Well…I was wrong. After being quite satisfied with predicting the year’s nominees, I did a pretty shabby job of picking the winners, managing to only peg four of ten winners in this year’s “crafts” categories.
Two of these were the music categories, ironically enough, arenas that I usually turn up my worst showing.

The triumph of “Falling Slowly” in the Best Original Song category was wonderful to see. Not only was the film my third favorite of last year, but this was the best nominated song of the bunch; Hansard and Irglová gave great acceptance speeches. So I’m quite content, though not surprised given that it should have been obvious that the songs from the triple-nominated “Enchanted” would cancel themselves out.

Meanwhile, Dario Marianelli’s taking “Atonement”’s sole win of the night in the Original Score category was not at all surprising, but still quite deserved. Similarly, the victory of “La Vie en Rose” in Best Makeup was totally expected and warranted.

The other category I was able to predict correctly was Best Cinematography, where Robert Elswit triumphed for “There Will Be Blood.” Elswit has been doing quality work for years, so it’s nice to have finally seen him getting the recognition he deserves. (He received his first nomination two years ago for “Good Night, and Good Luck.”)

The result of Elswit’s victory, however, is that the great Roger Deakins has now lost this category seven times. This is unfortunate. I suspect he’ll be back in the race yet again next year for “Revolutionary Road.” (I’d also add that I felt the showing of the nominees as the envelope was being opened was a nice touch.)

But the record of poor Deakins doesn’t hold a candle to the record of Kevin O’Connell and Greg P. Russell, who have now lost the Best Sound Mixing award 20 and 12 times respectively. I felt “Transformers” was their best chance in years for a victory but, alas, it was not to be. “The Bourne Ultimatum” proved too popular to overcome.

“Transformers” received the ultimate bitchslap in general, also losing Best Sound Editing, to “Bourne” and, incredibly, Best Visual Effects to “The Golden Compass.” I personally thought Bay’s film was pretty bad, with a stupid story, horrible dialogue and mediocre acting. However, it’s impossible to deny its achievements in these fields, where the work was exactly the sort that the AMPAS tends to embrace. Clearly, they simply did not like the film—if they even saw it.

Meanwhile, “Bourne” turned out to be the night’s second biggest winner, claiming the Best Film Editing statuette for Christopher Rouse’s amazing cutting in addition to the two sound awards. I’m in the minority who actually preferred “The Bourne Supremacy” to this installment, but I’m still thrilled for Rouse, Greengrass and Damon, who are all immensely talented and have been long overdue for recognition for this series.

Dante Ferretti took his second Oscar for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” I suppose I should have given more credence to his chances given that Tim Burton films have always done well here. “Batman” and “Sleepy Hollow” have also triumphed here (though “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” have all strangely failed to even be nominated.) I just assumed that the much more nominated “Atonement” and “There Will Be Blood” would have had the edge in this category.

Alexandra Byrne’s victory in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” marks the second straight year where a poorly reviewed period piece has managed to win in this category for its extremely showy costumes in spite of having lost both the guild award and the BAFTA. I could live without this film having the moniker “Oscar winner,” though, in all fairness, I’m happy for Byrne, an excellent designer who has been nominated for more than half of her cinematic efforts—incredible.

Well that’s it if you can believe it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the second year of Tech Support as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Now we can all finally hit a much needed awards lull. Until next time…

The plight of sound mixer Kevin O’Connell has become surprisingly well known. With the arguable exception of composers, crafts artists are rarely featured in the mainstream media. O’Connell’s 20 Academy Award nominations make him one of the most unlikely prolific individuals in the Academy’s history. His zero wins give him the dubious distinction of having the most accumulated nominations without a win. His longtime partner Greg P. Russell has shared 12 of those nominations with him, giving the duo a total of 32 tips of the hat without a win. But that is something that could very well change this year with a cult-TV-classic-turned-blockbuster-cinema-sensation.

I spoke with O’Connell last week to get his take on media exposure, the elusiveness of Oscar and, of course, the work.

O’Connell acknowledges this year has been a little different than every other year, saying that he’s actually nervous and hasn’t been nervous for a long time. “I don’t really see any clear frontrunner,” he says. “Maybe that’s why I’m nervous. I think we have a shot.”

That said, O’Connell is quick to say that all the films nominated this year are more than worthy of such acclaim. “This is a close community and I’m very close to all the nominees; I’m happy for anyone or everyone if they win,” he says. “I really do believe that everything happens for a reason.” The notion caters to the present as much as to the past:

“I haven’t won in the past but I haven’t begrudgingly lost. I believe films that won were worthy.”

O’Connell truly loved working on “Transformers” and says that he thinks the film is demonstrative of one of the secrets to his success – that he’s been surrounded by talented people his whole career.

“This was totally a team effort,” he says, crediting the recordings of production sound mixer Peter Devlin, on the very loud set, the foley team of John Roesch, Alison Moore and Mary Jo Lang and especially sound editors Ethan Van der Ryan and Mike Hopkins.

O’Connell says the main challenge to him on “Transformers” was trying to tell the story through use of sound without it becoming a “train wreck” but rather creating a voice for the film. He cites the personal challenges of trying to make robots sound “robotty” enough while also still capturing the sincerity of their dialogue. He says he worked extensively with sound editor Mike Hopkins on that issue.

O’Connell has worked on every film Michael Bay has directed and says he’s “seen him mature into one of the finest filmmakers that I’ve worked with," admitting that "I realize I sound like an 80-year old man saying this.” In all seriousness, however, O’Connell explains that Bay does not bark orders to his crew but figures out what is best for the movie.

O’Connell is well known for mixing large action films but does admit to some desire to diversify the sorts of films he works on. “I love the action films but they are taxing on you and a lot of hours are put in." He says that he particularly finds suspense, thriller, horror and comedy movies to be fun.

In spite of this, I was surprised how quickly O’Connell was able to pick out a favorite film from his repertoire: Tony Scott’s “Top Gun.”

“I was only 27 when I mixed it and Tony Scott was taking a chance on me,” he recalls. “To make the jet sounds today would be a lot easier,” he explains, “but the lack of automation back then made it a huge challenge and due to a combination of working with Don Mitchell and Rick Kline, not to mention great sound editors, we ended up being able to be very proud of how it came out.”

