The next entry into our “IF THE OSCARS WERE TOMORROW” series takes a look at the Sound Design category. If votes were tallied and nominations were due tomorrow, the race would probably look something like this…
Ground rules to keep in mind. For the best possible accuracy, we’ll be considering not just every film that’s opened theatrically to date, but also every film SCREENED thus far that has both secured distribution and is already dated for release. These screenings may include any of the big festivals from the first half of the year or earlier. Films exclusively screened privately for the industry or press will not count. *
Sound Design
1 – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
2 – F1 (Apple/Warner Bros.)
3 – Superman (Warner Bros.)
4 – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount)
5 – Warfare (A24)
With its unique fusion of period, horror and music elements, Warner Bros.’s “Sinners” has its spot sewn up here. Director Ryan Coogler and his sound team of Steve Boedderker, Benjamin Burtt and Brandon Proctor were previously recognized for their collaboration on “Black Panther.” This time they should be heavy favorites to win.
The sound designers from Apple’s “F1” should also have a firm hold on a nomination, since films that deal with the sport of auto racing have traditionally done well here – “Grand Prix,” “Days of Thunder,” and most recently “Ford v. Ferrari.” Al Nelson won the Oscar for his last collaboration with Joseph Kosinski, the global phenomenon “Top Gun: Maverick.” He’s working with Gary Rizzo, a celebrated mainstay of Christopher Nolan’s films, and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, who’s earned nods for working on James Cameron’s “Avatar” films.
After its tremendous comeback with critics and audiences, we may be on the eve of finally seeing “Superman” return to the Academy Awards. The first big-screen adaptation from Richard Donner in 1978 saw the film pickup multiple nods, including a mention for its Sound Mix. There’d be a drought at the Oscars for any Superman project thereafter – except a solo mention for the visual effects of Bryan Singer’s take in 2006 (a year with an especially limited pool of VFX contenders). The tide may turn in a major way this year. The legendary Christopher Boyes is spearheading this new iteration, and carries an enormous amount of respect within the sound branch. However, Boyes was also director James Gunn’s designer of choice on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, and yet the pair never managed a single nomination for the franchise. Perhaps this new chapter in their collaboration, on a property as hollowed as Superman, will yield better results.
After finally breaking into the category with the penultimate chapter, “Dead Reckoning,” Tom Cruise’s final installment of the series could find itself earning a consecutive nomination for its sound work. The team of Chris Burdon, James Mather and Mark Taylor were also part of the Oscar-winning sound design of “Top Gun: Maverick.” Undoubtedly the afterglow of their win on that picture and their growing esteem among the sound branch helped seal the nomination for “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.” Can their current streak of nominations for Cruise tentpoles go another round?
Finally, A24’s visceral soundscape on “Warfare” had viewers feeling like they were transported to the battlefields of the Iraq War, in both its banality and brutality. Glenn Freemantle who leads the sound team is a previous winner for “Gravity,” but has only ever been shortlisted for films that also managed Best Picture nominations. Similarly, A24 hasn’t had much success campaigning in this category. The first and only nomination for the mini-major in sound was for 2023’s Best Picture nominee “The Zone of Interest” – a coup that ultimately culminated in the international art-house title snatching the gold from weightier fare like “Oppenheimer.” Freemantle and A24 may have even been favorites this time last year for their tremendous work on “Civil War,” but that film failed to sustain any sort of momentum by the end of the year. Without the headline-grabbing quality and financial success of “Civil War,” it is extremely unlikely that A24 will campaign this worthy film for Best Picture and any hopes it has of walking away with a sound nomination will fade by the day.