Meddings , and Zoran Perisic – Superman (1978)
H. R. Giger , Carlo Rambaldi , Brian Johnson , Nick Allder , and Dennis Ayling – Alien (1979)
Brian Johnson , Richard Edlund , Dennis Muren , and Bruce Nicholson – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1981–2000
Richard Edlund , Kit West , Bruce Nicholson , and Joe Johnston – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Carlo Rambaldi , Dennis Muren , and Kenneth F. Smith – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Richard Edlund , Dennis Muren , Ken Ralston , and Phil Tippett – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Dennis Muren , Michael J. McAlister , Lorne Peterson , and George Gibbs – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Ken Ralston , Ralph McQuarrie , Scott Farrar , and David Berry – Cocoon (1985)
Robert Skotak , Stan Winston , John Richardson , and Suzanne M. Benson – Aliens (1986)
Dennis Muren , Bill George , Harley Jessup , and Kenneth F. Smith - Innerspace (1987)
Ken Ralston , Richard Williams , Edward Jones , and George Gibbs – Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
John Bruno , Dennis Muren , Hoyt Yeatman , and Dennis Skotak – The Abyss (1989)
Eric Brevig , Rob Bottin , Tim McGovern , and Alex Funke – Total Recall (1990)
Dennis Muren , Stan Winston , Gene Warren Jr. , and Robert Skotak – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Ken Ralston , Doug Chiang , Douglas Smythe , and Tom Woodruff Jr. – Death Becomes Her (1992)
Dennis Muren , Stan Winston , Phil Tippett , and Michael Lantieri – Jurassic Park (1993)
Ken Ralston , George Murphy , Stephen Rosenbaum , and Allen Hall – Forrest Gump (1994)
Scott E. Anderson , Charles Gibson , Neal Scanlan , and John Cox – Babe (1995)
Volker Engel , Douglas Smith , Clay Pinney , and Joe Viskocil – Independence Day (1996)
Robert Legato , Mark Lasoff , Thomas L. Fisher , and Michael Kanfer – Titanic (1997)
Joel Hynek , Nicholas Brooks , Stuart Robertson , and Kevin Mack – What Dreams May Come (1998)
John Gaeta , Janek Sirrs , Steve Courtley , and Jon Thum – The Matrix (1999)
John Nelson , Neil Corbould , Tim Burke , and Rob Harvey – Gladiator (2000)
2001–2020
Jim Rygiel , Randall William Cook , Richard Taylor , and Mark Stetson – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Jim Rygiel , Joe Letteri , Randall William Cook , and Alex Funke – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Jim Rygiel , Joe Letteri , Randall William Cook , and Alex Funke – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
John Dykstra , Scott Stokdyk , Anthony LaMolinara , and John Frazier – Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Joe Letteri , Brian Van't Hul , Christian Rivers , and Richard Taylor – King Kong (2005)
John Knoll , Hal Hickel , Charles Gibson , and Allen Hall – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Michael L. Fink , Bill Westenhofer , Ben Morris , and Trevor Wood – The Golden Compass (2007)
Eric Barba , Steve Preeg , Burt Dalton , and Craig Barron – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Joe Letteri , Stephen Rosenbaum , Richard Baneham , and Andrew R. Jones – Avatar (2009)
Paul Franklin , Chris Corbould , Andrew Lockley , and Peter Bebb – Inception (2010)
Robert Legato , Joss Williams , Ben Grossmann , and Alex Henning – Hugo (2011)
Bill Westenhofer , Guillaume Rocheron , Erik-Jan de Boer , and Donald R. Elliott – Life of Pi (2012)
Tim Webber , Chris Lawrence , Dave Shirk , and Neil Corbould – Gravity (2013)
Paul Franklin , Andrew Lockley , Ian Hunter , and Scott R. Fisher – Interstellar (2014)
Mark Williams Ardington , Sara Bennett , Paul Norris , and Andrew Whitehurst – Ex Machina (2015)
Robert Legato , Adam Valdez , Andrew R. Jones , and Dan Lemmon – The Jungle Book (2016)
John Nelson , Gerd Nefzer , Paul Lambert , and Richard R. Hoover – Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Paul Lambert , Ian Hunter , Tristan Myles , and J. D. Schwalm – First Man (2018)
Guillaume Rocheron , Greg Butler , and Dominic Tuohy – 1917 (2019)
Andrew Jackson , David Lee , Andrew Lockley , and Scott R. Fisher – Tenet (2020)
2021–present
1982–2000
