Sounds Like…

It's never too early to start banging the drum for the endless award ceremonies that mark the beginning of every new year, and what better way to start than with a round of auditory Oscar nominees. Yes, it's what we've all been waiting for: they've finally narrowed it down to seven films competing for the Achievement in Sound Editing for the 77th Academy Awards. Fine, so maybe it's not actually as exciting as, for example, buttering toast, but it does signal the start of the Oscar hype that's sure to have directors, actors and indeed sound editors waiting with fingers crossed and their future hopes pinned on the contents of a little gold envelope. For this particular award we have vying for position: The Aviator, Collateral, The Day After Tomorrow, The Incredibles, The Polar Express, Ray and Spider-Man 2. For those who are interested, these big budget and bigger budget films will each be given the opportunity to prove their superior sound through a ten minute clip reel screened for the Sound Editing Award Committee on January 18. The members will then further narrow the number under consideration to just three and the final nominations will be announced on January 25 along with those in the 23 other categories. As ever we'll have the full list of nominees online the nanosecond they're announced. Put it in your diaries people.