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…

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!

(Note: Gerard has altered his Best Original Score predictions with the news that Jonny Greenwood's and Michael Brook's compositions have been disqualified. --Kris)

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.

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.

The crafts categories at the Oscars can be analyzed in many ways. It is possible to observe tendencies, whether they are related to famous individual artists, predispositions to gravitate towards Best Picture nominees, or the fact that box office flops are usually avoided.

But perhaps one of the most noted trends is the dominance of the period piece. I can still remember when I was first watching the Oscars, and the award for Best Costume Design was being presented. My father remarked, “It’s so much harder to design something that is real.” I’m not sure I totally agree with this assessment given that the past provides a template from which someone can already work and an artist’s imagination does not start from scratch. I personally consider the best crafts accomplishments to be those which contribute to the story and make the film better, regardless of the time they are attempting to convey.

However, it certainly must be conceded that, in the period piece, there is an inherent need for accuracy, while also contributing to the mood and feel of the film. This is not to mention that fashioning period through crafts automatically draws attention to itself, given that we do not see the era depicted in day-to-day life, if we have seen it at all.

The costume design category is, without a doubt, the most extreme example of this. Fantasy nominees admittedly pop up with some frequency. And last year actually boasted two contemporary nominees (“The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Queen”). But they were the first two contemporary nominees in the category in a dozen years!

I should add that I do not consider “The Queen” anything but a contemporary film. A cut-off date for what is “period” is admittedly arbitrary, unless we stay very strict and declare anything in the past to be period – which I don’t think is in accordance with the spirit of the term. Personally, I would say anything taking place within the past generation is better deemed contemporary.

While a spot or two in the Best Art Direction category is often reserved for a fantasy film, period films dominate there as well, with detail to a past time creating immense opportunities for a production designer and his or her team. (“Amelie” is the only truly contemporary film nominated this decade – and even that film is fantastical in a sense.)

Predictably, the Best Makeup category also tends to embrace work which brings characters, often historical figures, into past times. Fantasy and other outrageous accomplishments (see “Click”) do tend to find a home with some regularity, however.

What may be somewhat surprising is that Best Cinematography is another category where period pieces reign, with only three nominated films this decade taking place after the 1960s. The creation of a period through camera work clearly appeals to this branch. Even in the Best Original Score category, it is possible to observe that the majority of nominees are period pieces.

Categories such as Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects are not so dominated by period films. But given the number of prestigious action films in the past (“Master and Commander,” “Road to Perdition”), not to mention the number of musicals and war films that are period, it is possible to see these categories also lending favoritism to period films. And many fantasy efforts combine period elements (as is seen in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise), so these films, too, can fall into both period and fantasy categories.

As for Best Film Editing, it has such a strong correlation to the Best Picture category that period films are frequently represented. Though of all the technical categories (excluding the consistently inconsistent Best Original Song award), merely being a period film is probably least advantageous.

So what does that mean for this year? To put it simply, it means keep your eyes on the period films!

Joe Wright’s “Atonement” and, assuming it does not bomb, Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” seem to have the most obvious makings of across-the-board tech behemoths. Both have noted crafts artists, are somewhat epic in scope and should present opportunities for the craftspeople to show their range. But many more possibilities remain.

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” presents one of three superb cinematographic opportunities this year for the great Roger Deakins, while also giving Patricia Norris – pulling double duty in both the costume and art departments – her best chance to return to the race since the 1980s.

If well-received, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” ought to be considered, at the very least, for Robert Elswit’s photographing early 20th century oil wells against the backdrop of western America. Additionally, the production design from Sissy Spacek’s hubby Jack Fisk and costumes from Mark Bridges will strive to bring the audience into another era with clarity and accuracy. (Both Bridges and especially Fisk could be considered due for first-time recognition.)

Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and Adam Shenkman’s already seen “Hairspray” both represent opportunities to craft the past while also being the sort of big, brassy musicals often loved in the tech categories (with Best Sound Mixing being no exception).

James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma” is a remake and not traditional Oscar bait, but nevertheless it has been very well-reviewed. Meanwhile, Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster” seems to have potential to be the auteur’s best effort in a while, if also not traditional AMPAS fare.

Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” being an NC-17-rated foreign-language film with not-so-favorable reviews will likely spell its own doom. But Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography still looks gorgeous. Ed Lachman has also received very fine notices for his work on “I’m Not There,” even if people seem hesitant to embrace the film completely. It also must be considered in the makeup and sound mixing categories, at the very least.

Despite being somewhat forgettable, “Becoming Jane” ought not to be totally ruled out of the costume design category. And should they garner any traction whatsoever, “Children of Huang Shi” and “Love in the Time of Cholera” have the makings of tech contenders (though considering their total lack of buzz and status as small films, color me a tad skeptical). Ditto for “The Other Boleyn Girl,” though its release date seems to be in question now.

And we also must not forget “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” – certainly a period film, with great chances across the board, particularly in Best Visual Effects and in the sound categories.

Out of breath yet? We’re just getting warmed up, but many of these films may crash and burn, and there will be no shortage of potential nominees to fill the five or three slots per category. But given past years’ characteristics and this year’s current slate, I’m still sure we’ll be seeing many a period piece this year at the Oscars.

So here we go again.

As readers may recall from last year, “Tech Support” at In Contention attempts to make up for the rather appalling lack of coverage that normally greets the categories deemed by the media to be “technical categories.”

I invite you to try to imagine “Star Wars” without John Williams’s thunderous score. I bet you can’t. Would “2001: A Space Odyssey” have been the same experience if it were not for Stanley Kubrick’s ingenious use of visual effects? How about “Citizen Kane” in the absence of Gregg Tolland’s revolutionary cinematography? (This is not to mention the number of years that the development of cinema would have been delayed had it not been for this achievement.)

