\u201cDeepwater Horizon\u201d<\/a> as \u201cpretty surreal.\u201d The film \u2014 about the BP underwater drilling rig explosion in 2010 \u2014 was an under-the-radar candidate, he said, but the fire work involved was \u201csome of the best that had been done.\u201d The nomination led to press appearances and a lunch for the nominees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s all done very well to make you feel very special,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the 2017 ceremony, Hammack\u2019s first memory is that his wife \u201clooked absolutely stunning.\u201d And he witnessed the all-time Oscar goof, the best-picture blunder when \u201cLa La Land\u201d was initially declared the winner, before the mistake was corrected and the honor went to \u201cMoonlight.\u201d Hammack calls it \u201can odd twist on a pretty fantastic night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hammack will experience the Oscar whirlwind again for his work on Wakanda, the fictional African country he helped to build first for \u201cBlack Panther\u201d and then for \u201cWakanda Forever.\u201d Hammack and the Industrial Light & Magic team created the country and its Golden City, a task that he calls a dream for a student with an architecture background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfro-futuristic architecture to design and build,\u201d he said. \u201cCity planning from scratch around cultural themes. It was all great fun and rewarding to realize and see it enjoyed on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For \u201cWakanda Forever,\u201d Hammack said he again worked on city design but on a street level, and an attack scene of the city, along with T\u2019challa\u2019s funeral procession. The film has grossed more than $840 million worldwide since its November release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Academy Awards are March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Foundation for Success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn looking back at his career, Hammack said that he\u2019s been fortunate to be around \u201cincredibly smart and talented people\u201d on his movie adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for his time in Texas A&M\u2019s Visualization program, and he said he could go on for days talking about how professors influenced him and how much the program meant to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the biggest part of it, though, was the culture and the privilege to be around such incredibly driven and passionate people that were so talented in creative things, but just so smart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That includes students who went on to Industrial Light & Magic before him, he said, creating a trail for him to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople like Tim McLaughlin and John Walker, Kevin Reuter, David Hisanaga, David Parrish, Jason Rosson and so many more,\u201d he said. \u201cThey had all been hired before me at ILM and were doing really well at establishing a reputation for the Viz Lab. By the time my turn came, the Viz Lab was a regular recruiting stop for all the major companies, and I think it was easy for them to take a chance on another Viz student.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A groggy morning turned into a joyful one for Craig Hammack on Tuesday. The Texas A&M graduate awoke to the news he had been nominated for an Academy Award for his visual effects work on \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":14770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[62,64,90],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Texas A&M Graduate Craig Hammack Nominated for Oscar for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' - Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n