USW alumni celebrate after working on six-times Oscar-winning film, Dune

Graduates of University of South Wales (USW) Film & TV School Wales are brimming with pride today after being part of the team working on Dune, the biggest winner of this year’s Oscars.

The film, a science-fiction interpretation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel, won Academy Awards in six different categories – Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design and Best Sound.

Alumni from the BA (Hons) Visual Effects & Motion Graphics degree, including Rosie Walker and Ben Brown, worked on the film, which stars Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya, among many others. Set in the far future, Dune follows Paul Atreides as his family, the noble House Atreides, is thrust into a war for the deadly and inhospitable desert planet, Arrakis.

More than 2,000 visual effect shots were created for the film, using a chroma key process called ‘sandscreen’; instead of using green-based backgrounds, the visual effects team used brown-coloured ones that matched the establishing desert shots, resulting in the backgrounds appearing more natural.

The sequel to Dune is scheduled for release in October 2023.

Among the nominations for this year’s Oscars were Affairs of the Art, a Welsh short film created by former Animation staff and students at USW, which narrowly missed out on the award for Best Animated Short Film.

Spider-Man: No Way Home was also in the running for Best Visual Effects.

Amy Carpenter, a fellow Visual Effects & Motion Graphics graduate, and Computer Animation graduate Jakub Kupcik, both worked on the action adventure film.

Tom Ware, Director of Production and Performance at USW, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to learn of Rosie Walker and Ben Brown’s success on arguably the biggest film of the year.

“Along with the many other FIlm & TV School Wales graduates nominated, Rosie and Ben’s achievements are a wonderful reminder of the huge depth of screen industries talent USW continues to help support.”

Jack Phillips, Senior Lecturer Visual Effects & Motion Graphics at USW, added: “It is great to see Rosie and Ben’s work being recognised as part of the team working on Dune.

“Their talents have gone on to inspire and support many others from USW on the Visual Effects and Motion Graphics course that have themselves become part of such an exciting, vibrant, creative industry.”