From disciplines as varied as art direction and costume design, sound and visual effects, editing and cinematography, makeup and music, the technical artists quite simply bring movies to life. But seldom do they get the front page attention the “stars” of the business enjoy as the awards season pushes ahead, full steam.

Members of these branches form a huge block of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ voting core. Therefore they undoubtedly factor into the awards race as a whole. Considering this, I feel that exploration of the awards process for these disciplines becomes an even more worthy pursuit.

This column is, hopefully, a step to correcting the absence of knowledge or recognition that greets these categories in the media and, hopefully, in the household of the casual awards watcher.

Throughout the fall, weekly columns will appear, covering each of the categories that fit into this description. It is my goal to provide insight into the dynamics and trends seen within each branch, and to give a fair shake to each of the individuals who appear to be in contention in this year’s race. Every few weeks, expect a special column on a varying subject.

Some questions are already starting to emerge this year, notably among the contenders that have already seen a release.

The well-reviewed “Hairspray” and “Ratatouille” could easily find themselves in the running in multiple categories. The Pixar film will almost certainly be in contention for Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score, while the musical ought to be in the hunt in the design arenas of art direction, costume design, makeup, as well as original song, at the very least.

I also have my fingers crossed that the small, critical favorite “Once” could emerge as a contender in the always questionable original song category. And while Paul Greengrass’s superb “The Bourne Ultimatum” may struggle in the sound and editing categories, given the previous films’ failure to be nominated anywhere, the film does have phenomenal reviews and Greengrass’s growing reputation on its side.

The mammoth blockbusters “Spider-Man 3,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Transformers” will all, at the very least, be in the thick of the Best Visual Effects category, always a blockbuster-friendly zone. In fact, there is a reasonable possibility they could fill up that category’s three available slots. This is not to mention that all three films will be in the hunt in the two sound categories as well, with “Pirates” having some chance at Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

It’s worth noting that “Spider-Man 3” and, especially, “Transformers” will be where the famed sound mixers Kevin O’Connell and Greg P. Russell will be hanging their hopes yet again, trying to win the statuette which has eluded them despite thirty nominations between them. You may recall the media whirlwind around this statistic of sorts at the end of last season that left an Oscar-winning sound mixer apologizing publicly for unwarranted backstage comments.

On the note of veterans who have yet to win, I would be remiss not to mention Roger Deakins. The extremely talented director of photography will have not one but three opportunities to get his long overdue statuette this year, lensing Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “In the Valley of Elah” from the AMPAS-loved and snob-hated Paul Haggis and “No Country for Old Men” by the Coen Brothers, the filmmakers who made him famous. All three seem like ripe opportunities for luscious cinematography. The question of which one, or ones, will emerge as his best awards vehicle is already on my mind. Then again, Best Cinematography is always a category with an abundance of riches.

Then there is the question of who will be “welcomed into the club” this year. For example, and keeping cinematography on the brain, Seamus McGarvey (“Atonement”) and Darius Wolski (“Sweeney Todd”) will have the most awards-friendly projects of their careers to date after previous notable efforts. Similarly, composers Michael Giacchino (“Ratatouille”) and Jon Brion (“There Will Be Blood”) will see if their reunions with the filmmakers who first brought them to notoriety (Brad Bird and Paul Thomas Anderson, respectively) will bring them their first nominations.

But specifics in the individual categories are still to come, and the purpose of future columns. SO I’ll cease my pondering for now.

Many of the first clues of the season will arrive shortly as films are received at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals. Despite the latter event’s taking place in my hometown, I will, unfortunately, not be able to cover it this year as I move to Kingston, Ontario this weekend. I am sure that John Foote will give excellent coverage of the event and am equally certain that he’ll have a great time while doing it. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy movie-going Fall; keep checking in on “Tech Support” every Thursday.

Next week, we dig in.

What can I add at this stage? The race is over. Allow me a few thoughts before signing off for the year.

Without any doubt, one of the biggest stories of Oscar night was the love for “Pan’s Labyrinth.” The only film to take home multiple crafts awards, it garnered three. Best Art Direction was claimed by Eugenio Caballero for his memorable and haunting sets, with John Myrhe unable to win his third statue in five years for “Dreamgirls.”

Joining Caballero in the “Pan’s” haul was, predictably, Best Makeup and, in the real shocker of the night, Guillermo Navarro’s in Best Cinematography. I have nothing against Navarro; I admired what he was reaching for here (even if I found the work too dark at times) and I absolutely love the film. But Emmanuel Lubezki’s lensing of “Children of Men” is going into the history books. That it won the BAFTA, ASC and most of the critics’ trophies makes the loss especially painful. Alas, the work clearly was not pretty enough for the Academy. I’m confident in saying they’ll look stupid for this in years to come.

Where “Pan’s Labyrinth” triumphed, “Dreamgirls” misstepped. The expected tech behemoth merely claimed Best Sound Mixing, marking the fourth win for Bob Beemer, the third for Michael Minkler and the second for Willie Burton. Their win adds to the tally of losses for Anna Behlmer (“Blood Diamond”), Greg P. Russell (“Apocalypto”) and, most infamously, Russell’s partner Kevin O’Connell. These mixers are masters of their crafts. I’m sure they’ll triumph…eventually. (The unfortunate comments of Mr. Minkler are dealt with below.)

“Dreamgirls” also surprisingly lost out on Best Costume Design, a category claimed by the great Milena Canonero for “Marie Antoinette.” I must confess that I find this film to be terrible. But the costumes are indeed exquisite. And Canonero is a classy wonderworker of her trade. So I’m happy that the Academy was actually able to look past some pretty negative feelings towards the film. They often fail in that regard.

