Forecasting the Oscars ® since 2003

"It's not about who we want to win,

It's about who will"

ARTISTIC & TECHNICAL CATEGORIES: OUR FIRST LOOK

Stylish but hollow films like Elizabeth: The Golden Age can still get honored in the artistic & technical categories

FEATURES

By Myles Hughes

While the average moviegoer who spent ten dollars last month to watch (the Jessica Alba/Dane Cook flop) Good Luck Chuck probably doesn't get too passionate about the Best Sound Mixing race (or any Oscar race in particular); honoring the artistic and technical categories is essential to keep alive the art of filmmaking. Very often, the best music and the most stunning shots come from films with budgets below Tom Cruise's salary and this year; many of this will face competition from the usual batch of summer blockbusters. Here is our early look at the top contenders in the Artistic and Tech categories:

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

The aesthetics and style of a film is honored here, with previous recipients including “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Chicago”, “Moulin Rouge”, and “Sleepy Hollow”. Following this trend, I’d say the most surefire bet is “Sweeney Todd”, as it represents the Academy’s love of all things either musical or Tim Burton in this category. Speaking of musicals, both “Hairspray” and “Across the Universe” have an equal shot at recognition, with an outside shot from “I’m Not There”. Fantasy films often at least get nominated so count in “The Golden Compass” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” as well as some other large summer films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” or “300”. There’s also a trend of period pieces to consider, which makes “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” or “Atonement” strong competitors as well.

Top Contenders:

- Sweeney Todd & Hairspray
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age & Atonement
- The Golden Compass
- Across The Universe
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

The title is more or less self-explanatory. Period pieces are the popular choice in this category, with past winners including “Marie Antoinette”, “Memoirs of a Geisha”, “The Aviator”, “Chicago”, and “Gladiator”. Based on this, I’d say that “Atonement” is a lock with “Charlie Wilson’s War” and “American Gangster” being strong possibilities depending on how well they do in general. “Talk To Me” and “Zodiac” are also reasonable choices should anyone choose to remember them. Musicals also tend to get nominated, with “Chicago” and “Moulin Rouge!” winning, which likely means that “Hairspray” and “Sweeney Todd” are along for the ride. And just for fun, let’s throw “The Golden Compass” in there, since fantasy is often nominated if done right.

Top Contenders:

- Atonement & Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Hairspray
- Charlie Wilson’s War
- The Golden Compass
- Talk To Me

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

As following the trend, it’s fantasy films that make up a strong demographic for this category, including “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”, and “Lord of the Rings”, so that may or may not extend to this year’s fantasy heavy hitter, “The Golden Compass”. More likely though, is a nod towards “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, following suit with the first film. One look at Javier Bardem in “Love in the Time of Cholera” makes pretty obvious that it will make an appearance as well. Films like “The Passion of the Christ” and “Cinderella Man” are frequently nominated for the excess violence and subsequent wounds, and what better way to recognize the much-hyped knife fight in “Eastern Promises” than with a nomination.

Top Contenders:

- Love in the Time of Cholera
- Eastern Promises
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End & Sweeney Todd

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

This category is dominated by period films like “The Aviator”, “Master and Commander”, and “Road To Perdition”, thus noted for their capturing of a time’s aura. Expect “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” to make an appearance, as much has already been made to its stunning photography. Upon its release, “Zodiac” received similar praise, which may translate to a nomination if time allows. Oftentimes, it’s simply the intriguingly stark or beautiful films that get picked, which could extend to films such as “Eastern Promises”, “There Will Be Blood” or “Into The Wild”. I’m tempted to mention “Sweeney Todd” as well (considering the “Sleepy Hollow” nomination), though its picture quality is uncertain, thanks to a lack of trailer.

