On the evening of the 7th of February 2012, the Visual Effects Society will hand out its prestigious awards. Just being nominated is a great honour, as can be seen from the list of contenders for prizes. This event has been held for approaching a decade and it matters a lot to those in the industry. Films like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Inception’ have been previous winners; these films went on to further success at the Academy Awards.

You might guess that a Transformers movie is a contender this time. Transformers: Dark of Moon finds itself going head to head with a range of visually impressive feature films. To be specific, the stiff competition in the category of ‘Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Motion Picture’ (catchy category eh?) includes ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two’, ‘Captain America: the First Avenger’ and ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’.

If Transformers: Dark of Moon does not win this award it could still pick up a gong in other categories. For example, it might beat off challengers to win ‘Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture’, ‘Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture,’ ‘Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture’ or ‘Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture.’

While it may be unrealistic to suggest that Transformers: Dark of Moon will win very heavily on the night, the chances of it picking something up appear to be positive. While not everyone loved the film (critics and fans alike), it would be great if those responsible for the final skyscraper scenes got the recognition they deserve.