Having three nominations in the Original Song category probably did “Dreamgirls” no favors, as the award was claimed by Melissa Etheridge and “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth.” But I maintain this award is the result of a lot more than vote-splitting. Having a message certainly helped but so did Paramount Vantage sending the song to the industry at large. As I said two-and-a-half weeks ago, promoting your artists pays off…why don’t more studios do it?

Speaking of Paramount Vantage, sending out the compositions of Gustavo Santaolalla for “Babel” certainly didn’t hurt either. Now he has a second Oscar. While I did not predict this win, it hardly surprises me. Best Original Score was a very open race.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” winning Best Visual Effects should come as a surprise to no one; it was the most assured of the crafts awards. John Knoll now has an Oscar, after four nominations. Expect to see this crew back at next year’s ceremony for the third installment of the series. However, “Spider-Man 3” also ought to be pretty spectacular in the effects department. (Though that’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves.)

“Pirates” lost Best Sound Editing to “Letters from Iwo Jima,” the only win that would come for Clint Eastwood’s Iwo Jima double bill. Four weeks ago I commented that the tech branches, as a whole, shied away from the Best Picture contenders in the nominations process. But there really is no denying the influence major awards players have when it comes to wins. In three of the four tech categories in which Best Picture nominees were nominated, one such film triumphed (the only exception being “The Queen” in Best Costume Design, never a likely winner).

The last of those categories is, of course, Best Film Editing, where Thelma Schoonmaker’s cutting of “The Departed” edged out Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise’s interweaving of storylines in “Babel.” This woman is a giant in her field. One of the few crafts artists everyone in the room seemed to know. Her relationship with Scorsese clearly permeates her approach to her cutting and I find it especially appropriate they both won on the same night.

As for the show, I must say that I enjoyed the attention paid to most of the craftspeople’s work. The showcasing of the costumes, the displaying of different cuts of the editors and the showing of the sound editors creating their effects are just examples of how the crafts were presented in a fashion that was both educational and entertaining. Well done, Academy.

Before closing it out here, however, I feel compelled to comment on sound mixer Michael Minkler’s comments regarding the publicity fellow mixer Kevin O’Connell has received for his 0-19 Oscar record. In the pressroom following his victory, Minkler seemed to rather bizarrely resent the attention O’Connell’s plight is receiving, stating “Kevin in an okay mixer” and suggesting he “take up another line of work.”

I understand it would be irritating to have someone trying to win strictly on sympathy (which I'm not even convinced O'Connell is dong), but this man is literally the biggest loser in the history of the Academy Awards...of course the media is going to be interested in him! I'm not saying that it’s right to vote for him strictly on that fact alone, but at least you could show some class and not insult someone who is clearly a leader in his field (and one who also lost his mother Sunday night). Minkler’s co-winners, Willie D. Burton and Bob Beemer, were able to display some measure of good manners, telling O’Connell that his time would come and praising his achievements to date.

Well, both O’Connell and Greg P. Russell have “Transformers” and “Spider-Man 3” on the horizon, both of which should be sound spectacles. Maybe their day will come sooner, rather than later. There is still the matter of yet another musical to overcome, however (Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”).

(Russell’s response to Minkler’s comments.)

With that, I guess I’m done here. Though on a final personal note, I’d like to say it’s been a blast writing this year for In Contention, at “Tech Support,” on the Blog and, most enjoyably, covering the Toronto International Film Festival. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed reading. I’ve certainly enjoyed writing.

Three days. Then it’ll be another year before the men and women of filmmaking get to go to the Kodak Theater and celebrate their work in front of the world. As I mentioned two weeks ago, the craftsmen and craftswomen tend to take a backseat in media coverage. But they still combine for ten of the twenty-four awards handed out on Oscar night. So let’s take one, final look at these races.

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is a film that had an amazing run as the season wound itself down, nominated six times over and finding itself among the most loved films of the year. Eugenio Caballero’s elaborate sets blend both period and fantasy while also playing quite an integral role in the plot (hell, look at the title). In addition, it is the only one of the three Art Directors Guild winners to even be nominated for an Oscar. I’d say that puts it in a good position, though I certainly don’t think a win is assured.

With that in mind, “Dreamgirls” is indeed the bigger film. Academy Award winner John Myhre’s work doesn’t exactly drawing attention to itself, but it nevertheless displays a vibrant Motown spanning multiple decades. But I’m just not sure how many awards the film can win, and it’s yet to win anything in this category. Admittedly, Myrhe won for “Chicago” without any precursor awards, but that was for a Best Picture winner. This film is not even a nominee in the big race.

Prediction: “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Alternate: “Dreamgirls”
Preference: “The Prestige”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

With no Best Picture nominee in the category, we don’t have to worry about the fact that this award tends to go to a Best Picture nominee. Rather, we look to the film with the most acclaimed cinematography, taking most of the critics awards, including the BAFTA and the guild award: Emmanuel Lubezki and his oft-covered, dazzling work in “Children of Men.”

Interestingly, and unlike most prognosticators, I wouldn’t really call this category “locked.” Lubezki’s work is showy, but not necessarily beautiful like most winners here tend to be. However, I don’t see what can beat it at this point. I suppose Guillermo Navarro’s eerie and atmospheric efforts on the clearly beloved “Pan’s Labyrinth” would come in second – but it’s a very distant second.

Prediction: “Children of Men”
Alternate: “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Preference: “Children of Men”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Now THIS is an open category, made even more so by the absence of the BAFTA/CDG winner, “Pan’s Labyrinth.” I’m leaning towards Sharen Davis of “Dreamgirls” as a winner, but it’s close. She’s yet to win anything, and how many awards do we expect this non-Best Picture nominee to take in the end? Even still, her film is a costume spectacle, one more widely seen than the other two period pieces nominated. It also has seven non-costume nominations compared to zero for each of the other period nominees (remember that period almost always triumphs in this category). Respected films go a long way. And then there’s the fact that Davis’s threads outfit a showbiz environment in “Dreamgirls.” How many industry folks can relate to that?