When I mention that he’s probably the most known sound mixer in the eyes of the general population, O’Connell gives a groan but says he understands why there’s usually an anonymity to his work.

“I think it’s there in most of the crafts because people don’t quite understand what goes into creating the soundtrack,” he says. He also says he does not think the movie-going public understands crafts like art direction, cinematography or film editing either. He says there are many individuals who get no attention whatsoever for what he considers invaluable work. Dan Sharp springs to his mind quickly, the recordist and mix technician at the Cary Grant Theatre on the Sony lot, with whom O’Connell has worked for his last 10-12 nominations.

“He arrives an hour or two before me and Greg [P. Russell] and would stay an hour or two after us,” he says. “That I have been given a large audience because of these nominations sheds more light on what we do. If I had to lose 19 times to bring that to light, I’m fine with that. I’m not at the point where I’m frustrated. I’m the front man for a team of very talented people.”

“Transformers” was O’Connell’s last collaboration with Greg P. Russell after a working relationship of nearly two decades, and a partnership of over a dozen years. The two decided it was time to move on earlier last year. He recalls the partnership.

“Greg and I have been as close as any two people can possibly be. I’ve probably spent more time with him over the past twelve years than any other person in my life.”

So what would a win be like at this point in his career?

“Generally, in the past, whenever I don’t hear my name, the first thing I feel is relief,” he says. “Perhaps because I don’t want to stand up in front of those people and talk!” He concedes that the pursuit of the little golden trophy is something he has thought about but adds that he and Russell have joked that they are “clappers, not walkers.”

“It would be nice to not clap this year,” he admits, “and there’s no one I’d rather see take that walk with me than Greg Russell, with Peter Devlin alongside us.”

It would be premature to say that the duo is destined to finally become walkers this year. But I’d nevertheless venture to say they have their best shot in a very long time, perhaps ever.

Best Music – Original Score

Dario Marianelli and Alberto Iglesias both received their first nominations two years ago for “Pride & Prejudice” and “The Constant Gardener,” respectively. They return to the fold this year for “Atonement” and “The Kite Runner.” I’d call Marianelli the frontrunner for the win, while Iglesias will likely be his biggest competition.

Marco Beltrami gets his first nomination for “3:10 to Yuma,” a tribute to a great film, great score and great campaign. Meanwhile, Michael Giacchino grabs a nod for “Ratatouille,” one of five for Brad Bird’s acclaimed effort. I’d call both of these contenders dark horses in the race.

Johnny Greenwood, on the other hand, got disqualified for his amazing compositions for “There Will Be Blood” at the last minute. This is – pardon me – bullshit, as far as I’m concerned, and exemplifies the music branch’s refusal to welcome innovative, brilliant work. Every year it seems an out-of-the-box, non-traditionalist, innovative score is snubbed by these people. Greenwood may very well have gotten a nomination on his own merits without this 11th hour ruling.

Instead, we get a nomination for James Newton Howard for his exceedingly competent work on “Michael Clayton.” Howard is a fine composer and this score is solid (in a film I loved). But seriously, this is totally an excuse to have a vet in the lineup, as seems to be required by the music branch these days.

Best Music – Original Song

Speaking of vets seemingly being required by the music branch, we have Alan Menken showing up again and again and again in the song category this year. After a decade-long absence, he is triple-nominated for “Enchanted.” “That’s How You Know” is an admittedly fun ditty, though “Happy Working Song” and especially “So Close” leave a great deal to be desired as far as I’m concerned. This is the second straight year a film is triple-nominated in this category. It’s still too early to make a judgment on how the new process of choosing nominees affects the results here, but we’ll be watching.

I think Menken is going to lose, however, to “Falling Slowly,” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, from “Once.” This wonderful tune is immensely important in the film, a gorgeous song, a way to recognize the nominees and does find itself competing internally like “Enchanted.”

Lastly, we come to “Raise It Up” from “August Rush,” an unexpected nomination for a film I have not seen. I have no comment.

I do have comments on the snubs, however. Denying tunes from “American Gangster” and “Hairspray” was surprising enough, given the roles of the songs in those films and the relatively high profile status of the efforts. Snubbing Eddie Vedder’s work from “Into the Wild” does not only add insult to injury to Penn’s film, but also is another AMPAS slap in the face to Vedder after missing out here for “Man of the Hour” in 2003.

Best Sound Editing

I said on Saturday that I had no idea what would happen here. But I was correct in guessing that “Transformers” would be nominated. I suspect Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn are heading towards their third win.

“Ratatouille” will likely provide the biggest competition. Randy Thom and Michael Silvers did win this award for “The Incredibles,” after all. That was a much more sound-intensive effort, however.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” also pulls in one of its three nominations here. It’s a dark horse, but I don’t see it as that much of a threat to the win. A film that found itself in a similar situation 13 years ago was “Speed,” however. So anything can happen.

“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” got in on the strength of their films, though I can’t deny the quality of the work on both movies.

It’s worth noting that in both sound categories, “Spider-Man 3” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” failed to make the cut. It appears as though the branch grew tired of these series.

Best Sound Mixing

As expected, Kevin O’Connell and Greg P. Russell earned yet another nomination for “Transformers.” Given the nature of this film, I’m thinking they’ll finally take home the statute this year. But one can never know.

“No Country for Old Men” is a tremendously inspired nominee – the mixing in this film was phenomenal. Though it would be an extremely atypical winner, I’d nevertheless call it the main competition for O’Connell and Russell, especially given that it is the only Best Picture nominee in the category.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” brings Scott Millan back into the race. I don’t think it’s much of a threat to win but I’d still call it a dark horse. The film is clearly respected and there is always that “Speed” comparison.

I was able to predict accurately that we’d have a 3/5 matchup with the guild, and I predicted what those three films would be. But I missed what the two others would be. “3:10 to Yuma” and “Ratatouille” both scored here. I should have seen these coming, given the popularity of Paul Massey and Randy Thom in this field. But I don’t see them in the race for the win.

Best Visual Effects

“Transformers” has been the clear frontrunner since Day One in this category. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” also expectedly completed the series with a third visual effects nomination. “The Golden Compass” manages to grab the last slot, despite the film flopping.

“300” and “I am Legend” are left on the doorstep. But really, this one has to go to the robots in disguise.

