OSCAR WINNERS' REACTIONS 2

"Crazy Heart's" Ryan Bingham continued to add to his awards season cache with his first Oscar for "The Weary Kind (Theme From 'Crazy Heart')." Backstage, where he addressed the press without fellow songwriter T Bone Burnett -- who wasn't feeling well and returned to his seat -- Bingham said he has come a long way from living in a Suburban four years ago. Asked if writing sad music would be challenging now that he's married, Bingham noted that the past is always with him. "We have stuff from the past that is always there. Songwriting is venting and getting the past off my chest." Bingham also noted that co-star Colin Farrell originally performed the song with an Irish accent. "We were all rooting for him to be an Irish country singer in the movie, but it didn't work out," he said.



The winning "Star Trek" makeup team of Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow was asked who worked on Chris Pine. Hale related that "CP," as she calls him, "is amazing, wonderful actor, wonderful human being." She then saluted the entire cast, adding that "we painted much broader, fiercer stokes, when the actor trusted us the way they did." This is the first Oscar for the "Star Trek" franchise. To that point, Hall said: "We have a whole new generation of fans. That is what we wanted -- to appeal to current fans and appeal to new fans."

The "Avatar" VFX team -- Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Andrew R. Jones and Richard Baneham -- emphasized the contribution of the actors in the performance capture process. "Their performance was the heart of what we did," said Letteri, winning his fourth Academy Award. "We started with everything the actors did -- Sam (Worthington), Zoe (Saldana), Sigourney (Weaver). There's been a lot of talk about that. But that's everything that really gets to the heart of the characters and the heart of the relationships. What we did as animators and artists was to translate that into the characters you see onscreen. So we made Zoe become Neytiri, but the performance is Zoe's."

"Everything that Jim (Cameron) was doing in the last 10 years since 'Titanic' has fundamentally been going on expeditions, and that's what we did," said "Avatar" art director Rick Carter, honored with art director Robert Stromberg and set designer Kim Sinclair. "This is really something that represents his vision." Added Stromberg: "The film itself lends itself to two production designers in a weird way. In the movie, you have this earth, this man-made light coming on to this organic world, and I took on organic, and Rick took on the other. That collision is what's going on the movie. The co-production design really aided and worked for the film." For Stromberg, this was is second Oscar nomination, though the first was in VFX. "It's an interesting time, where VFX is essentially a form of design and it's evolving," he said. "It's important for production designers to understand visual effects -- and the traditional elements. It's just another tool in the toolbox, but it's a tool that can open up the world to new ideas." Stromberg also shared a personal, emotional moment, hinted of something that "was ready to kill me. Out of that, I told myself that I would spend whatever time I have here trying to do something profound and worthwhile. From that point to tonight is a journey that I can't explain to anybody. This award to me is actually me understanding that I'm alive. It's very special."

"I think it's a pretty amazing thing to be honored in this capacity because this is an HD (lensed) film," said "Avatar" director of photography Mauro Fiore. "It's the first time that a film has won when it has so much computer-generated imagery and live-action."
Describing his work, Fiore added: "I was involved in the live-action part of the film, so when you think of actors and physical sets, that's my work as cinematographer."

Director Roger Ross Williams said he hopes "Music by Prudence's" best documentary short subject win helps not only the film but also the disabled -- whom he called the "forgotten kids of Africa." "I hope this raises money for the school that Prudence went to in the film, King George VI School (in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe)," he said. Fellow winner Elinor Burkett noted that she heard the band that Prudence is part of every day and when her next-door neighbor Williams inquired if she had any ideas for a short subject documentary, the choice was easy. Burkett also said a feature-length film has been cut for European and African use and is available for sale.