Top Contenders:

- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Atonement & Across the Universe
- Sweeney Todd
- Eastern Promises & Zodiac
- The Kite Runner & Into the Wild
- There Will Be Blood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

Previous winners and nominees largely consist of either Best Picture nominees or films that came close. Look to be visited by frontrunners “Atonement”, “American Gangster”, “No Country For Old Men”, “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “There Will Be Blood”, and “Eastern Promises”, the latter more for the category’s indulgence in well-made crime flicks than for Best Picture certainty. Other potentials include films honored for Best Cinematography, like “Zodiac” or “Into The Wild”.

Top Contenders:

- American Gangster
- Eastern Promises
- Atonement
- No Country For Old Men & There Will Be Blood
- Zodiac & Into the Wild

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SCORE

Although a film’s popularity with AMPAS in general will certainly help in this category, it comes down to the music itself in the end. Gustavo Santaolalla didn’t score anything this year, so that leaves the field wide open. Of the early reviews for “There Will Be Blood”, one thing consistently drawn attention to is the supposedly hypnotic score, so count that one in. Films foreign in language, theme, or setting often attract the category (including “Babel”, “Frida”, and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), so “The Kite Runner” may well make an appearance. Politically charged films like “Charlie Wilson’s War” or “Lions For Lambs” have a strong chance if the work is up to snuff. Other well-received films like “Atonement”, “No Country For Old Men”, “Eastern Promises”, and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” have gotten praise for their scores as well.

Top Contenders:

- There Will Be Blood
- The Kite Runner & The Diving Bell & The Butterfly
- No Country For Old Men
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
- Atonement

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SONG

As if they didn’t already hold dominance over many of the artistic/tech categories as it is, musicals have a particularly strong appeal here as well, for obvious reasons. “Hairspray” is a strong bet, as is “Sweeney Todd”, and even “Across The Universe” if it qualifies (possible, but doubtful). The film that this award will be most important to, however, is the much-loved indie “Once”, since this could potentially be its best and only place to shine among the ceremony. Expect one or two songs from each of the above-mentioned films, and to round it out, perhaps a nod towards Eddie Vedder’s work from “Into The Wild”.

Top Contenders:

- Once
- Sweeney Todd
- Hairspray
- Into The Wild

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

One of the more technical-y awards, this is just like Best Editing, but for the film’s soundtrack. As such, expect the same kind of films from the former category to transition to this one, including “American Gangster”, “There Will Be Blood”, and “Atonement”, among others. Following trends of winners like “Letters From Iwo Jima”, “King Kong”, “Master and Commander”, and “Lord of the Rings”, technically impressive films can be expected, like “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “The Golden Compass”. Also, “The Incredibles” won it back in 2004, which makes “Ratatouille” and “Beowulf” perfectly logical picks.

Top Contenders:

- There Will Be Blood
- The Golden Compass
- Ratatouille
- American Gangster
- Atonement

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Not to be confused with Sound Editing, Sound Mixing is like sound effects and other noise not included in the score. Previous winners range from musicals (“Dreamgirls” and “Chicago”) to noisy action movies (“Black Hawk Down” and “King Kong”), so expect appearances from “Hairspray”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Across The Universe”, “Atonement”, “Transformers”, and/or “The Golden Compass”. “There Will Be Blood” and “Eastern Promises” may get nudged in there based on their content, and earlier blockbusters like “Spider-Man 3” or “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” could just as easily sneak in.

Top Contenders:

- Sweeney Todd
- Transformers
- Atonement
- Eastern Promises
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

This is the category where all the sci-fi/fantasy blockbusters make their comfortable home, with all three “Lord of the Rings” films winning, as well as “King Kong”, “Spider-Man 2”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”. Expect “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” to follow in the first two films’ footsteps to a nomination, with “Spider-Man 3” remaining a possibility and “The Golden Compass” being this year’s signature fantasy outing. However, I think we all know who the essentially locked contender is this year: only the summer’s biggest original hit, “Transformers”.

Top Contenders:

- Transformers
- The Golden Compass
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Stay tuned for our upcoming Artistic & Tech Predictions Update and make sure to share your own set of predictions with our community in the forum! Click here!

Did we forget anything? Email Us!

Comments?
 

COMMUNITY

REVIEWS