Well there we have it – the crafts category nominees for the 80th Annual Academy Awards! Come back next week as I’ll be speaking to one of the nominated sound crews.

Check out part one.

Another year has brought another set of nominees to mull over, with a handful of surprises mixed with what was, for the most part, a predictable slate of nominees.

I scored 5/5 in Best Cinematography, 3/3 in Best Visual Effects and 4/5 in Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, to go along with a 2/3 prediction in Makeup. The other aural categories did me in – correctly foreseeing only 3 of the 5 nominees in Best Sound Mixing and just two in each of Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score.

Oh well.

For the most part, I’ll discuss the nominees by category today, but allow me to first make a few notes.

To start, I think we need to note the performance of “The Bourne Ultimatum.” Three nominations for a third film in a series, when both of the film’s predecessors failed to score a single tip of the hat, is an impressive achievement. It should be attributed to the fact that, not only has the series become better with each installment, but director Paul Greengrass, saddled with talent, has come to an Academy with open arms. He’s one to watch in the future (as if he wasn’t already).

Never underestimate the power of Best Picture nominees, either. “Atonement,” “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” all did very well indeed, racking up four crafts nominations apiece.

Total shut-outs for “Spider-Man 3,” “300” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” are not shocking, but still somewhat unexpected, due to a combination of guild support and big names aboard the titles.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” turned out to be a disappointment as the potential tech behemoth got just two nominations in these categories. But, as I suspected might happen, fellow musical “Hairspray” was totally blanked.

On to the categories. We’ll tackle half today, half tomorrow.

Best Art Direction

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” managed to become, surprisingly, only the third Tim Burton effort to garner recognition from the art department side of things. “Batman” and “Sleepy Hollow” won the award in 1989 and 1999 respectively, and I’d venture to say Dante Ferretti would likely follow suit for this film if we were strictly looking at typicality of the winners in the category.

Ferretti will receive tough competition from veteran Jack Fisk, who finally earned the first nomination of his 35-year career for “There Will Be Blood” (he met his wife, Sissy Spacek, on the set of “Badlands!”). Sarah Greenwood, meanwhile, managed the second citation of her career for “Atonement” (she should probably keep working with director Joe Wright considering these odds).

Both Fisk and Greenwood were expected nominees and, more importantly, worked on films which clearly hit with AMPAS a lot more than Burton’s.

I was able to predict our token fantasy nominee in Dennis Gassner for “The Golden Compass,” edging out sequels “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” However, I missed the last slot, thinking that Guy Dyas would score for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” Instead, Arthur Max got his second nomination for “American Gangster,” which I find somewhat surprising, even with the guild nomination last week.

Best Cinematography

The highest profile of the crafts categories went as expected: a double nod for Deakins, in addition to citations for Kaminski, Elswit and McGarvey. This is the first time since 1996 that the ASC landed all five nominees, however. The guild added a sixth nominee that year, so who knows what might have happened with only five.

I want to say that Deakins will finally win, but might they go for the Best Picture nominee, and likely winner, “No Country for Old Men,” or the more typically ‘gorgeous’ film, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford?” I’m tempted to say he may cancel himself out, allowing one of the other gorgeous films to triumph. But they don’t vote for the name, they vote for the film. So we’ll see.

Best Picture nominees usually emerge victorious in this category, which is an advantage to “No Country,” “Atonement” and “There Will Be Blood.” “Jesse James” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” however, are just so showy. This is going to be one hell of a race.

Best Costume Design

Colleen Atwood (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”), Jacqueline Durran (“Atonement”) and Alexandra Byrne (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”) were obvious nominees in this category who I now expect to battle it out for the win.

Marit Allen received a posthumous nomination, as slowly became expected across the net last week, for “La Vie en Rose.” This is a nice way to say goodbye to a veteran, and not an undeserved nomination on merit either. It is a shame she did not live to receive this honor.

I truly struggled with predicting the last spot here. The eventual nominee came kind of out of left field (in the true fashion of this branch) when Albert Wolsky slid in for Julie Taymour’s “Across the Universe.” It is a true tribute to the degree Wolsky, a veteran if there ever was one, is respected by his peers.

Best Film Editing

Roderick Jaynes becomes the first fictional person to earn a second Oscar nomination. I suspect “he” is also on his way to becoming the first fictional editor ever to win.

Dylan Tichenor finally earned a first nod for “There Will Be Blood,” as Paul Thomas Anderson’s film racked up a total of 8 nominations. Christopher Rouse’s nomination for “The Bourne Ultimatum” is one of three mentions for the film and should be considered a threat. It’s also Rouse’s second straight nomination (after last year’s “United 93”). I don’t feel that Greengrass and Rouse reached the same heights they did last year, but the duo clearly know how to work efficiently together.

That Jay Cassidy (“Into the Wild”) and Juliette Welfing (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) managed to get nominations here when their films did not garner Best Picture recognition is pretty surprising, in my opinion. Neither film seems like a showcase for editors, especially as John Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”) did not score while his film did. But that is neither here nor there. I did, after all, predict Cassidy, and had Welfing in seventh place.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: I strongly disagree with this final notion. “Into the Wild” featured an episodic narrative that drew upon footage from various places and from varying themes within the structure of the film. I would say that is the epitome of a “showcase” for an editor.

Likewise, Juliette Welfing had to integrate the inner and outer worlds of Jean-Dominique Bauby on the way to creating a coherent narrative with dedicated thematic commentary throughout. I’d say it was one of the finer editorial achievements of the year, and one quite challenging for any given editor.)

It’s also worth noting that this is the third straight year this category has only matched up with Best Picture 2/5. Looks like the beginnings of a trend…

Best Makeup

The makeup branch usually surprises us, and this year was no exception.

Ve Neill is back in the game, not for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet,” as many had expected, but for “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” She’ll attempt to win her fourth Oscar this year, with one of her past wins (“Ed Wood”) also coming for makeup on a Johnny Depp starrer. “Pirates” was also by far the most lucrative of the nominees, and let’s not deny how showy and key the makeup was to this series.

But Neill will face tough competition from Jan Archibald and Didler Lavergne, who have managed the first nominations of their careers for “La Vie en Rose.” Aging, illness and the re-creation of a famous persona make for strong contention in this category. I suspect it’ll result in a win.

