In the first Tech Support column of 2007, which ran three weeks ago, I mentioned how many apparent contenders for the upcoming Oscar season had already surfaced in films as varied as “Transformers,” “Spider-Man 3,” “Hairspray” and “Ratatouille.” But in a situation similar to that for the awards race as a whole, it turns out the Venice and Toronto film festivals have truly added a lot of heat to the crafts race fire. A great number of films seeking to be contenders have joined the ranks of the summer titles.

Perhaps the most important development, albeit one that was not totally unexpected, was the response to Joe Wright’s “Atonement.” This film seems to be very much in the Best Picture mix, and I full-heartedly expect tech love to accompany it: cinematography, art direction, costume design, original score and film editing all seem like good bets.

Another potential crafts behemoth, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” seems to have underwhelmed. There doesn’t seem to be rampant hatred, however, so I’d certainly call it very much in the race for art direction, costume design, makeup and, perhaps, cinematography.

Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution,” on the other hand, was received in the most puzzling of manners. Loved by some, hated by others, the film surprisingly won the Golden Lion in Venice – and the technical award for Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography. The fact remains than an NC-17-rated film is at a huge disadvantage in the awards race and the apparent divisiveness of the film doesn’t help matters. But Prieto at the very least will attempt to make a run. Alexandre Desplat’s score and Lai Pan’s costumes ought not to be ruled out.

Another film with a perplexing response is Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There.” Cate Blanchett’s performance appears to be a surefire contender, and there will likely be a loud group of followers for the film as a whole. It does not appear as though it will be a major crafts contender, but Ed Lachman’s cinematography, Jay Rabinowitz’s film editing and the makeup and sound work don’t appear to be totally out of the realm of possibility.

While not viewed for the first time, “No Country for Old Men” from the Coen brothers continued to receive much praise. The film seems to be a genuine contender in many categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Javier Bardem’s already loved performance, likely to fall into the supporting actor category. Also along for the ride, given the film’s thriller status, could be the editing Coens’ film editing (they were, after all, nominated, under the pseudonym “Roderick Jaynes” for “Fargo.”) Even more in contention appears to be their choice director of photography, Roger Deakins, who came to fame under the directors and is in the midst of one hell of a year.

Deakins’s talent, after all, is also said to wow in Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” The film has been declared a masterpiece by some (including the editor of this site) and overlong by others. But there seems to be nothing but praise for the work Deakins put into it behind the camera and, to a lesser extent, the production design and costume design of Patricia Norris, who appears to have her best chance at returning to the race since the 1980s.

Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild,” meanwhile, seems to be garnering a rep as the actor’s most accessible directorial effort to date. Could Eric Gautier get the nod many feel he deserved for “The Motorcycle Diaries?” At the very least, expect Eddie Vedder’s original songs to get some major play.

Gavin Hood’s “Rendition” and Terry George’s “Reservation Road” were apparently greeted with a truly underwhelming response. Any crafts category potential they may have had appears to be gone.

The fates of Tony Gilroy’s “Michael Clayton” and Paul Haggis’s “In the Valley of Elah,” meanwhile, seem to be in considerable question as both received positive if not overwhelming reviews. But like the Hood and George films, they really never seemed like major players in the crafts categories anyway. The best I could possibly see the two films pulling would be in the music and film editing arenas (cinematographers Robert Elswit and Roger Deakins have other opportunities this year).

David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises,” on the other hand, received a very positive response indeed before Cronenberg was awarded the People’s Choice Awarded by his fellow Torontonians. But like the Gilroy and Haggis titles, this is the sort of film that might be in contention for Best Film Editing – and nothing else, really.

So what’s left to see? Both Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” have the potential to be major players in the crafts races pending quality. Each is seeking to be a prestige period piece with very showy work from the tech artists. The fact that they will be trying to garner traction in the Best Picture category never hurts either.

Other films that we’ve yet to see and also likely have Best Picture on their minds include Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster” (screening for critics this week), Mike Nichols’s “Charlie Wilson’s War” and Marc Forster’s “The Kite Runner.” Unlike the Anderson and Burton films, I’d be somewhat surprised if any of these movies ended up as across-the-board tech sweepers. But as I noted in my column two weeks ago, being a period piece does wonders for potential in the tech categories. And these titles ought to be observed given some of the pedigree on board.

Zach Helm’s “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” and Robert Zemickis’s “Beowulf” are two very different adventures into the world of fantasy that will be coming our way in November. Both are probably more concerned with box office than awards while the likely silliness of the former and probable experimentalism of the latter will likely not be the Academy’s cup of tea. But they still could make runs in several categories depending on overall embracement.

And lastly we come to Chris Weitz’s huge adaptation of Philip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass.” Some people are convinced this is going to be huge. I’m not one of those people. This is very tricky material to pull off and nothing in Weitz’s filmography suggests he’s prepared for it (nor is the marketing effective as far as I’m concerned). All that said, one can’t deny that it’ll be an opportunity for its crafts artists to shine – and Dennis Gassner, Ruth Myers and Alexandre Desplat have talent to spare.

Then again, what are we doing talking about this in September? Speculating, of course. The state of things is bound to keep changing as we continue to trek through the Fall.