Chung Man Yee’s triumph at the guild awards this weekend is indicative that Sony Pictures Classics has made the rounds with “Curse of the Golden Flower.” And as over-the-top as I consider the work to be, there’s no denying it’s an utter costume showcase, like “Dreamgirls,” as well as the sort of exotic endeavor the Academy occasionally tips its hat towards in a crafts category. All of that said, it remains a foreign film, and one that is not critically respected. It also has no other nominations.

Also worth mentioning is the other period entry in this category, the oft-celebrated Milena Canonero and “Marie Antoinette.” The Academy may or may not have enjoyed this film, but the threads speak for themselves and deserve a mention. I can easily see the film taking the cake in this category.

Prediction: “Dreamgirls”
Alternate: “Curse of the Golden Flower”
Preference: “Dreamgirls”

BEST FILM EDITING

A winner of the ACE award for Editing has won this award in nine of the last ten years. What’s the problem this year? The guild itself couldn’t decide. “Babel” and “The Departed” tied for the award.

The Academy loves action in the film editing field, “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Matrix,” “Black Hawk Down” and “Return of the King” standing as examples. Moreover, I’m expecting “The Departed” to eek out a win in Best Picture. And it’s the sort of film that would seem a great possibility to win this category without Best Picture, much less with it. So I ultimately expect Thelma Schoonmaker to barely win a third Oscar.

ACE co-winner “Babel” and the work of Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise would be the definitive competition. Not only does the Academy love to award interlocking storylines in this category (“Traffic,” “Crash”), but this would be a potential place to reward a film clearly liked (with the lion’s share of nominations among the Best Picture nominees) but not a clear favorite in any category.

Prediction: “The Departed”
Alternate: “Babel”
Preference: “United 93”

BEST MAKEUP

“Pan’s Labyrinth,” with the awardage it has received thus far (including the BAFTA in this category), its total of six nominations and the considerable love apparent for it in the industry, would appear to have a very firm grip on this category. That it has the showiest makeup on both prosthetic and non-prosthetic fronts is a big bonus.

“Apocalypto” is a distant second – not altogether out of the running, but still distant. It is also a film showcasing makeup work throughout rather than in a handful of key sequences – something to consider.

Prediction: “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Alternate: “Apocalypto”
Preference: “Pan’s Labyrinth”

BEST MUSIC – ORIGINAL SCORE

This is the most difficult category to predict, in my opinion. Cases could be made for all nominees. Each of the efforts find secure positions in my personal top ten.

Ultimately, I’m banking on Alexandre Desplat for “The Queen,” a delicate, film-serving score, one that improves upon multiple viewings. Desplat is also a major up-and-comer in this field. Moreover, the winner in this category tends to be a Best Picture nominee when possible. (On only two of the last fifteen occasions has a Best Picture nominee lost to a non-Best Picture nominee.) That said, the score does not draw attention to itself and it lacks the sort of iconic theme that often wins this category. As such, I don’t consider it an assured winner in the least.

Philip Glass, meanwhile, is a composer I suspect we’d see more of in the Oscar race if he were to take more traditional, Academy-friendly scoring jobs. As it is, he has three nominations, is somewhat due for a win, and his “Notes on a Scandal” score is vintage Glass. That could be the ideal combo. But it’s also somewhat divisive work, and while the film has been doing well for itself throughout the film awards season, it hasn’t exactly been setting the race on fire either.

Prediction: “The Queen”
Alternate: “Notes on a Scandal”
Preference: Eeny...meeny…miny…I like all these scores A LOT. In fact, they rank between my third and seventh favorites of the year (my two faves, “The Painted Veil” and “The Fountain,” are out of the running). I’m not solid on a preference, but I think I’d lean to Desplat or Glass…imagine that.

BEST MUSIC – ORIGINAL SONG

Here’s where I’m stepping out on somewhat of a limb. I see the beneficiary of a vote-split scenario being Melissa Etheridge. Paramount Vantage has done a fantastic job getting “I Need to Wake Up” out there, sending it to every Academy member, along with the music and lyrics. Also being the sort of ballad the Academy loves, and further attached with a message to it, I feel this is where we’ll see a minor upset in a category which does not shy away from upsets.

With three nominations in this category, one would expect that “Dreamgirls” would have this award in the bag. I, however, I am not so sure. “Listen” is the song that has the most precursor attention and is the most typical winning song (a ballad with a key role in the story). But there’s considerable love out there for “Love You I Do” and “Patience,” both of which are sung by actors whose roles have been nominated by the actors’ branch. A vote split is not out of the question.

Prediction: “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”
Alternate: “Listen” from “Dreamgirls”
Preference: “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”

BEST SOUND EDITING

This is an interesting race, largely because both Bub Asman and Robert Alan Murray find themselves nominated twice – for two pretty similar efforts. Many would argue this is the most logical place to reward “Letters from Iwo Jima,” a film AMPAS clearly liked a great deal and has enough war effects so that an Academy voter can probably justify voting for them. As I said two weeks ago, working on a Best Picture nominee always helps in the race for wins.