Lastly, we have “Norbit.” Never underestimate Rick Baker in this category. Well, sometimes. He didn’t get in for sure-thing “Planet of the Apes,” after all, but he’s still a giant in the field. This film has already got a reputation for being all-time worst material, and now it is an Academy Award nominee. Go figure. Eddie Murphy in a fat suit appealed to this branch more than John Travolta in same. Never try to figure them out.

Tomorrow: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects!

Best Picture
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"Into the Wild"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
Alt.: "Juno"

Best Director
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Sean Penn, "Into the Wild"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Paul Thomoas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Alt: Sidney Lumet, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"

Best Actor
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Alt.: Ryan Gosling, "Lars and the Real Girl"

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
Alt.: Keira Knightley, "Atonement"

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson’s War"
Hal Holbrook, "nto the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
Alt.: Tommy Lee Jones, "No Country for Old Men"

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, "I’m Not There"
Catherine Keener, "Into the Wild"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone, Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
Alt.: Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Atonement"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
Alt.: "Zodiac

Best Original Screenplay
"Juno"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"The Savages"
Alt.: "Knocked Up"

Best Art Direction
"Atonement"
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"
Alt.: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Best Cinematography
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
"Atonement"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
Alt.: "Into the Wild"

Best Costume Design
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Atonement"
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
"La Vie en Rose"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Alt.: "Hairspray"

Best Film Editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"Into the Wild"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
Alt.: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Best Makeup
"La Vie en Rose"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Alt.: "300"

Best Music – Original Score
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Atonement"
"The Kite Runner"
"Lust, Caution"
"Ratatouille"
Alt.: "Grace is Gone"

Best Music – Original Song
"Enchanted" – "That’s How You Know"
"Hairspray" – "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)"
"Into the Wild" – "Guaranteed"
"Into the Wild" – "Society"
"Once" – "Falling Slowly"
Alt.: "American Gangster" – "Do You Feel Me"

Best Sound Mixing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country for Old Men"
"Spider-Man 3"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"Transformers"
Alt.: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End"

Bests Sound Editing
"300"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End"
"Ratatouille"
"Spider-Man 3"
"Transformers"
Alt.: "The Bourne Ultimatum"

Best Visual Effects
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End"
"Transformers"
Alt.: "I am Legend"

Best Foreign-Language Film
"The Unknown" – Italy
"The Counterfeiters" – Austria
"Days of Darkness" – Canada
"Mongol" – Kazakhstan
"The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" – Brazil
Alt.: "12" – Russia

We took final glances at the Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects and Makeup categories yesterday. Today we finish up the tech fields with last looks at the rest. Check back tomorrow for my full list of predictions.

Best Art Direction

The legendary Dante Ferretti seems a solid bet for his designing of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” this year. Meanwhile, with guild and BAFTA nominations behind them, I’d also say “Atonement”’s Sarah Greenwood and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”’s Guy Dyas would appear in solid shape. Jack Fisk, also a guild and BAFTA nominee for “There Will Be Blood,” would seem like he is finally heading towards his first nomination. The outdoors nature of the film gives me pause, but the love it has been shown makes me cautiously optimistic.

As for the fifth spot, I feel it could go a lot of places, but I’d venture to guess it will go to a fantasy, especially considering at least one nominee every year in this category tends to be fantastical.

I thought that Dennis Gassner would be in great shape for “The Golden Compass,” but the film’s tanking makes me doubtful. Even so, he’s in genuine contention. He’ll likely have to fend off those trying to repeat nods from their series: Rick Heinrichs for “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and Stuart Craig for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

“La Vie en Rose,” designed by Oliver Raoux, has a chance if the branch decides to go foreign. “American Gangster”’s Arthur Max, “300”’s James Bissell and “Hairspray”’s David Gropman remain outside possibilities in my opinion. A nomination for Harley Jessup for “Ratatouille” would be exceedingly cool, but I’m not banking on it.

Best Cinematography

The cinematographer’s guild, the ASC, went with what would have appeared to most to be the obvious nominees. “No Country for Old Men” is Roger Deakins working at his stark best. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” on the other hand, is the more traditional, beautiful landscape work he has brought to us this year. I’d say a double nod is in the works.

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” ought to bring Janusz Kaminski back to the nominees after an almost decade-long absence. The photography in this film allowed us to enter into Jean-Dominique Bauby‘s world.
On “Atonement,” Seamus McGarvey combined pretty countryside with amazing shots of war-torn London and France. AMPAS loves these sorts of combos – and that tracking shot alone might earn him a nomination – then again, it has also drawn heat for being too showy.

And then there is Robert Elswit’s lensing of “There Will Be Blood,” where an array of painterly techniques went into crafting instantly iconic images not likely to be forgotten any time soon.

Ultimately, I think I’m going to predict a rare 5/5 match up with the guild, because all of the films seem so strong. If one of the films is bumped, I would suspect it would be for Eric Gautier’s work on “Into the Wild.” This branch loves pretty landscapes and Penn’s film is doing very well.

Dark horses would be Rodrigo Prieto for “Lust, Caution” and Dariusz Wolski for “Sweeney Todd,” but I’m not banking on them.

Best Costume Design

Given the sort of work on display from Colleen Atwood in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Alexandra Byrne in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and Jacqueline Durran in “Atonement,” all three former nominees would seem to be solid bets this year. Each have also received guild and BAFTA nominations, confirmation of their status in the category.

The guild and BAFTA awakened me to a possibility I should have considered long ago, however – Marit Allen’s creation of the wardrobe of Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.” Allen passed away in November after a career stretching more than a quarter-century. This could very well turn into a way to tip the hat to a great costume designer.

But she’ll have to fend off other high profile guild nominees in Arianne Phillips (for fashioning the Old West in “3:10 to Yuma”), Ruth Myers (bringing the world of Philip Pullman to life in “The Golden Compass”) and Penny Rose (still searching for that elusive first nomination with “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”).

But the nominees are rarely chosen strictly from guild choices, so I’d keep my eye on the consistently creative Mark Bridges (should “There Will Be Blood” really catch on), the showy threads of Rita Ryack (fashioned for “Hairspray”) and, perhaps most interestingly, the Asian period work of Lai Pan on “Lust, Caution,” who received a BAFTA nomination for Ang Lee’s latest effort.

