Its the most wonderful time of the year – awards season! The Golden Globe nominations are soon to be upon us, as well as the Oscars, Critics Choice and many others! As the worldwide community of cinephiles prepares to be outraged and validated as their favorite movies are picked and snubbed, we should take a moment to realize that there is one thing that brings all fans of film together – we’re all very confident in our opinions. So, with that being said, here are our official predictions for the technical categories of the 2018 award season.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
What Will Get Nominated
– A Quiet Place (Props play an important role in telling the story visually.)
– If Beale Street Could Talk (Period piece, lots of set dressing.)
– First Man (Cockpit interiors, NASA headquarters, the moon, you know, small stuff.)
– The Favourite (Another period piece, with what seems to be more ornate sets and props than Mary Queen of Scots, which will get this nomination if The Favourite doesn’t.)
– Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (The first one got a nomination, so it’d say it’s a safe bet this one will too.)
What Could Get Nominated
– Black Panther (They created a whole civilization, so it’s a possibility.)
– The Old Man and the Gun (Another period piece, with a great vintage feel, it could get a nomination.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Bad Times at the El Royale (An underrated gem from this year, especially when it comes to visuals. The hotel was unique, quirky and colorful. It should be honored, but probably won’t be.)
VISUAL EFFECTS
What Will Get Nominated
– Black Panther (The Academy’s going to give this film a lot of love this awards season, this seems like a natural lock.)
– First Man (The Lunar sequence alone should make this a lock. Incredible stuff.)
– Disney’s Christopher Robin (Seamless integration of live action and CGI characters.)
– Hereditary (If the Oscars want to honor a horror movie here it will either be this or A Quiet Place, but this film has more subtle effects work, so go with this.)
– Isle of Dogs (Kubo and the Two Strings was nominated for best visual effects a couple years back, so it’s stop motion ilk stands a chance as well, especially considering the pedigree of Anderson, as well as his history with the Academy recognizing his work.)
What Could Get Nominated
– Avengers: Infinity War (While it’d be nice to see the excellent motion capture work here recognized, The Academy doesn’t have a great history with superhero films, and it’s tough to see them honoring two Marvel movies in the same category. Out of these two, Black Panther gets the nomination.)
– Paddington 2 (For the same reason Christopher Robbin should be nominated, but this is more cartoonish, and the Academy will surely recognize realism over this.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Searching (Despite not having seen it, the word is that the compositing work is really quite extraordinary, and those kinds of more subtle effects deserve a bit more recognition.)
SOUND MIXING/EDITING
What Will Get Nominated
– First Man (Take offs, landings, Ryan crying, lots of sounds.)
– Black Panther (It’s going to be an awards season darling, throw some more technical acclaim at it.)
– A Star Is Born (Musicals like Les Mis and La La Land were nominated, so this stands a fair chance. Lots of music to mix and edit.)
– A Quiet Place (Every sound in this film is integral to the plot, so this needs a nomination here.)
– Halloween (Sound is an integral part of Halloween’s tension and scares, and it deserves some recognition this year.)
What Could Get Nominated
– Hereditary (Lots of moody atmospheric stuff, as well as the infamous tongue click.)
– Mission: Impossible – Fallout (A great movie that should get something, this is where it stands its best chance.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Sorry To Bother You (A lot happens in this movie visually, but there’s also a great deal of audio that aids each and every visual. It’s a small first time film, and likely won’t get too much awards attention, but if anything, it deserves a nomination for this.)
FILM EDITING
What Will Get Nominated
– First Man (A lot of cross cutting and tension building, stands out as a very well edited film, and will likely receive recognition for it.)
– Black Panther (Yet another technical category that this film could be mentioned in. It’s well edited and tightly paced, and I could very well see it being amongst the list.)
– If Beale Street Could Talk (Lots of out of continuity story telling, held together with good pacing and great editing.)
– Beautiful Boy (If the film works for you, the editing will stand out as one of the stars of the film. This should still resonate with a lot of people, and so will probably get a nomination.)
– A Star Is Born (While this one is very deserved, the editing can at times be very effective, and a lot of awards voters will love this one. Stands a very good chance of being nominated.)
What Could Get Nominated
– The Favourite (Despite not having seen it, people claim it’s a very unusual film, which could mean a lot, but given the trailers and the type of film it is, it’s safe to imagine it’s going to have some inventive editing.)
– Mid90s (While this probably won’t get much attention this year, there’s a lot of cutting to beats and matching music with scenes. This could be enough to gain it a nomination.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Eighth Grade (Eighth Grade’s editing is underrated. Cutting to beats like Mid90s, but also repressing panic attacks with sound rising and focus, as well as playing with opacity to make a point. There’s a lot of poignancy within this film’s editing, and while it won’t, it should be recognized.)
MAKEUP/HAIR
What Will Get Nominated
– Bohemian Rhapsody (For Rami Malek’s transformation into Freddie Mercury.)
– Mary Queen of Scots (For Elizabeth and Mary and their many hair and makeup looks throughout the film, as well as for some sicknesses that we watch unfold and heal over the course of the film.)
– Destroyer (Nicole Kidman is unrecognizable in this performance, and it won’t be overlooked.)
What Could Get Nominated
– A Quiet Place (for the blood and other gore effects.)
– Hereditary (for much the same thing, blood and other effects.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Halloween (This film is going to be overlooked for a lot of awards, but above it being a crowd-pleaser, it really has a lot of technical merit, and I think this is one area it excels in.)
COSTUMES
What Will Get Nominated
– First Man (Astronaut costuming and realistic outfits from the 1960’s.)
– If Beale Street Could Talk (A period piece with a lot of good looking clothing.)
– Green Book (Clothing tells a lot about the characters in this film, and could very well get recognized.)
– Mary Queen of Scots (For the many outfits worn by both monarchs and the various other characters throughout.)
– Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (The first one was nominated and won the category, so the sequel should be a fairly certain lock for a nomination.)
What Could Get Nominated
– The Favourite (Mary Queen of Scots has more variation in clothing, but this could join it or replace it depending on how it’s narrative goes.)
– The Old Man and the Gun (A lot of fun 1960’s outfits in this one, creating a really atmospheric film, certainly could be recognized.)
What Should Get Nominated
– Mid90s (While it may not seem like much to look at, a lot of outfits worn in the film are hand made recreations of clothing that existed at the time. Every outfit it meticulously made to match it’s period counterpart. It deserves a nomination for it’s accuracy alone.)
Stay tuned for even more awards predictions in the coming days!
Follow me on Twitter.