Richard Edlund - Poltergeist (1982)
Richard Edlund , Dennis Muren , Ken Ralston , and Kit West - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Dennis Muren , George Gibbs , Michael J. McAlister , and Lorne Peterson - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
George Gibbs and Richard Conway - Brazil (1985)
Robert Skotak , Brian Johnson , Suzanne M. Benson , John Richardson , and Stan Winston - Aliens (1986)
Michael Lantieri , Michael Owens , Edward Jones , and Bruce Walters - The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
George Gibbs , Richard Williams , Ken Ralston , and Edward Jones - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Ken Ralston , Michael Lantieri , John Bell , and Steve Gawley - Back to the Future Part II (1989)
The production team of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1990)
Stan Winston , Dennis Muren , Gene Warren Jr. , and Robert Skotak - Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Michael Lantieri , Ken Ralston , Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Doug Chiang , and Douglas Smythe - Death Becomes Her (1992)
Dennis Muren , Stan Winston , Phil Tippett , and Michael Lantieri - Jurassic Park (1993)
Ken Ralston , George Murphy , Stephen Rosenbaum , Doug Chiang , and Allen Hall - Forrest Gump (1994)
Robert Legato , Michael Kanfer , Matt Sweeney , and Leslie Ekker - Apollo 13 (1995)
Stefen Fangmeier , John Frazier , Henry LaBounta , and Habib Zargarpour - Twister (1996)
Mark Stetson , Karen Goulekas , Nick Allder , Neil Corbould , and Nick Dudman - The Fifth Element (1997)
Stefen Fangmeier , Roger Guyett , and Neil Corbould - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
John Gaeta , Steve Courtley , Janek Sirrs , and Jon Thum - The Matrix (1999)
Stefen Fangmeier , John Frazier , Walt Conti , Habib Zargarpour , and Tim Alexander - The Perfect Storm (2000)
2001–present
Jim Rygiel , Richard Taylor , Alex Funke , Randall William Cook , and Mark Stetson - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Jim Rygiel , Joe Letteri , Randall William Cook , and Alex Funke - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Joe Letteri , Jim Rygiel , Randall William Cook , and Alex Funke - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Karen Goulekas , Neil Corbould , Greg Strause , and Remo Balcells - The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Joe Letteri , Christian Rivers , Brian Van't Hul , and Richard Taylor - King Kong (2005)
John Knoll , Hal Hickel , Charles Gibson , and Allen Hall - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Michael L. Fink , Bill Westenhofer , Ben Morris , and Trevor Wood - The Golden Compass (2007)
Eric Barba , Craig Barron , Nathan McGuinness , and Edson Williams - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Joe Letteri , Stephen Rosenbaum , Richard Baneham , and Andrew R. Jones - Avatar (2009)
Chris Corbould , Paul Franklin , Andrew Lockley , and Peter Bebb - Inception (2010)
Tim Burke , John Richardson , Greg Butler , and David Vickery - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
Bill Westenhofer , Guillaume Rocheron , and Erik-Jan de Boer - Life of Pi (2012)
Tim Webber , Chris Lawrence , Dave Shirk , Neil Corbould , and Nikki Penny - Gravity (2013)
Paul Franklin , Scott R. Fisher , Andrew Lockley , and Ian Hunter - Interstellar (2014)
Chris Corbould , Roger Guyett , Paul Kavanagh , and Neal Scanlan - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Robert Legato , Dan Lemmon , Andrew R. Jones , and Adam Valdez - The Jungle Book (2016)
Richard R. Hoover , Paul Lambert , Gerd Nefzer , and John Nelson - Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Geoffrey Baumann , Jesse James Chisholm, Craig Hammack , and Dan Sudick - Black Panther (2018)
Greg Butler , Guillaume Rocheron , and Dominic Tuohy - 1917 (2019)
Scott R. Fisher , Andrew Jackson , and Andrew Lockley - Tenet (2020)
Brian Connor , Paul Lambert , Tristan Myles , and Gerd Nefzer - Dune (2021)
Richard Baneham , Daniel Barrett , Joe Letteri and Eric Saindon - Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Simon Hughes - Poor Things (2023)