Best Film Editing

Again, we look to the guild for guidance. A guild nomination is a huge bonus in this category, as is being a likely Best Picture nominee and being filled with action and/or suspense.

Guild nominee Roderick Jaynes is almost certain to get his second nomination for “No Country for Old Men.” (Roderick is, of course, a pseudonym for the Coen brothers, and will perhaps become the first fictional “person” to earn a second nomination).

Dylan Tichenor received the third guild nomination of his career for “There Will Be Blood” but he’s had difficulty to date garnering Oscar love. Nonetheless, given the excitement around this film as of late (which I find very deserved but nevertheless somewhat surprising), I’d say his time has finally come. Jay Cassidy and John Gilroy, who I both interviewed in December, will also be in the thick of the race for their first nominations for “Into the Wild” and “Michael Clayton,” respectively.

The last guild nominee on the drama side was Christopher Rouse for “The Bourne Ultimatum.” Guild and top ten list love has greeted Paul Greengrass’s latest film considerably this season. I find this very encouraging, and a nomination for Rouse, just coming off a nod last year for “United 93,” would not surprise me. Great action films do show up here with some frequency. But this could just as easily go the way of “Casino Royale” last season.
On the musical side of things, we have both “Sweeney Todd”’s Chris Lebenzon and “Hairspray”’s Michael Tronick coming off guild nominations. Musicals are loved in this category so I’d consider both, but primarily past nominee Lebenzon.

As Best Picture nominees must always be considered, we still should take into account Juliette Welfing for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” “Atonement”’s Paul Tothill did fine work and earned a BAFTA nod for it but the lack of guild support for his film will likely do him in. Pietro Scalia is a giant in the field and also earned a BAFTA nod for “American Gangster,” but the lack of a guild citation is very puzzling.

Best Original Score

While I may have had no idea on Best Sound Editing, I finish with the category in which I have the most conflicted ideas. I remain pretty confident that Dario Marianelli will be nominated for “Atonement” – they love work like this and he’s hit all the precursors.

Johnny Greenwood, BFCA winner and BAFTA nominee for his amazing compositions for “There Will Be Blood,” *should* be a lock as far as I’m concerned. But the work is unconventional and he is new to the crowd. So he is not a lock, though nevertheless a good bet. I’d also venture to say that Alberto Iglesias is probably a solid bet for his very present work on “The Kite Runner.”

Beyond that, things get really murky in my opinion. Michael Giacchino remains a possibility for “Ratatouille” but he failed to be nominated three years ago for a more acclaimed score (“The Incredibles”), so this is still a challenge in my opinion.

Also seeking a first nomination is Marco Beltrami, for his riveting “3:10 to Yuma” score. This film has shown up occasionally throughout the season. I don’t expect a shut-out Tuesday, so this could be where it gets rewarded.
Paramount Vantage always pushes its scores with passion, so Michael Brook is a real possibility for “Into the Wild.” But I still can’t help but wonder if people will think of the songs when they think of the music in this film.

Howard Shore could provide a past winner to the nominees for his Russian-influenced “Eastern Promises” score. This will be a test to see if Shore appeals to the branch outside of “Lord of the Rings.” Also in the realm of foreign-influenced scores is Alexandre Desplat’s gorgeous work on “Lust, Caution.” How much appeal to the music branch does Desplat have?

And if the music branch REALLY wants a ‘vet’ in there, Clint Eastwood is floating around for “Grace is Gone.” He has, after all, managed to grab BFCA and Globe nods for his work on the film.

Other titles showing up would not surprise me. Every year, we get some real surprises here.

Well that’s it if you can believe it. On Tuesday, we’ll find out the nominees.

Check out yesterday's rundown.

Well here we are at the last Tech Support column of 2007. As I reflect on the past year, I thought I’d do something I almost never do at her at In Contention – review. I’ve decided to focus on the most acclaimed scores of 2007.

Before proceeding, I should note that I have not yet heard the acclaimed scores of Clint Eastwood on “Grace is Gone” or Olivier Bernet for “Persepolis.” I’d also like to preface this by saying that I consider Glen Hansard’s song score to “Once” to be the most film-serving and original musical accomplishment of 2007. Being such an unconventional “score,” however, and relying almost entirely on songs, I personally feel that a column dedicated to reviewing scores is not the best place to discuss it.

I was very much looking forward to the return of Alan Menken to Disney movies in 2007 with “Enchanted.” His score and songs have received much acclaim. Though I enjoyed the film, and “That’s How You Know” was a fun number, I was ultimately disappointed with the work. I found the other songs to be lacking and the work to be on the whole formulaic, absent of the majesty of Menken’s past memorable efforts on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid.”

Howard Shore and David Cronenberg know each other incredibly well, having collaborated for over 20 years. Their latest joint effort, “Eastern Promises,” proved once again that these two are in sync creatively. Like their last film, “A History of Violence,” I found this score to be sold in its theme, a brooding, appropriately “Russian” melody. One more feather in this composer’s cap.

Another noted composer-director team is Alan Silvestri and Robert Zemeckis. On “Beowulf,” Silvestri combined the sort of modern orchestrations we’d expect in an epic with traditional Scandinavian instruments. In the realm of epic scores, I can’t say that I think this will be living in the hall of classics, but it served the film quite well indeed.

The soundtrack for “Into the Wild” has garnered much acclaim, particularly for Eddie Vedder’s songs. The score was primarily written by Michael Brook, though both Vedder and guitarist Kaki King receive joint credit. It has also been subject of a considerable deal of praise. I can’t say I was blown away by it, finding it to be in no way bad but not particularly special or able to stand out from Vedder’s frequently arriving voice.

Alberto Iglesias lent his talents to Marc Forster’s “The Kite Runner” this year. There is certainly a lot of music in the film and it is both noticeable and memorable. It also has an appropriately international feel, with Iglesias’s Latin influence being quite apparent. That said, while I would hardly call the work “bad,” there is something about it that does not quite work for me. I suppose I ultimately feel there is simply too much music, the sort which can often overpower what’s on screen, even if the music itself is quite nice.

Three years ago, Michael Giacchino brought invaluable life, originality and action to Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles” through his score. This year, Giacchino again served Bird incredibly well on “Ratatouille,” a score that was fun, clever, creative and at times delightfully French. I can’t say I feel he reached the same heights he reached on “The Incredibles” but the work was still top-notch and I hope Bird and Giacchino continue to work together for many years into the future.

