Hollywood Awards get the craft races rolling

I’ve never quite got a handle on what purpose the Hollywood Awards serve, since they frequently seem to honour achievements in still-unseen films. Their picks can be quite prescient (last year’s honorees included Marion Cotillard and Dante Ferretti), but they can frequently baffle too. (Based on “Charlie Wilson’s War,” did anyone really think that Stephen Goldblatt was the cinematographer of 2007?)

However, following the announcement of this year’s craft honorees, I am pretty confident that we will see a couple of these names in the awards derby.

A couple of months ago, I discussed the awards prospects of “Australia” DP Mandy Walker, so it’s nice to see she’s been named Cinematographer of the Year. The one thing that’s not in doubt about “Australia” is that it’s going to be a visual feast, so things are looking good for Walker to become the first female Best Cinematography nominee in Oscar history.

Also on this site, Kris recently mused on the surprisingly poor Oscar record of Danny Elfman, one of the most distinctive composers in the business. He in turn has been named Composer of the Year. Elfman’s had a busy 2008, scoring “Wanted,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” and Errol Morris doc “Standard Operating Procedure,” but it’s the heavily-buzzed “Milk” that could reverse his Academy fortunes.

Elsewhere, Ron Howard’s regular editors, and Academy favourites, Mike Hill and Dan Hanley are jointly named Editor of the Year, no doubt anticipating Oscar attention for “Frost/Nixon.” Meanwhile, the costume design accolade went to Deborah Hopper, a likely contender for her 1920’s threads for “Changeling.”

The only honoree I think is unlikely to feature in the Oscar race is Production Designer of the Year Sarah Greenwood — I assume the award is more post-recognition for “Atonement” than an indication of plaudits for the contemporary, LA-set “The Soloist.”