Oscar Chart Updates: Cinematography

Previously: Production Design, Costumes, Screenplays, Visual FX, Animation & Docs, and Supporting Categories

News of the World

Where will Oscar voters turn for the Best Cinematography nominations this season. Will they be looking for evocative landscapes, genre polish, intimate dramas, gaudy musicals, or tour de force biopics? In an Oscar year that's been characterized by the near complete lack of the theatrical experience, the category that arguably most needs that to soar is a big question mark. With most voters not seeing the contenders on the big screen what will they make of, say, Dariusz Wolski's large open impressive vistas in News of the World? Will Hoyte van Hoytema's slick lensing of something expensive like Tenet have any thrilling sweep on television screens? Will Mandy Walker's work on Mulan have any takers since it fits both of those descriptions?

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Oscar Chart Updates: Production Design and Film Editing

We've been discussing each Oscar chart this past week or so so let's finish up the visuals with Production Design and Film Editing.

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Beyond Mank, which features Oscar nominees Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale recreating Classic Hollywood this field remains something of an 'anything is possible' mystery. Best Picture heat often helps in the 'below-the-line' categories. But, even acknowledging that fact, many of the hottest Best Picture contenders like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, Minari, and Nomadland, have by their very intimate story natures, not a lot of visible art direction happening. It's not that they aren't beautifully designed but you know how at the Oscars it's pretty standard that "MOST = BEST"...

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Oscar Chart Updates: Costume Design

by Nathaniel R

The costume design branch loves Michael O'Connor's film work. Could Ammonite bring him his fourth nomination?

Let us know ask our crystal ball about the robust possibilities in the Costume Design race at the Oscar. This contest don't feel quite as wide open as Best Supporting Actor or as Best-Picture-related-simple as Adapted Screenplay or as 'what the hell will they choose?' unusual as Visual Effects and Makeup. But it does present several interesting options for a nominated quintet.

Oscar's three favourite living costume designers (Atwood, Canonero, Powell) aren't around this year -- well, Sandy Powell is but does anyone think the Academy will watch The Glorias? -- so where will the Academy's costume branch look?

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Oscar Chart Updates: Are the critical leaders in "Supporting" Oscar bound or not?

by Nathaniel R

Is there a stranger 'big eight' Oscar category situation this year than the Supporting categories? Both of them appear to have a weird dearth of mainstream contenders. Meanwhile the critics awards or "precursors" have (thus far) been laser-focused on upping the Oscar viability of just two (or three if we're being generous) arguably non-traditional options in those categories: Maria Bakalova's comic improv genius in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Paul Raci's weary mentor in the hard-edged indie Sound of Metal, and Youn Yuh-Jung's spirited grandmother in Minari. 

Which brings up the natural but loaded question of what part critics do or don't / should or shouldn't play in the televised awards races. There are no doubt complicated reasons why critics all across the nation vote so uniformly in some years but we'd argue that it's never from a lack of good options as hundreds of movies starring plentiful gifted actors come out each year...

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Oscar Chart Updates: The Screenplays

by Nathaniel R

After Visual Effects and Makeup and Animated and Documentary Features let's turn out attention to the written word seeking Oscar approval. The critics awards for Best Screenplays are never very telling because many film critic organizations lump Adapted and Originals together. The only films in the Oscar race that have already won Best Screenplay prizes this year (at this writing) are the originals Promising Young Woman (LAFCA) and Never Rarely Sometimes Always (NYFCC and CFCA) and the adaptation that feels like an original i'm thinking of ending things (BSFC, FFCC, and IFJA). (The various screenplay winners from Cannes, Venice, Sundance and Berlinale are not eligible at the Oscars this year.) That's a long way of saying that we have very little to go on in the Oscar race...

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