Nonetheless, vote-splitting between “Letters” and the more action-intensive “Flags of Our Fathers” is not out of the question. If this were to occur, it would likely benefit the water-and-action-heavy work of George Watters II and Christopher Boyes on the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

Prediction: “Letters from Iwo Jima”
Alternate: “Flags of Our Fathers”
Preference: “Flags of Our Fathers”

BEST SOUND MIXING

I must concede that I feel “Dreamgirls” took somewhat of a hit here when it missed a Best Picture nomination. With the exception of “Bird,” all musicals to have won this category this side of “South Pacific” have been Best Picture nominees. (“Bird” is not even really a musical, I know, but it won because of its music). Moreover, the CAS award has been somewhat of a curse as of late, with none of the last five guild winners winning the Oscar. That said, it still would be the most traditional winner of the nominees, it has the most nominations of the nominees (it probably missed that Best Picture berth by “this much”) and I don’t see what’s going to beat it.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” is the sort of film that would win Best Visual Effects and Sound Editing before this. However, I doubt it’ll take two Oscars, much less three. But truthfully, any of the films could slip in a steal it.

Prediction: “Dreamgirls”
Alternate: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
Preference: “Dreamgirls”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

I’ll end with the easiest award of the night to predict. The winner of by far the most guild awards. The winner of the BAFTA. The highest grosser of any film in contention. The only film nominated in multiple categories categories. John Knoll and crew have this one in the bag for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

Prediction: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
Alternate: “Superman Returns”
Preference: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”

Good luck to all on Sunday. We’ll wrap things up next week.

Allow me to step away from general analysis this week and make a few observations on the current, often underappreciated, experience that is the race for the craft awards. Perhaps there are considerable ways of improving it.

We all see the stars hitting the talk shows. The trades are brimming with ads. The DGA nominees are all giving their spiel in high profile fashion. The acting and writing nominees are visible all around Hollywood. One would be hard-pressed to say the nominees aren’t receiving ample media and industry coverage – unless, of course, you are a nominee in a crafts category.

As usual, these men and women are taking an incredibly (back back back) backseat in media coverage and even industry coverage. Sure, they turn out in support for their films at this party/gathering or that, but you won’t find much in the way of campaign concentration. This process not only ghettoizes their categories in the eyes of the public, but it is also is a disservice to the integrity of awards process in these categories.

Notice, for example, Entertainment Weekly sarcastically asking Ellen DeGeneres “who will win the all-important Sound Editing category,” tossing the notion away like a joke (remember Jon Stewart’s parody of Wylie Statement and the very same category last year). To me, this is, in fact, one of the more interesting races of the evening (more on that in two weeks).

I’m certainly not denying that a film could not work without writers (whose work serves as a film’s template), actors (who can single handedly make or break said template) and especially directors (who can single handedly make or break the achievements of every other artist in the film). But given that the crafts artists form such a substantial block of the AMPAS membership, their absence in the realm of any significant coverage attention remains rather alarming. Such is and has been the (hopefully achieved) purpose of “Tech Support” this year at In Contention.

It might be worth keeping in mind the possibility that this lack of coverage ultimately encourages tech sweepers and group thinking across the board when ballots are considered by the membership. Just consider, for a moment, that of the 60 crafts awards given out this decade by AMPAS, 90% of them were for films with at least four total nominations, 37 of these going to Best Picture nominees. Does this really seem all that reasonable?

There are no easy solutions to the issue. After all, no matter how integral Thelma Schoonmaker was to the success of “The Departed,” she was not the one putting butts in seats. Ditto, say, Christopher Boyes and George Watters II, sound editors of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” But that does not mean one cannot try to rectify the rather disconcerting lack of appreciation seen during this time of year.

The Academy itself certainly affords no favors. Consider Kevin O’Connell, gaining some fame for his rather infamous record of 19 nominations without a win (combining with partner Greg P. Russell for a staggering 0-30 record). Oprah Winfrey may bring O’Connell onto her show and speak of his un-Oscared status with a brief video package, but the average voter still may not know where to tick off their mark on the ballot, which merely says “Apocalypto” under the category placement of Best Sound Mixing.

While their branch peers undoubtedly know which film O’Connell and Russell are aboard, it is questionable that their fellows in the other branches do. And really, how much work would it take to place the names of craftsmen and craftswomen beside their film’s name on the ballot? It seems borderline disrespectful to exclude such information.

Also, unlike categories such as Best Foreign-Language Film and the short films, there is no way to ensure that the voters have actually seen all the nominated contenders. It seems common courtesy to watch all the nominated films in a category before voting in it. Should it not be necessary to ensure this happens in all categories? Food for thought.

Some studios and individuals have already made efforts to heighten awareness and recognition for the tech categories. Here and there a studio brings these artists to the forefront at this event or that, but it doesn’t seem too common. Every one of the artists I’ve spoken to for this column has obviously been pleased about talking to me regarding their roles in creating their films. Surely I’m not the only person out there pleased to talk to them.

Paramount Vantage, for instance, has highlighted their craftsmen and craftswomen with their website, vantageguilds.com. They also got Gustavo Santaolalla’s “Babel” score and Melissa Etheridge’s song “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth” out there to the industry early and furiously, seemingly sparing no expense. Lo and behold, Etheridge received a nomination for a documentary in a non-documentary category while Santaolalla got a second straight nomination for a minimalist and experimental score, the sort the music branch tends to shy away from. In other words, Vantage has seen their efforts pay off. Why don’t more studios follow suit?

“Dreamgirls” highlighted technical artists in the film’s closing credits, showing us stages in their individual work. This was a beautiful way to end the film. I am not suggesting every film needs to be a walking, talking “for your consideration” ad, but seeing more films tastefully celebrating both their casts and their crews would not only be nice in and of itself, but it would also draw more attention to both the crafts work and the individuals behind them.

I personally find it a nice touch that for the past three years, the composers and cinematographers have been onscreen like the actors and directors as the envelope is opened. This not only makes them visible to the public and their peers, but it also places their achievements on a seemingly greater level of appreciation. I understand this is a problem in the categories where multiple individuals share a nomination, but surely, at the very least, this could be done for the costume designers, where the nomination almost invariably is awarded to a single individual.

