Music Supervisors & Casting Directors have no Oscar category. But they do get prizes.
Friday, January 22, 2016 at 11:30AM Here's two awards curiousity for your afternoon. Both involve guilds that differentiate their prizes not by genre but by budget (i.e. big, small, micro): Casting and Music Supervision.
The Guild of Music Supervisors has been giving out awards for six years now. The music supervisor's job entails finding pre existing music, getting rights to all the songs, overseeing all music related aspects of a production. This year their big winners were all films which various people have labelled "snubbed" over the past week: Straight Outta Compton, Carol, and Diary of a Teenage Girl. And Furious 7's "See You Again," which did not make Oscar's Original Song nominated shortlist, takes Original Song. (more about their awards here.)
The Casting Society's "Artios" awards do things a little differently. They divide their awards both by budget and by comedy/drama. Their big budget winners: The Big Short / Straight Outta Compton. Their indie winners: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Room. Their low budget winners: Dope and The Stanford Prison Experiment.
That last one is a really great call because the film hasn't been in the conversation at all which means they were clearly thinking about its actual merit as opposed to hearing its name constantly in the "awards" circus. I've said since I saw it that one day it might read as a who's who of male stars before they were big. (More about their awards here.)
Reader Comments (4)
One film that no one's been talking about in terms of having great casting/ensemble is Shyamalan's The Visit. Kathryn Hahn is by far the most famous face in the film (and she's great in her limited capacity), and both of the teen leads are sensational -- Ed Oxenbould, in particular, gives one of my favourite lead-actor performances of the year. Such a natural, charismatic, lovably dorky kid.
Peter McRobbie and Deanna Dunagan are a refreshing change from the typical casting choices for elderly grandparents -- and god, are they creepy as hell. Even Broadway star Celia Keenan-Bolger shows up for a bit.
The casting directors were on fire here, and so were the actors they chose.
And in terms of line readings, Dunagan deserves all the Oscars for the "YAHTZEE!" scene alone.
I have begun to appreciate Casting Directors in the last few years. It seems so appropriate that the husband and wife team that runs "The Good Wife", the Kings won a special award for using New York actors and casting agents. Also Nina Gold who handles "Game of Thrones" won too.
DOPE!