Recently the Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects have been released. Many spectacular movies have been nominated but one that seems to deserve it the most did not get nominated. So, what happened? Why isn’t there a VFX nomination for Oppenheimer? Though we won’t ever be able to see the ideas behind the decisions of the Oscar nominations, Nolan’s marketing might have something to do with the outcomes. The Hollywood Reporter states, “Nolan has stated that no computer-generated images were used in Oppenheimer.” VFX is still associated with computer-generated effects today, however, Nolan used practical effects that created the atomic bomb on screen. If you think about the fact that he used practical effects instead of creating the blast with CGI, that is an even bigger feat. Nolan describes the techniques used as “experimental” and ranging from large to minuscule. He stated that they used  “explosives and magnesium flares and big, black powder explosions of petrol. ” Visual effects however should and can encompass a lot of things, not just CGI. All this taken into account, it was a major loss of cinematic talent when they were not nominated in this category. However, Do not fret! Oppenheimer was nominated for many other Oscars including, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director.