Then there is the issue of “For Your Consideration” ads in the trades. Advertising cinematographic achievements in American Cinematographer may be very effective as far as the race for nominations is concerned, but how do we expect this to work when it comes to the race for the wins? Some studios have stepped up to bat for their craftsmen and women but many don’t. That is a problem.

I could really go on and on. And again, this is an issue lacking an easy solution. I have no delusions that even if my aforementioned ideas were adopted there would not be an obvious double standard between the crafts categories and the so-called “big eight.” And I don’t even propose to suggest that directors, writers and actors should not be at the forefront of Oscar night. But as it is, the difference is simply too great and the appreciation feels almost secondary. Adapting some measures, none of them very challenging, might have some effect on this, if just in the smallest of ways. Even that would be worth it.

The Academy’s nominations announcement has come and gone. So what have the craftsmen and craftswomen told us this year?

The first thing that jumps to mind is that the branches weren’t afraid to think for themselves this year.

For the first time since the black-and-white and color categories merged in 1967, the Best cinematography category is completely void of Best Picture nominees. Tom Stern (“Letters from Iwo Jima”), Rodrigo Prieto (“Babel”) and Michael Ballhaus (“The Departed”) are all MIA. The branch also continues to shy, unapologetically, away from digital photography. Dean Semler’s work on “Apocalypto” was a guild nominee seemingly on track for an Oscar mention.

Instead, we’re left with nominees where the imagery was realized by lighting and practicality. Emmanuel Lubezki’s intense work on “Children of Men” probably looks set for the win, and it couldn’t be more deserved. Guillermo Navarro’s critically acclaimed work on “Pan’s Labyrinth” is probably the only semblance of a threat.

Dick Pope finally has a nomination to his credit for inspired work on “The Illusionist.” But as the film’s only nomination, a win will be a difficult climb. Also the only nominee from his film is Vilmos Zsigmond for “The Black Dahlia,” who managed to trump “The Good Shepherd”’s Robert Richardson to be the veteran able to translate his guild nod to Oscar. The work isn’t a personal favorite, but I must say that it’s nice to see Zsigmond in the running once again. I suspect many in the branch felt the same way.

As for Wally Pfister, his nomination for “The Prestige” is another very deserved surprise. He and director Christopher Nolan are turning into a great director-D.P. team. May their future collaborations continue to be great.

Just like the cinematographers, the art directors also shied completely away from Best Picture nominees. They, too, have not done this since the black-and-white and color categories were merged in 1967.

The nominations for Eugenio Caballero (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) and John Myrhe (“Dreamgirls”) should surprise no one. But what did serve as a surprise to many was the omission of Jim Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland for “Children of Men.” But as great as the work is, it really isn’t Oscar fodder.

Instead, the branch looked to the fantastical work of Rick Heinrichs on “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” This was the only nomination this sequel received which the original did not. Ironically, Heinrichs is the only technician to be a new addition to the series.

Nathan Crowley also got his first nomination – a much deserved one might I add – for “The Presitge.” This comes after something of a snub last year for “Batman Begins.” He managed to sneak in over another grand recreation of an old world: “Curse of the Golden Flower.”

Janine Claudia Oppewall’s sets for Robert DeNiro’s “The Good Shepherd” rounded out the category. Set decorator Gretchen Rau received a posthumous nomination. While Rau got her final tip of the hat, Henry Bumstead did not, with both “Flags of Our Fathers” and Best Picture nominee “Letters from Iwo Jima” in the running. My suspicion is that a combination of vote-splitting and neither film featuring terribly showy art direction prevented him from a final nomination.

For the second year in a row, the editors also included merely two Best Picture nominees among their own choices. The legendary Thelma Schoonmaker got her sixth nomination for the action-heavy “The Departed,” while the branch also cited “Babel”’s Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, who is returning to the nominees six years after winning for another film about interlocking stories, “Traffic.”

A third nominee – the kinetic work of Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson on “United 93” – should not come as a surprise to anyone. But the final two nominees were actually quite shocking, both having missed guild nominations.

Alfonso Cuarón and Alex Rodríguez were singled out for “Children of Men,” an inspired choice. Cuarón joins the ranks of David Lean and the Coen brothers, nominated for editing his own film.

I wish I could share the same enthusiasm for Steven Rosenblum, nominated for “Blood Diamond.” I have no delusions that my opinion is indicative of Academy thoughts. However, what’s really confusing here is that Rosenblum’s previous two Oscar nominations (“Braveheart,” “Glory”) came on the heels of guild nominations and wins. “Blood Diamond” did not even receive an ACE nod last week.

Despite all the action nominated, Stuart Baird was omitted for “Casino Royale,” part of that film’s unfortunate shutout. Virginia Katz missed out for “Dreamgirls,” despite the fact that musicals are a favorite of this branch. Lucia Zucchetti also missed for “The Queen.” However, considering the rise in her career in recent years, I strongly suspect we might be seeing her in the future.

The costume designers’ branch also steered clear of Best Picture nominees for the most part, while simultaneously opening themselves up to a line of work they almost never embrace. After a dozen years of period and fantasy film domination, not one but two contemporary showcases have been cited: Patricia Field’s trendy and character-serving threads for “The Devil Wears Prada” and Consolata Boyle’s fashioning of royal wear on “The Queen.” I find this quite encouraging, and these films’ inclusion also results in the first occasion where all Oscar nominees have come from the guild’s chosen crop.

