Dune 2 Visual Effects Artist Regrets Missing Acceptance Speech at Oscars

Rhys Salcombe, a visual effects artist for Dune: Part Two, expressed his disappointment for not being able to deliver an acceptance speech after his team won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects during the recent Academy Awards.

The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was nominated for a total of seven awards, including Best Picture, and took home Oscars for both Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.

Salcombe, along with his colleagues Paul Lambert, Stephen James, and Gerd Nefzer, went on stage to accept the award. Paul Lambert began by thanking Villeneuve and acknowledging the contributions of various visual effects companies that collaborated on the project, such as DNEG, Wylie Co., Rodeo, Territory, and MPC.

Unfortunately, due to the 45-second time limit imposed by the Academy for speeches, Salcombe was unable to share his thoughts with the audience. In a conversation with BBC Radio Wales Drive, he noted that it was indeed a “shame” but was glad that his teammates had a chance to speak.

On social media, many users compared the situation to that of best actor winner Adrien Brody, who delivered a notably lengthy speech, breaking the record for the longest acceptance address in Oscars history. Brody's speech lasted an impressive five minutes and 40 seconds, overshadowing the quick cuts of others who were played off early.

One Twitter user commented, "Adrien Brody literally stopping the music from being played while the Dune: Part Two winners got cut off 10 seconds in."

Another expressed frustration, saying, "I’m still upset that Dune: Part Two's sound engineers got muted when they were making their speech, but Adrien Brody got to talk as long as he wanted."

Rhys Salcombe, who has ties to Wales and Canada, reflected on how his upbringing in the countryside influenced his passion for filmmaking. He mentioned, "Being in the countryside and experiencing nature deeply instills a love for capturing beauty on camera." He also described the moment of accepting the award as being a bit of a blur yet special, as he felt he was representing nearly 2,000 team members in the visual effects department.

Salcombe expresses hope for a potential Dune 3 but remains realistic about the chances of filming in Wales, joking, "I don't know if the Dune universe would work in Aberystwyth. Never say never, but we might need to bring in some sand from elsewhere."

Dune, Oscars, visual, effects, acceptance