Finishing with my top five scores of 2007…

5) Alexandre Desplat – “Lust, Caution”

Alexandre Desplat is, without a doubt, my favourite composer of this decade. Since his major American breakthrough (even if it was on a British film), “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” he has continued to stretch himself and entertain us on efforts such as “Birth,” “Syriana,” “The Queen” and “The Painted Veil,” not to mention his continued work in French cinema.

I was tremendously excited when he was hired to compose “The Golden Compass” earlier this year but ultimately it was his compositions for “Lust, Caution” that truly moved me in 2007. Ang Lee’s films always have great music and this proved to be no exception. The music managed to be beautiful and haunting in its own right, just like the film, while also being appropriately cultured, with a touch of Western influence – just like the setting of the film. This composer just seems to get better every year.

4) Dario Marinaelli – “Atonement”

On “Pride and Prejudice” two years ago, Dario Marianelli proved he knew the sort of music that Joe Wright’s films needed. He tops that achievement in my books with this year’s “Atonement.” The haunting melodies, so ably assisted by the sound of a typewriter, will be remembered by all who see the film – longing and tragically romantic.

3) Marco Beltrami – “3:10 to Yuma”

From its opening notes, Beltrami’s score to James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma” brings us into the film’s action. It was almost as though I knew right away that this remake was going to improve upon its original, a rare feat indeed. A throwback to westerns of the past, Beltrami’s score is exciting and memorable yet never manages to overpower the film. A very fine accomplishment, and a personal favorite of mine given my love of the Western genre.

2) Nick Cave, Warren Ellis – “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

Just as “3:10 to Yuma” was not alone in being one of the great westerns of the year, it was not alone in being one of the year’s great westerns with a great score. Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” was elevated by the haunting, thematic work of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Dominik’s film has often been compared to a Malick effort and it was certainly one of the most ambitious efforts of 2007. And just as is the case with Malick films, its music was integral to its mood and storytelling. Cave and Ellis lived up to the necessary challenge.

1) Jonny Greenwood – “There Will Be Blood”

One of few 2007 films to rival Dominik’s in terms of ambition was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.” For the music on the film, Anderson chose not to re-collaborate with his usual composer Jon Brion, but instead looked to Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead.

I must concede that this choice struck me as a tad odd and, having read the script, I knew the work of the composer would be challenging but also extremely important. But stark, film-matching and fantastically original, this is the finest achievement in original music compositions for a film in 2007 as far as I’m concerned. It seems as though every note was carefully considered and then perfectly placed.

I have no idea if Greenwood will continue to work in cinema. But regardless, this effort would stand alone as an amazing accomplishment of film music.

I’ll be taking next week off as I welcome in 2008 and head to Calgary for a few days. So have a very Happy New Year – I’ll see you here in two weeks time.

Now that a list of finalists has been announced, the time seems right to delve into analysis for the last “crafts” category – Best Original Song.

I should say that there are never any locks here, with seemingly sure bets often failing to make the cut. It is a rather odd category, in my opinion, as I often wonder if original song writing is such an important contribution to filmmaking that it deserves a category to itself whereas tasks like stunt co-ordination and casting are not currently awarded. However, the fact of the matter is that the category’s existence often results in many stars coming to the show who otherwise would not – so it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

An alteration in the rules two years ago changed the process of choosing the nominees slightly. Each song will be screened to the music branch in the context used in the film and then given a grade. If five films receive the minimum grade, the songs with the five highest averages become the nominees. Furthermore, if not enough songs receive high enough vote tallies, there could be less than five nominees, as we saw in 2005. I would not be surprised in the slightest if this happened again.

Sean Penn chose to make Eddie Vedder’s songs key to “Into the Wild.” With Paramount Vantage pushing hard, I suspect they will end up being very much in contention. “Guaranteed” seems to be leading the way with both BFCA and Globe nominations, and I’d tentatively call it this category’s frontrunner. But I would not be surprised in the slightest if “Society” also ended up with a nomination. The third eligible song, “Rise Up,” appears the least likely of the three but one never knows what might happen.

Alan Menken used to dominate this category. In the seven years from 1989 to 1995, he received eight nominations and four wins. But after a final nod for “Hercules” a decade ago, he’s been absent from the scene. Along with Stephen Schwartz, Menken has written several new songs for Disney’s latest hit, “Enchanted,” and seems poised to return to the big race. Judging by the BFCA and Globe nominations, I would say that “That’s How You Know,” which, in my opinion, is clearly the best of the three ditties, is likely to be his ticket. Even so, “Happy Working Song” and “So Close” ought not to be ruled out.

”Hairspray” has decided to promote just one of its original songs: “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go).” Personally, I felt that “Ladies Choice” was the better of the new tunes for the film. Even so, this civil rights ballad is the more traditional Oscar-nominee of the two and it has been rewarded with a BFCA nomination. It is probably a solid bet for a nod.

Another musical, “Once,” received immense acclaim this summer and its soundtrack topped the list of reasons for its success. Despite easily being one of my favorite films of the year, I have no delusions that it is on the way to any of the major categories (though one can hope). But the film could find a home here. Fox Searchlight is pushing hard and has chosen to concentrate on two tracks: “Falling Slowly” and “If You Want Me”. I personally was not surprised by the Globe shutout, this being the sort of small, independent film that the HFPA ignores. “Falling Slowly,” a BFCA nominee, seems the more likely of the two songs to end up short-listed.

Animated films traditionally do very well with Best Original Song. “Le Festin” from “Ratatouille” was a fun ditty. “Royal Pain” from “Shrek the Third” continued on the series’ tradition of opening with a track of interest. At the end of the day, however, neither song is all that memorable and I suspect we’ll be seeing no animated films nominated this year.

Anthony Hamilton’s “Do You Feel Me?” from “American Gangster” is, in my opinion, one of the best original songs in film this year not to come from “Once.” In a high profile film, with a notable role in the movie and with a BFCA nomination behind it, this seems, on paper, to be a solid bet for a nomination. Even so, for some reason I find myself doubting it and can’t put my finger on just why.

“The Golden Compass” has garnered a reputation as a considerable flop in recent weeks. Even so, Kate Bush is the sort of performer you’d think the Academy would love to have at the telecast, so a nomination for “Lyra” would not shock me to death.

