A REVOLUTIONARY technique to de-age movie stars has put a former Denbigh man in line for two of the film industry’s most prestigious awards.

The film “The Irishman” has been nominated for 10 Oscars, one of them for its visual effects as it involved the three main stars, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci all being de-aged to appear 40 years younger .

The Martin Scorsese film, which was shown on Netflix, has also earned a BAFTA nomination in the same category.

The Dublin-based visual effects house SSVFX worked alongside the industry giant Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) , and the SSVFX supervisor on the project was former Denbigh Grammar School pupil Ed Bruce.

SSVFX used their own custom-built marker-less 2-dimenional technology to complement to 3D system developed by ILM. About 300 of the 750 completed shots involved full de-aging and used in 75 minutes of the 210-minute film.

Ed, whose parents Roger and Laraine Bruce live in Trefnant, who is head of SSVFX, said the company’s 90-strong crew were delighted that their efforts had been rewarded with a nomination.

“To work on a Martin Scorsese film is always a special and wonderful opportunity and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase our facilities craft,” he said.

“I’m extremely proud of all the work SSVFX contributed which helped Marty’s vision become a reality.”

The company became involved with ILM after demonstrating that their de-aging process was developed around a very technical approach.

“Working with Pablo Helman and the crew in ILM was a wonderful experience,” said Ed. “The wealth of knowledge and expertise on this film was like no other. The energy was infectious.

“After reading the script we knew this was going to be a very special film, and the visual effects component was so integral to the storytelling and key to the film’s success.”

The 41-year-old gained a degree in product design before becoming interested in creating 3D models, and he moved to Ireland in 2000, becoming a visual effects supervisor in 2007.

SSVFX has won numerous awards in recent years for Tv series such as Game of Thrones, Ripper Street and The Frankenstein Chronicles.