Post by JangoB on Dec 5, 2019 16:36:17 GMT
www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-favoring-consolidation-sound-editing-sound-mixing-oscars-1259773
It may finally happen - for years some folks have suggested that the Academy combines the two Sound categories into simply Best Sound and there's real talk about that potentially happening. Now, I'm a huge fan of the two awards and I've been very happy that the two categories existed for so long but I kinda see where the branch's governors are coming from.
A subcommittee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' sound branch is "favoring" a consolidation of the sound mixing and editing categories, the branch's governors informed members in an email sent on Wednesday, calling it a reflection that "the lines that separated our responsibilities to the overall soundtrack of a motion picture are blurring."
Governors Kevin Collier, Teri Dorman and Scott Millan wrote that the subcommittee was tasked with investigating "substantial overlap" between nominees for and winners of the best sound editing and best sound mixing awards, and reached this conclusion.
In 2006, the sound editing Oscar was given "permanent status with five guaranteed nominees," like the sound mixing Oscar. Over the 13 Oscar ceremonies that have taken place since, the governors write, "There have been a substantial number of times when the same film was recognized in both of our award categories" — specifically, eight in the last 13 years, with 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, 2009's The Hurt Locker, 2010's Inception, 2011's Hugo, 2013's Gravity, 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, 2017's Dunkirk and 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody.
It is important to remember that sound branch members, who presumably understand the distinction between sound editing and sound mixing, solely select the nominees in the two sound categories — but the categories' winners are chosen by the entire Academy, and the vast majority of members are not experts in sound and do not know the distinction between editing and mixing. (This is a recurrent point in The Hollywood Reporter's annual 'Brutally Honest Ballot' conversations with Academy members.)
The letter, which the governors said they sent in the interest of "transparency," revealed that there has been "an ongoing conversation within our branch executive committee" about "fundamental changes" ever since the awards and events committee of the Academy's board of governors first asked the sound branch governors "to review our two awards and consider combining our awards into one award" three years ago, a request that "was reintroduced again last year."
The sound awards subcommittee has since "met and discussed our current award configuration," the governors' letter continued, and "are favoring taking the step of combining sound mixing and sound editing into a unified 'best sound' award'" which would recognize both disciplines, with nominations going to "up to 2 supervising sound editors, 1 production sound mixer and up to 3 re-recording mixers." The governors added, "Everyone that has been part of the discussion so far feels that this change will give us more unity as a community and strengthen us as a branch."
The governors added that they "are pushing to have the sound branch vote on this award change in the coming months" and emphasized that "any potential change would not go into effect until the 2021 Oscars (93rd Academy Awards)."
Governors Kevin Collier, Teri Dorman and Scott Millan wrote that the subcommittee was tasked with investigating "substantial overlap" between nominees for and winners of the best sound editing and best sound mixing awards, and reached this conclusion.
In 2006, the sound editing Oscar was given "permanent status with five guaranteed nominees," like the sound mixing Oscar. Over the 13 Oscar ceremonies that have taken place since, the governors write, "There have been a substantial number of times when the same film was recognized in both of our award categories" — specifically, eight in the last 13 years, with 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, 2009's The Hurt Locker, 2010's Inception, 2011's Hugo, 2013's Gravity, 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, 2017's Dunkirk and 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody.
It is important to remember that sound branch members, who presumably understand the distinction between sound editing and sound mixing, solely select the nominees in the two sound categories — but the categories' winners are chosen by the entire Academy, and the vast majority of members are not experts in sound and do not know the distinction between editing and mixing. (This is a recurrent point in The Hollywood Reporter's annual 'Brutally Honest Ballot' conversations with Academy members.)
The letter, which the governors said they sent in the interest of "transparency," revealed that there has been "an ongoing conversation within our branch executive committee" about "fundamental changes" ever since the awards and events committee of the Academy's board of governors first asked the sound branch governors "to review our two awards and consider combining our awards into one award" three years ago, a request that "was reintroduced again last year."
The sound awards subcommittee has since "met and discussed our current award configuration," the governors' letter continued, and "are favoring taking the step of combining sound mixing and sound editing into a unified 'best sound' award'" which would recognize both disciplines, with nominations going to "up to 2 supervising sound editors, 1 production sound mixer and up to 3 re-recording mixers." The governors added, "Everyone that has been part of the discussion so far feels that this change will give us more unity as a community and strengthen us as a branch."
The governors added that they "are pushing to have the sound branch vote on this award change in the coming months" and emphasized that "any potential change would not go into effect until the 2021 Oscars (93rd Academy Awards)."
It may finally happen - for years some folks have suggested that the Academy combines the two Sound categories into simply Best Sound and there's real talk about that potentially happening. Now, I'm a huge fan of the two awards and I've been very happy that the two categories existed for so long but I kinda see where the branch's governors are coming from.
