Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Visual Effects Society was founded in 1998. The organization emerged from a need to create a professional home for practitioners who had long been excluded from traditional unions like the Directors Guild or the Screen Actors Guild.
The Visual Effects Society launched the Visual Effects Society Awards in 2002. This annual ceremony was designed to honor the best work in the field across film, television, commercials, music videos, and video games.
The Visual Effects Society listed A Trip to the Moon from 1902 as the first influential film in visual effects. Georges Méliès' groundbreaking silent film introduced audiences to the power of cinematic trickery.
The Visual Effects Society has members spread across 50 countries. This global community includes artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, and marketing specialists who shape the visual language of modern entertainment.
The Visual Effects Society unveiled its list of the 50 most influential films in visual effects in 2007. The list revealed a timeline of innovation that stretched back over a century and included films like The Matrix from 1999.