OSCARS 2011: Analysis & Prediction (The Technical Categories)
[Film still from Hugo]
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cinematography is as much a technical endeavor as it is an artistic one. This category simply rewards the nominee who best makes use of the camera and its various technologies, traditional or modern, to tell the story, set the mood, and channel the director's vision for his or her film. It involves not only the camera, but other aspects, including lighting. How the film looks like on the big screen is heavily dependent on the close working relationship between the director and cinematographer on set.
[Production still from The Tree of Life]
The nominees:
- THE ARTIST - Guillaume Schiffman
Known for: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Jeff Cronenweth
Known for: Fight Club (1999), The Social Network (2010)
- HUGO - Robert Richardson
Known for: Platoon (1986), JFK (1991), The Aviator (2004), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Shutter Island (2010).
- THE TREE OF LIFE - Emmanuel Lubezki
Known for: Sleepy Hollow (1999), The New World (2005), Children of Men (2006).
- WAR HORSE - Janusz Kaminski
Known for: Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Minority Report (2002), Munich (2005), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007).
| The Academy will pick... | Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life) |
| The Dark Horse is... | Robert Richardson (Hugo) |
| My vote will go to.. | Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life) |
[Film still from War Horse]
Analysis: All the nominees are exceptional this year, but Lubezki deserves a win here for his stunning work in Terrence Malick's visionary film. Kaminski and Richardson have both won twice before, so it is less likely they will be rewarded again. But Richardson has the advantage of working in a competently-crafted 3-D film, and Avatar previously scored a win in this category in 2009, so he is a potential dark horse. Cronenweth will win in years to come if he continues to work with director David Fincher. If Schiffman wins, it would mean that The Artist will immediately solidify its position as the frontrunner in the Best Picture race.
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BEST FILM EDITING
Film editing is a post-production process that pairs the director's vision with the technical skills of the film editor. This category not only rewards the nominee who is able to put the bits and pieces of the footage shot together into a coherent whole, but also to use various editing techniques to create moments of suspense, comic timing, and excitement, delivering a film that is well-paced and engaging throughout.
[Film still from Moneyball]
The nominees:
- THE ARTIST - Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicus
- THE DESCENDANTS - Kevin Tent
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter
- HUGO - Thelma Schoonmaker
- MONEYBALL - Christopher Tellefsen
| The Academy will pick... | Thelma Schoonmaker (Hugo) |
| The Dark Horse is... | Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicus (The Artist) |
| My vote will go to... | Thelma Schoonmaker (Hugo) |
[Film still from The Descendants]
Analysis: The potential party spoiler are the nominees for The Artist. If they win this category, it will be another huge boost to its Best Picture chances, though I suspect the Academy may pass over Hazanavicus for Best Director in favor of Martin Scorsese (for Hugo) if the former wins this category. The legendary Schoonmaker has always been an Academy favorite, with three wins thus far. It will not be a surprise if she wins her fourth Oscar. Tent and Tellefsen are first-time nominees, so they are not expected to win. Wall and Baxter have already won last year for The Social Network, so it is very unlikely they will pull off a consecutive win.
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BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual effects used to be practical effects or camera tricks that were done on set during production. Now, they are synonymous with computer-generated imagery (CGI). As technology advances, we get more photo-realistic effects. But even the best visual effects will come to naught if they do not help to tell the story. This category will reward nominees who have not only made a breakthrough in advancing CG effects, but use them in innovative ways that enhance the film's narrative and characters.
[Film still from Rise of the Planet of the Apes]
The nominees:
- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
- HUGO
- REAL STEEL
- RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
| The Academy will pick... | Rise of the Planet of the Apes |
| The Dark Horse is... | Hugo |
| My vote will go to... | Rise of the Planet of the Apes |
[Film still from Real Steel]
Analysis: Transformers: Dark of the Moon has great visual effects, but honestly, everything else sucks. Real Steel has a relatively better story and characters we care for, but it cannot compete with the juggernaut that is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the magnificent Hugo, and the surprise package Rise of the Planet of the Apes. A win for the deserving Rise of the Planet of the Apes will help soothe any ill feelings toward the Academy for snubbing motion-capture actor Andy Serkis, and motion-capture animated feature The Adventures of Tintin.
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BEST SOUND MIXING
No one really knows what is the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. They sound the same to many. We are unsure of their explicit differences, but we hope to help you to understand these categories slightly better. Sound Mixing is likely to mean the creative manipulation of sounds that are used in the film (e.g. ambient sounds, sound effects). They are then mixed to give the most realistic or best effect in the film.
[Film still from Transformers: Dark of the Moon]
Sound Editing is the stage after Sound Mixing, when all the carefully-mixed sounds are edited to fit what is happening in each scene in the film so that everything appears to be realistically synched. In other words, Sound Mixing is the process of creating "sound files", and Sound Editing is the process of putting the created "sound files" coherently into the film.
The nominees:
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
- HUGO
- MONEYBALL
- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
- WAR HORSE
| The Academy will pick... | Hugo |
| The Dark Horse is... | War Horse |
| My vote will go to... | War Horse |
[Film still from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]
BEST SOUND EDITING
The nominees:
- DRIVE
- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
- HUGO
- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
- WAR HORSE
| The Academy will pick... | Hugo |
| The Dark Horse is... | Drive |
| My vote will go to... | War Horse |
[Film still from Drive]
Analysis: The sound categories will likely be dominated by Hugo. A win for Drive in Sound Editing would be a comforting gesture from the Academy after snubbing the film in the Best Picture, Director, and Best Leading Actor categories.
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