Three Oscars for Peter Jackson's King Kong

Sound editors Michael Hopkins and Ethan Ven der Ryn won King Kong's third Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards in Los Angeles today.

The pair previously won an Oscar for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2003.

They thanked director Peter Jackson for his vision in creating King Kong.

The film took two other Oscars -- for sound mixing and visual effects.

Sound mixers Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammon Peek accepted their Oscars with the comment "Go Kiwis!"

It is the eighth Oscar nomination for Boyes. He won in 2003 for The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King for sound mixing, in 2002 for Pearl Harbour and in 1997 for sounds effects for Titanic.

Semanick, Hedges and Peek have had four nominations, winning the Oscar for sound mixing in 2003 for the Rings.

Earlier, the Oscar for best visual effects went to Weta Workshop boss Richard Taylor, and Weta Digital's Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul and Christian Rivers.

It is the fifth Oscar for Taylor, whose previous Oscars have been for the Rings trilogy.

Actor Ben Stiller presented the effects award, dressed in a green jumpsuit to mimic those worn by set crews and actors working on sets with visual effects.

Letteri paid tribute to King Kong director Peter Jackson, and screenplay writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

"It's a thrill to create such a character as King Kong," he said.

The other visual effects nominees were Narnia and War of the Worlds.

Jackson's US$207 million ($315 million) blockbuster King Kong earned four Oscar nominations for best art direction, achievement in sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects.

Kong's art director Grant Major lost to John Myhre for Memoirs of a Geisha.

Americans Howard Berger and Tami Lane won the Oscar for best makeup for the New Zealand filmed Narnia.

Berger and Lane have worked extensively in New Zealand, starting with the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless, and then working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In his acceptance speech, Berger thanked his friend Richard Taylor.

Weta designed and manufactured nearly 200 suits of armour for Narnia, over 1000 weapons and 30 special props, as well as creating the look of the many different races of creatures featured in the film.

Narnia was directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson.

- NZPA