Four residents of B.C. are going to the Oscars to accept an award.

The business partners of Aircover Inflatables are taking home the Scientific and Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Photo Credit: Province of BC

“It was quite a surprise to hear we had won,” admitted Steve Smith. “I got a call from a friend and now the four of us are going to the Oscars.”

Smith, Mike Brandham, David McIntosh, and Mike Kirilenko all met working as key grips in the film industry and decided to go into business together. Their product is an inflatable wall, which are safer than regular walls for movies.

“There have been accidents on movie sets where a strong gust of wind has taken down big walls and overhead rigging. As key grips we’re responsible for these large structures and the wind is very unpredictable.”

The walls were first used on the set of Godzilla and quickly became the standard for the industry, being used in Game of Thrones and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The panels that create the wall can be quickly inflated and deflated on location. These panels can reach hundreds of feet tall to support blue or green screens.  They are also way cheaper than normal walls and will help save money on location fees, labour, and equipment rentals.

McIntosh was the one who came up with the idea Smith confirmed.

“It all fit together and we became friends and built a company.”

Since the walls were first built in 2010 the company has grown tenfold. At the beginning there were five full time employees and now with all the success 15 people are working for the company.

The walls will be used in upcoming films like Star Trek Beyond, Planet of the Apes, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales.

Before all the madness of those movies, the four business partners from Vancouver need to hop on a plane to Hollywood to pick up their Oscar!