John Nelson
Biography
John Nelson (born July 21, 1953) is an American visual effects supervisor. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects for his work on the films Gladiator (2000) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). He has also been nominated for I, Robot (2004) and Iron Man (2008). He also won the 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the Special Visual Effects in Blade Runner 2049. After graduating with high distinction from the University of Michigan in 1976, he worked as a cameraman, technical director, and director at the pioneering computer animation and commercial production company Robert Abel and Associates, where he won two Clio awards and earned six additional Clio nominations. Early in his career while at ILM, Nelson modelled, animated, lit, and composited several shots for Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), including the iconic scene in which the shotgunned head of the chrome terminator splits open and reseals. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Visual Effects Society, the International Cinematographers Guild, and the Directors Guild of America. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For & Full Filmography3 Titles
Movie - 2000, 2h 15m • as Self
A look at the making of the Gladiator (2000) and the historical aspects presented within the film. Interviews with cast, crew and historical professors tell us a little bit more about certain locations and characters than what was in the movie.
Movie - 2008, 2h 15m • as Self
A seven-part "making-of" documentary covering pre-production topics like suit design and construction, storyboards, animatics, and pre-viz, sets, working in the suit, casting, rehearsals, and preparation, and the start of the shoot. From there we look at performances, locations and production design, stunts, hardware and practical effects, and various sequence specifics. Finally, the program goes through post-production at Skywalker Ranch, the titles and a few visual elements, and wrapping up the flick.
Movie - 2005, 2h 15m • as Self
An in-depth look at the entire making of Ridley Scott's Gladiator. Consisting of: Tale Of The Scribes: Story Development, The Heat Of Battle: Production Journals, Attire Of The Realm: Costume Design, Shadow And Dust: Resurrecting Proximo, The Glory Of Rome: Visual Effects, Tools Of War: Weapons, Echoes In Eternity: Release And Impact,and final Production Credits.