Matt Sweeney, a pioneering special effects artist who was Oscar-nominated for his work on Ron Howard’s 1995 space epic Apollo 13, died February 19 of lung cancer at Burbank’s Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. He was 75.
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Matt Sweeney, the inventor and special effects artist who received an Oscar nomination for his work on Apollo 13 and three Technical Achievement Awards during his long career, has died. He was 75.
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before we lost James Cameron to the virtual world of Pandora (where he is still doing fine work), he mounted some of the most physically daunting productions in the history of cinema. He submerged his cast and crew in 30-plus feet of water in order to authentically capture the (literally and figuratively) high-pressure environment of "The Abyss," executed a load of wild vehicular stunts in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (one of which was so perilous his cameraman refused to shoot it), and compelled 20th Century Fox to build a new studio in Mexico for his reconstruction of the title vessel in "Titanic." Though he was pioneering computer generated visual effects throughout this period, he loved practical spectacle -- and, judging from the box office on most of these movies (save for "The Abyss"), audiences shared his ardor.
1994's "True Lies" was no exception. The Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick, about a...
1994's "True Lies" was no exception. The Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick, about a...
- 2/11/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) announced its winning films at a ceremony this morning in Santa Barbara.
“This 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel, and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women,” said Sbiff’s Programming Director, Claudia Puig. “We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception to our diverse program of 200 films from 43 countries. Cinema is one of the most powerful vehicles for empathy, providing a window of understanding to all who seek to look through it. We thank the filmmakers in attendance and our avid Santa Barbara audience for so heartily embracing the festival experience. Several films prompted standing ovations and packed theaters, marking 2023 a full-throttled return to celebrating cinema from around the globe.”
The 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival took place February 8 – February 18. Official events included screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes,...
“This 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel, and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women,” said Sbiff’s Programming Director, Claudia Puig. “We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception to our diverse program of 200 films from 43 countries. Cinema is one of the most powerful vehicles for empathy, providing a window of understanding to all who seek to look through it. We thank the filmmakers in attendance and our avid Santa Barbara audience for so heartily embracing the festival experience. Several films prompted standing ovations and packed theaters, marking 2023 a full-throttled return to celebrating cinema from around the globe.”
The 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival took place February 8 – February 18. Official events included screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Making a movie is hard. There are more moving parts than any lay person could possibly realize that are needed to make a production look professional and seamless. One of the most important components of any film production, especially when it comes to action films before the advances of CGI in the last two decades, is the special effects team. Such was the case on James Cameron's 1994 big budget action comedy "True Lies," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Cameron has always been on the cutting edge of visuals and effects, which is why, when it came to pulling off incredible set pieces and stunts in "True Lies," the effects team had to be the best of the best. Cameron is very famously a perfectionist, after all. So when the director approached them about a very specific, seemingly impossible, and fully practical stunt, they accepted his challenge.
It...
Cameron has always been on the cutting edge of visuals and effects, which is why, when it came to pulling off incredible set pieces and stunts in "True Lies," the effects team had to be the best of the best. Cameron is very famously a perfectionist, after all. So when the director approached them about a very specific, seemingly impossible, and fully practical stunt, they accepted his challenge.
It...
- 12/17/2022
- by Jeff Kelly
- Slash Film
The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominees for their 11th Annual Ves Awards. From film to animation to television to commercials and video games, the Ves Awards honor the outstanding visual effects artistry.
"Life of Pi's" Ang Lee will be honored with the Visionary Award. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, February 5, at the Beverly Hilton.
Here's the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Joe Letteri
Eileen Moran
Eric Saindon
Kevin L. Sherwood
Prometheus
Paul Butterworth
Charley Henley
Allen Maris
Richard Stammers
Life of Pi
Thomas Fisher
Susan Macleod
Guillaume Rocheron
Bill Westenhofer
The Avengers
Susan Pickett
Janek Sirrs
Jeff White
Guy Williams
Battleship
Grady Cofer
Pablo Helman
Jeanie King
Glen Mcintosh
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Rust and Bone
Béatrice Bauwens...
"Life of Pi's" Ang Lee will be honored with the Visionary Award. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, February 5, at the Beverly Hilton.
Here's the complete list of nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Joe Letteri
Eileen Moran
Eric Saindon
Kevin L. Sherwood
Prometheus
Paul Butterworth
Charley Henley
Allen Maris
Richard Stammers
Life of Pi
Thomas Fisher
Susan Macleod
Guillaume Rocheron
Bill Westenhofer
The Avengers
Susan Pickett
Janek Sirrs
Jeff White
Guy Williams
Battleship
Grady Cofer
Pablo Helman
Jeanie King
Glen Mcintosh
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Rust and Bone
Béatrice Bauwens...
- 1/8/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
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