Tech Support: What films headline this year's race for Best Sound Editing?

Posted by · 10:08 pm · October 24th, 2013

In this week’s installment of Tech Support, Gerard Kennedy surveys the Best Sound Editing category. Films like “Gravity” and “All is Lost” figure heavily while others like “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Man of Steel” try to find a foothold.

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Filed in: HitFix · In Contention

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd taps his doc roots to capture the immediacy of 'Captain Phillips'

Posted by · 1:42 pm · October 18th, 2013

“Captain Phillips” cinematographer Barry Ackroyd talks to HitFix about how his documentary background conditioned him to capture the reality of Paul Greengrass’ latest film.

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Tech Support: A tight race beyond 'Gravity' for Best Visual Effects features hobbits, Jaegers and men of steel

Posted by · 10:43 am · October 17th, 2013

This year’s race for Best Visual Effects Oscar may already be over as “Gravity” seems undeniable, but the race for nominations is much more up in the air.

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Composer Steven Price on scoring the soundscape of 'Gravity' and the power of Atmos

Posted by · 1:58 pm · October 10th, 2013

Composer Steven Price talks to HitFix about the unique approach to scoring Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” and the huge creative leap the work took after being mixed in Dolby Atmos.

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Tech Support: Can anything beat 'Gravity' for Best Cinematography?

Posted by · 10:33 am · October 10th, 2013

Gerard Kennedy surveys the category of Best Cinematography in this week’s installment of Tech Support. Will films like “Captain Phillips” and “12 Years a Slave” be able to match “Gravity?”

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Tech Support: Kicking off crafts coverage of the 2013-2014 Oscar season

Posted by · 6:27 am · October 3rd, 2013

Welcome back. It’s hard for me to truly appreciate that this is the eighth season of Tech Support here at In Contention (third in our association with HitFix). I’m pleased to say that this column has come a long way during this time, as has media coverage of below-the-line Oscar races as a whole.

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Tech Support: Lana Del Rey lulls you into this 'Great Gatsby' visual effects featurette

Posted by · 3:27 pm · June 26th, 2013

Before-and-after video makes a strong case for the film in the category.

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Tech Support: Visual Effects Society issues a 'call to action'

Posted by · 4:18 pm · February 27th, 2013

Visual Effects Society Executive Director Eric Roth has issued an open letter and a “call to action,” imploring government and, certainly, industry attention be paid to the on-going plight in the world of visual effects.

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Tech Support: 'Life of Pi' has a strong crafts showing at the Oscars

Posted by · 9:35 am · February 25th, 2013

I’m writing this column, the last Tech Support entry for this 2012-2013 Oscar season, with a strange combination of ambivalence and a touch of the bittersweet. Despite the fun of awards season, and this one in particular, it is somewhat relieving to see it come to an end.

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Tech Support: Final thoughts on the 2012 crafts races

Posted by · 7:09 am · February 21st, 2013

I think the Oscar Guides have been superb this year, and I don’t mean to duplicate them, so I’ll try to cut to the chase as I give a final preview of the 10 crafts categories set to be awarded at Sunday’s 85th annual Academy Awards.

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Tech Support: 'Life of Pi' composer Mychael Danna is finally an Oscar nominee

Posted by · 7:58 am · February 19th, 2013

For veteran Canadian composer Mychael Danna, his journey with “Life of Pi” began 10 years ago when he read Yann Martel’s novel. “I remember thinking, ‘I hope nobody makes a film of this book and wrecks it,’” he says.

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Tech Support: Seamus McGarvey on shooting 'Anna Karenina' objectively and subjectively

Posted by · 7:41 am · February 17th, 2013

Joe Wright’s DP of choice picked up his second Oscar nomination to date last month.

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Tech Support: Thomas Newman on 'Skyfall' and the everyday challenges of a film composer

Posted by · 8:05 am · February 16th, 2013

Film music composer Thomas Newman landed his 11th Oscar nomination to date last month, for his original contributions to “Skyfall.” It’s the latest in a long line of Academy mentions both in the song and score categories for two decades. But despite the strong showing, Newman has yet to wrangle one of the trophies for himself.

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Tech Support: Greg P. Russell on finding the nuance in action with Sam Mendes and 'Skyfall'

Posted by · 8:09 am · February 14th, 2013

Sound mixer Greg P. Russell has spent his career working in action filmmaking, but his experience with director Sam Mendes and fellow mixer Scott Millan brought him a whole new perspective. Perhaps he can pick up that elusive first Oscar this year. This would be, after all, his 16th try.

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Tech Support: Wylie Stateman on experiencing sound in a Quentin Tarantino movie

Posted by · 9:41 am · February 12th, 2013

Supervising sound editor Wylie Stateman earned his sixth Oscar nomination this year for “Django Unchained.” The soft-spoken industry veteran has now managed to earn a nomination in four decades – the 1980s (“Born on the Fourth of July”), the 1990s (“Cliffhanger”), the 2000s (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Wanted,” “Inglourious Basterds”) and now the 2010s.

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Tech Support: Bringing 'The Avengers' to life through visual effects

Posted by · 8:14 am · February 7th, 2013

Nominee Jeff White and Marvel honcho Victoria Alonso talk the film’s nod and success.

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Tech Support: Makeup artist Howard Berger on fleshing out 'Hitchcock'

Posted by · 7:14 am · February 5th, 2013

The previous winner could claim his second Oscar this year.

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Tech Support: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers on finding the rhythms of 'Silver Linings'

Posted by · 7:45 am · January 31st, 2013

To say that comedies find difficulty being nominated for Best Film Editing would be quite the understatement. So the nomination of Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers for David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” is a testament to the esteem in which their colleagues hold them and their film.

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