Typical yet deserving choices rounded out the lot. The expansive showbiz wardrobe designed by Sharen Davis for “Dreamgirls” landed a nomination, as did costume showcases “Curse of the Golden Flower” and “Marie Antoinette,” allowing Chung Man Yee and Milena Canonero to become the sole nominees for their films.

The two categories that allow a mere three nominees both bestowed the eternal moniker “Oscar nominee” on a curious duo: “Click” in Best Makeup and “Poseidon” in Best Visual Effects. Kudos to Kris for predicting these two nominations. “Poseidon” can thank being in a very weak year for the category. I would have thought Rick Baker (makeup guru) would have helped “Click” but it turns out he was presumably just an advisor as he doesn’t share in the nomination. Interesting.

“Posiedon” was nominated alongside obvious contenders “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Superman Returns.” But the latter was strangely omitted from the Best Makeup category, which was capped off by “Apocalypto” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” The omission of “Pirates,” is strange, especially after having made the bakeoff. I expect “Pan’s” to garner the makeup statue pretty easily, if not quite as easily as “Pirates” in the visual effects category.

Increasing to five nominations this year was the Best Sound Editing category. This made predicting the lineup all the more difficult, especially considering the Motion Picture Sound Editors will not be announcing their nominees until tomorrow. I correctly guessed that this would be the only category to find room for both “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” but the question now becomes how they will affect each other as far as the race for the win is concerned.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” also found itself predictably among the nominees for its loud and notable sound effects. However, other titles of consideration – “Cars,” “Casino Royale,” and “Superman Returns” – all came up short. We rather surprisingly got nominations for “Apocalypto” and “Blood Diamond” in their stead.

The sound mixers’ branch unsurprisingly translated four nominees from the Cinema Audio Society’s crop, crews chocked full of Oscar favorites: Reitz, Rudloff, Campbell and Martin for “Flags of Our Fathers;” Beemer, Minkler and Burton for “Dreamgirls;” Behlmer, Nelson and Sharrock for “Blood Diamond;” and Boyes, Massey and Orloff for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

“Babel,” on the other hand, failed to convert its BAFTA and CAS nominations. Its lack of any previous nominees probably did it in. Instead, the branch turned to perennial nominees Kevin O’Connell and Greg Russell. They each earned their 19th and 11th nominations respectively, for Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto.” If these guys don’t finally score a statue this year, they surely ought to have the best chance of their careers next season with “Spider-Man 3” and “Transformers” on the plate.

One of the big stories Tuesday morning was that, for the first time in Academy history, the nominations leader did not have a Best Picture nomination among its tally. One of the principle reasons “Dreamgirls” led the way was that it earned THREE mentions in the Best Song category. This puts the film up there with “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King” as far as dominance in the category is concerned.

Joining the “Dreamgirls” tunes is Melissa Ethridge’s wonderful “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth.” Kudos to Paramount Vantage for getting this song out there; it becomes the first song from a documentary ever nominated in both this category and its own. Randy Newman’s sweet “Our Town” from “Cars” completes the quintet, earning him his seventeenth nomination and his first since his win five years ago.

Omitted are Golden Globe-nominated songs “Never Gonna Break My Faith” (Bryan Adams’s ballad from “Bobby”), “Song of the Heart” (Prince’s Globe-winning ditty from “Happy Feet”) and Seal’s “A Father’s Way” from “The Pursuit of Happyness.” All of these songs play over the end credits of their films. I suppose the attempt to ensure that nominated tunes play a substantial role in their films is working, for the most part.

One of the strangest categories every year is always Best Original Score. This year, Gustavo Santaolalla is once again among the nominees for his heavily promoted and precursor-nominated work on “Babel.” Alexandre Desplat also finally has an Oscar nomination to his credit, but not for his Golden Globe-winning work on “The Painted Veil” (sadly shut-out across the board) but his BAFTA-nominated delicate compositions for Stephen Frears’s “The Queen.”

Beyond the two Best Picture nominees, Javier Navarette got in for “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which did have a wonderful theme. I suppose two new nominees (the other being Desplat) was enough for the branch, as Clint Mansell unfortunately did not make it in for “The Fountain.” (EDITOR’S NOTE: Ugh!!!)

Thomas Newman managed his eighth career nomination for Steven Soderbergh’s maligned “The Good German.” This is truly a branch that does not seem to mind how well – or poorly – a film is thought of, so long as the composer is a favorite. The music over the opening credits should have clued all of us into this nomination. Newman trumped James Horner (“Apocalypto”) and Hans Zimmer (“The Da Vinci Code”) for a veteran slot.

The category rounded itself out with Philip Glass, scoring not for his BFCA-winning work on “The Illusionist” but for his very loud and memorable compositions in “Notes on a Scandal,” but all things considered, this remains a very open category – as does much of the rest of the field. We should certainly have fun watching this race unfold.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Best Art Direction
"Children of Men"
"Dreamgirls"
"The Good Shepherd"
"Pan’s Labyrinth"
"The Prestige"
(alt.: "Flags of Our Fathers")

Best Cinematography
"Apocalypto"
"Babel"
"Children of Men"
"The Good Shepherd"
"The Illusionist"
(alt.: "Pan’s Labyrinth")

Best Costume Design
"Curse of the Golden Flower"
"The Devil Wears Prda"
"Dreamgirls"
"Marie Antoinette"
"Miss Potter"
(alt.: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest")

Best Film Editing
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"Dreamgirls"
"The Queen"
"United 93"
(alt.: "Casino Royale")

Best Makeup
"Apocalypto"
"Pan’s Labyrinth"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest"
(alt.: "X-Men: The Last Stand")

Best Music – Original Score
"Apocalypto"
"Babel"
"The Illusionist"
"Notes on a Scandal"
"The Painted Veil"
(alt.: "The Queen")

