Oscar 2013 - Sound Editing & Mixing

I'll start (as in many other occasions ...) complaining that I'm not really in the mood for writing, Not as many other occasions though, I have a headache lasting for over a week (with some small breaks ..) which starts to get stressful .. Fortunately (as in other years), mostly thanks to Soundworks Collection that makes an excellent job in documenting for public an area that's not that popular, I can shorten a bit my comments. And talking about that, also as in other year I should say maybe again (as reminder) why we have two categories here .. or more exactly what each of them means. Very briefly: mixing = final audio track - combining effects, soundtrack, dialogues and anything else sound related in one piece ; editing = the pieces for the track - effects editing, ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording), etc. Ok, let's see what we have around this year ...

"Argo"is nominated on both sides. And is also an outsider on both sides. I don't see many chances for editing either. But as a mix, it's true that it gets a bit lost among the others, but for me it was the most ok of all. Anyway, I'm probably subjective because from the rest of nominees on this section, three left me completely unimpressed (and not just on the sound side), and "Life of Pi" ... well, it's ok but still no ..

"Les Miserables" is nominated just for mixing. And I'll risk saying that's probably also going to win. On this category the prognosis is after all quite easy to make, considering that the movie is a musical = other league (at least apparently, I've stated my opinion above). The only counter-argument would be that since "sound" was split in "mixing" and "editing", it didn't happen often that one of these to be won by a movie that wasn't nominated on the other. Well, the last exception, I don't know how many years ago was "Dreamgirls" if my memory is still working ... and guess what genre of a movie that was ..

"Life of Pi" has a nomination on both the categories. The mix is nice, helping on some parts to build an effect of a "dreamy atmosphere", although I think the soundtrack contributes to that more than the arrangement. Anyway, as I was saying above the odds look quite simple on the mixing side, so let's leave that and have a look or drop an ear on the other one. Where the situation is more complicated. I'll go for editing on "Life of Pi" though both as prediction and mostly as preference. It's by far the movie with the most complex sound effects, given the amount of CGI that needed to be "brought to life", from animals to the storm. More on that, below ..

"Lincoln" is only on the mixing list. And it's the title to fill it up to five. That's all. I won't bother talking more. The clip below it's lengthy enough .. Even though is about editing .. Or about Lincoln's watches .. aka editing overkill .. I'm really curious if there's somewhere written on the credits "Lincoln original watch used", or how different does that sound from a contemporary watch (well I know I won't re-watch the movie to find out) ..

"Skyfall" aka the last Bond has a double nomination. I agree that the sound is good. Actually I think that's the best part of that movie, which for me is incredibly overrated (what secret agent leaves with the boss of MI6 after him to an isolated cottage in northern Scotland, all alone, without taking at least a damn submachine gun with him when he expects waves of evil guys storming in .. literally, waves .. = not all at once, and organized at equal distance in the field .. to look as a wave .. and I have more .. don't get me started). Getting back to sound, 007 is probably the only title that has a chance to produce a surprise on mixing (well I still hope for "Argo" to do that). For editing as I said it's more complicated, but I could place it here also on 2nd position after "Pi" ...

"Django Unchained" is on editing pretty much in the same position as "Lincoln" on mixing. And still, at least here we have some typical western effects = guns, horses, more guns, more horses, dynamite, more horses ...

"Zero Dark Thirty" completes the list on editing. There's not much to be said ... I was expecting to see this movie on the mixing nominations, but well .. there wasn't any place left after "Lincoln". For editing, it's a movie with a lot of noise, which automatically places it as contender for this area. But we had already "The Hurt Locker" not very long ago, with a sort of similar noise, the same sound editor, and I don't really think it will take the same Oscar ...