Shakira’s “Despedida” from “Love in the Time of Cholera” is a beautiful, haunting song and I found its Golden Globe nomination to be tremendously heartening. Not being in English, and also being in another notable flop, it will struggle for a nomination. But this is a category that tends to disregard a film’s quality. “Al Otro Lado del Rio” from “The Motorcycle Diaries” won two years ago, so perhaps language isn’t much of a barrier.

A few years ago, a nomination for a song such as “Walk Hard” from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” would have seemed absurd. But after nominees such as “Blame Canada” and winners like “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” things seem…less certain. This ballad earned a Globe nod so it ought to be considered, especially as a nomination would result in current money-maker Judd Apatow becoming an Oscar nominee!

A man who has dominated the Oscar scene recently is Clint Eastwood, managing seven nominations, including two wins in the past four years. Seemingly unable to have an awards season without him, citations from the BFCA and HFPA have brought Eastwood’s music from “Grace is Gone” into contention for a nomination this year. His Golden Globe-nominated song, “Grace is Gone,” was written by six-time Oscar nominee Carol Bayer Sager. Even so, I’m skeptical that the music branch is going to embrace an actor-director as one of their own. But you never know.

That completes analysis of all ten crafts categories. More to come in the New Year. Stay tuned next week for an original score review column.

Film musicians have given the cinema some of its most memorable achievements. There are the booming themes of John Williams, which make the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” series instantly recognizable. There’s the pitch-perfect suspense of Bernard Herrmann on Hitchcock efforts such as “Vertigo” and “Psycho.” And there are the haunting contributions of Nino Rota on classics such as “8½” and “The Godfather.” I could go on forever.

I recently had a chance to speak to two composers who have contributed greatly to the world of film music in 2007: Mark Isham and Dario Marianelli.

Marianelli received a somewhat surprising Oscar nomination two years ago for Joe Wright’s first feature film, “Pride & Prejudice.” This year, he re-teamed with the director on “Atonement,” offering a score which makes him the arguable frontrunner for the statuette this year.

Mark Isham, who was nominated 15 years ago in this category for “A River Runs Through It,” has had a very busy year on a number of high profile features: Terry George’s “Reservation Road,” Robert Redford’s “Lions for Lambs” and Paul Haggis’s “In the Valley of Elah.” His work is being heard in cinemas now more than ever, and I’d say that a return to the Kodak seems to be in his future sooner as opposed to later.

In addition to being the composer on “Atonement,” Marianelli is responsible for the music of “Goodbye Bafana,” “Far North” and “The Brave One.” He freely remarks that he feels he’s seen more of film directors this year than his own family.

Isham also admits to being struck by the variety of the films on which he’s worked. But he cites certain similarities between them.

“‘In the Valley of Elah’ and ‘Reservation Road’ are intimate films and very emotional,” he says. “But I strove to find the unique quality.”

Isham says “Reservation Road” is about the aftermath of a tragedy, unlike “Elah,” where tragic elements are only discovered at the resolution of the film. On the other hand, he says he was surprised – especially in light of the script – at what a large score “Lions for Lambs” ended up being. He says the work kept getting bigger as the philosophy of the film emerged and the points of view started to interact, ultimately growing into a 72-piece orchestra.

Both artists speak very fondly about the unique qualities that existed in their collaborations with their directors. Marianelli told me that Joe Wright is a very unusual director in that he likes the composer to be involved while he’s still working with the script.

“He asked me to write music straight away on ‘Pride and Prejudice,’” he recalls. He admits that was, to a certain extent, necessary, as there were scenes when the score was needed during filming. But he says Wright also wanted other themes, so that he could play them for the actors, giving them a better idea of the sort of music that would accompany their acting. The very same thing, Marianelli says, happened with the duo’s collaboration on “Atonement.”

Isham has worked with both Redford and Haggis before. He believes familiarity with a director can only improve the product. “It opens up more trust,” he says. “I can go out on a limb.”

Both composers recall particular moments on their films when they truly felt challenged. Marianelli cites Cecilia and Robbie’s second parting, when she gets on the bus in a busy London street, to be such a moment on his latest film. “It had to be the most heartbreaking moment,” he says. “That was when I knew the film needed a love melody.”

Marianelli also recalls the long steady cam beach walk shot as being particularly challenging as Wright originally did not want any music at all in that sequence. “But I just ignored him and wrote it anyway,” Marianelli says, with both laughter and pride in his voice. “It had to be detached, but very moving at the same time, and it was quite a challenge to marry the two together.”

But Marianelli stresses communication as the key to any collaboration: “The most enlightened directors I’ve been working with are the ones that engage in proper dialogue. There’s a process of discovery that goes on between a director and a composer, with an actively involved film editor often making it a triangle. Conversations can become very poetic and philosophical.”

“Each film usually has its spot in the score where you know whether you’ve got it or not,” Isham says. The composer also remembers the moment at the end of “Lions for Lambs,” when the film, which had been immersed in rich concepts and philosophy at its core, gets very personal: “The music had – up until then – had to take a backseat to the words. But at that moment, Bob said to let the music and image take over.”

“In the Valley of Elah” also had its special moments for Isham. “Paul had such success with ‘Crash’ and, in a way, I went out on a limb on the choice of score on that movie,” he says. Despite knowing that, if the film had cost more, the studio would have wanted a more “traditionally emotional” score, both Isham and Haggis really thought their choice for “Crash” was the right one.

But while describing “Elah” before the start of shooting, Haggis explained that he wanted a different sort of score, so Isham chose to make the score very organic with very few electronic elements. He and Haggis both proudly feel that the score had a very intimate tone, which they both felt was perfect for the film.

But with all the pride and personal feelings of professional success, the fact of the matter remains that it is a common complaint of composers that their work is lonesome.

“We spend long hours in little rooms in front of computers,” Marianelli says.

Isham notes the lack of other creative bodies in on the process at the time of scoring: “By the time I join, the picture is usually cut together in some sort of watchable form and a lot of people have left,” he says. “You don’t want to do anything that is going to throw a monkey wrench into the works.”