Best Music – Original Song
"Bobby"
"Cars"
"Dreamgirls"
"Happy Feet"
"An Inconvenient Truth"
(alt.: "Dreamgirls")

Best Sound Mixing
"Blood Diamond"
"The Departed"
"Dreamgirls"
"Flags of Our Fathers"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest"
(alt.: "Babel")

Best Sound Editing
"Cars"
"Casino Royale"
"Flags of Our Fathers"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest"
(alt.: "Superman Returns")

Best Visual Effects
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest"
"Superman Returns"
"X-Men: The Last Stand"
(alt.: "Casino Royale")

Best Animated Feature Film
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"
(alt.: "Over the Hedge")

Best Foreign Language Film
"After the Wedding"
"The Lives of Others"
"Pan’s Labyrinth"
"Volver"
"Water"
(alt.: "Avenue Montaigne")

Five days before the announcement of the nominees for the 79th Annual Academy Awards, the guilds have given us our clearest indications of what we can expect.

Since my last columns, the British Academy of Film and Television were joined by the chorus of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the Art Directors Guild (ADG), the Costume Designers Guild (CDG), the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) in declaring lists of nominations. These guilds are, more than any other precursor event, the most important “clue” we prognosticators get.

Some titles pretty much performed as expected and remain in contention in the categories in which we suspected they’d assert themselves. “Children of Men,” for instance, continues to have a great grip on art direction and cinematography nods…and little beyond that.

“The Departed” is still likely an “editing only” piece from a tech vantage point. Best Sound Mixing and Cinematography remain in the realm of possibility, though each was slighted by the respective guilds. (Today’s ADG nod is likely irrelevant.)

Another likely Best Picture nominee, “The Queen,” remains an editing possibility. But despite the ADG and CDG nods in the contemporary category, I don’t see those translating to Oscar. Consolata Boyle’s threads might be considered a decent longshot.

And “Dreamgirls” unsurprisingly scored guild nods from practically everywhere. Only The ASC snub results in a cinematography nomination appearing more questionable, if still very possible. The film is set to go in Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Other titles, however, had their prospects considerably boosted by the guilds.

BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT

“Babel” – Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film is not only coming off a Globe win and a nomination from each of the major four guilds…it received a nod from every tech guild except the cinematographers. What does this mean? The industry clearly loves “Babel!” A nomination for Best Film Editing seems assured, while Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing and, yes, Best Cinematography (lenser Rodrigo Prieto was BAFTA-nominated after all) seem to be very much in contention. Not bad for a contemporary ensemble drama.

“Casino Royale” – Martin Cambell’s latest James Bond installment managed the impossible, becoming a critical darling and raking in the largest worldwide box office take in the franchise’s history. It further shook up the scene by grabbing an improbable three guild nominations – from the art directors (ADG), costume designers (CDG) and, most tellingly, the editors (ACE). The Nine BAFTA nods were not altogether unexpected but are still further indication of support for the film. Nominations in the editing and sound categories seem very possible. And in a weak year for art direction, a 30-year vet like Peter Lamont can’t be ruled out.

“Little Miss Sunshine”/”The Devil Wears Prada” – These well-reviewed, financially successful comedies were doing fine before the guilds came along. Then they started scoring all over the place. An editing or song nomination for “Little Miss Sunshine” is a possibility with a costume
design citation for “The Devil Wears Prada” almost appearing likely.

FINDING SOME HELP

“Curse of the Golden Flower” – Yimou Zhang’s visual spectacle may have underwhelmed the critical consensus, but the film has already one-upped his “House of Flying Daggers” by scoring guild nominations – for both art direction and costume design. Expect at least the latter, and maybe even the former, to follow come Oscar morning.

“The Good Shepherd” – This wasn’t a massive shaker at the guilds, but it had widely been given up for dead after being perceived as a significant disappointment. After citations from both the ASC and the ADG, Robert De Niro and Eric Roth’s epic spy drama could definitely show up with a craft nod or two. Set decorator Gretchen Rau also sadly passed away shortly after winning the Oscar last year for “Memoirs of a Geisha.”

“The Illusionst” – The Yari Film Group’s plan seems to have worked. Now with two guild nominations behind it (ASC and CDG) in addition to a Critics’ Choise win for Philip Glass’s score, I doubt this film will get shut out. It’s admittedly not locked anywhere, though between Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction (which is a difficult category to predict), Best Costume Design and Best Original Score, I think we’re at least looking at a nod or two.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” – So the ADG was always coming but the CDG has to be considered somewhat of a surprise. When one also considers the BAFTA love, this film is likely headed towards a healthy dosage of craft nominations.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” – ADG, CDG, CAS and ACE. All admittedly achieved by the original. But for a sequel widely viewed as inferior, this is a very impressive tally nevertheless. When one also considers the five BAFTA nominations, Jack Sparrow’s latest adventure could easily be headed towards a nice tally of nominations.

“United 93” – The support from the guilds for Paul Greengrass’s critically acclaimed 9/11 entry was not overwhelming, with only the writers and editors going for it. But not much could have been expected beyond that. I feel Best Film Editing is quite assured, with Best Sound Mixing being a potential surprise.

HARDER TO READ

“Apocalypto – The ASC nod for Dean Semler was a great help and probably established the film as second in the cinematography race (after Emmanuel Lubezki’s lensing of “Children of Men”). But no CAS nod for Kevin O’Connell and Greg P. Russell is very strange indeed. They’ve only once been Oscar nominated after guild snubs, after all ("Con Air").

“Blood Diamond” – Edward Zwick’s critically poo-pooed diamond smuggling drama has just been chugging along. Along with NBR and BFCA top ten mentions, it has two SAG nods, as well as a CAS citation. I’d be surprised if the film was shut out come Oscar morning. But its support has been s