Marianelli is more terrified with a blank sheet of paper than screwing up work that’s already in place. He says that once something is on the page, even if it’s the wrong thing, it will trigger the chain of thoughts and bring you closer to the ultimate goals. And in “Atonement,” he says he tried to break down the barrier between being a spectator of a film’s soundscape and being a part of a film’s soundscape in a way that he had never done before with music.

At the end of the day, Isham says he has a tremendous amount of fun with his job, having worked in the industry for 25 years and still getting new projects all the time. He recalls “The Black Dahlia” as an example of a film in recent years where he both immensely enjoyed himself and did something he had never done before professionally.

Marianelli, meanwhile, is the first to admit that his career has developed considerably over the last few years in ways he never would have expected. After scoring Irish and British character dramas for a decade, with modest resources, his career took a significant turn in 2005 when he composed “The Brothers Grimm” for Terry Gilliam, who he describes as “the opposite of minimalism.” “V for Vendetta” soon followed, and he’s found himself far away from the European style of filmmaking he is used to. But he ultimately finds this to be indicative of a greater openness to European influence on scores for Hollywood movies.

“I realize I’m generalizing in a major way but by just looking at what’s happened to myself, Alberto Iglesias and Alexandre Desplat, I can see several European composers being asked to score studio movies.”

Film editing is a craft that I often feel is not properly understood by the movie-going public. Many people seem to think the job is much more limited in scope than it actually is, and, indeed, fail to define it as the art form that it is. Rather, a film editor is responsible for a film’s coherence, pacing and mood, among other aspects. And in many ways, the less you notice a film’s editing, the more accomplished it may be.

Even so, the Academy tends to award showy editing, with action films, musicals and non-linear narratives tending to be major players every year. Early this decade, it appeared as though the category was incredibly tied to the Best Picture race, with match-ups of at least 3/5, usually 4/5 and, in 2002, 5/5 occurring. The last two years, however, have showed a match-up of 2/5. Perhaps we’re moving away from this?

It strikes me as a good idea to start analysis of this category with musicals, where the integration of song and dance always draws attention to the editing.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will attempt to slash its way into the Oscar race in big fashion as Tim Burton takes Sondheim’s masterpiece to the screen. Editor Chris Lebenzon has been nominated twice before (“Top Gun” and “Crimson Tide”) so if – and this is still a big if – the film delivers, I’d expect another nod.

“Hairspray” was a surprising hit this summer and I’d say it’ll be a factor this awards season, getting a good kick start with the BFCA and Golden Globe nominations. Should it pick up steam into January, I’d say longtime veteran Michael Tronick could be looking at his first nomination. I still think “Sweeney Todd” has the better shot of the two musicals from this vantage point but, if it disappoints, that may change.

“I’m Not There” is also a musical of sorts with a very strange narrative structure. Jay Rabinowitz thoroughly deserved a nomination here for “Requiem for a Dream” as far as I’m concerned, but Haynes’s film strikes me as simply too unconventional to score a nod for the editor this time around.

In the realm of action, “American Gangster” could be leading the charge. Pietro Scalia has two Oscars to his name for “Black Hawk Down” and “JFK” (which I personally consider the best edited film ever – I mean that with no hyperbole whatsoever). “Gangster” received very solid reviews and box office and I could easily see Scalia with nomination #5 come January.

The Coen brothers are known for editing their films under the pseudonym “Roderick Jaynes.” “No Country for Old Men” has been praised for its tightness and creation of suspense. It also is bound to be a huge player this awards season. (I realize the editor of this site is being a notable holdout on its likelihood as a Best Picture nominee but there’s no denying it’ll be in the heat of contention.) While I’m not sure of history on this front, Mr. Jaynes may become the first fictional person ever to get a second nomination.

Another editing vet is John Bloom, a three-time nominee who won this award 25 years ago for “Gandhi.” This year, he’s in charge of cutting Mike Nichols’ “Charlie Wilson’s War.” The film could be a major player; it'll depend on where consensus ends up.

Arguably leading the Best Picture charge is Joe Wright‘s “Atonement.” Editor Paul Tothill will be blending three eras and very different points-of-view and storylines. I think he is probably heading for his first nomination.

“Into the Wild” is also in the thick of the Best Picture race. Sean Penn’s editor of choice, Jay Cassidy, has the best chance of his career for a nomination with this film as he guides Emile Hirsch through his journey. If the film earns a Best Picture nomination, Cassidy could very well follow with the crew to the Kodak.

Matt Chesse’s career has essentially been Marc Forster’s career. The duo collaborates again this year on “The Kite Runner.” Chesse was nominated three year ago for Forster’s Best Picture nominee “Finding Neverland.” “The Kite Runner,” like that film, strikes me as a movie that will only score in this category if it were to also make headway in the big race. So we’ll have to wait for public and critical consensus on the movie.

John Gilroy’s pacing and creation of suspense in “Michael Clayton” was well done indeed. The film’s structure could also help him out. Again, however, I think this one is dependent on how much traction the film can garner in the Best Picture race.

“There Will Be Blood” seems poised to be a critical darling. Its awards potential is more questionable but it certainly exists. Having read the script, I sense it could be a very uniquely paced film – which could work to its advantage or disadvantage in this category. Dylan Tichenor, who has had a difficult time gaining Oscar traction, is leading the charge as editor.

“3:10 to Yuma” takes us back to the Old West in grand fashion. The gun fights, the excitement and the pacing were all top-notch. Michael McKusker got a nomination two years ago for James Mangold’s last film, “Walk the Line.” Should “Yuma” get the end of year attention it deserves, I’d say he has a solid shot at returning.

Juliette Welfing ought not to be ruled out for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” I have yet to see Julian Schnabel‘s film, but it’s said to be dazzling on its crafts fronts. In my opinion, it’s ultimately a question of how much traction the film can garner, especially with Miramax pushing “No Country for Old Men.”

I’ll finish with a living legend, Anne V. Coates, who is cutting “The Golden Compass.” This adaptation of Philip Pullman’s famous novel will be hitting theatres a week from Friday. Consensus on it is still unclear but should it hit, Coates, who won this award 45 years ago for “Lawrence of Arabia,” could very well be headed for another nomination.

This ends first looks at nine of the ten crafts categories. I won’t deal with the last one, Original Song, until the list of eligible tunes comes out. It’s hard to believe we’re already entering December but indeed we are. Soon, the precursors and top ten lists will be giving us more clues.