With the 2016 Oscars now completed (and they will always be remembered for the Best Movie Mix Up!) we thought we would take a look at what won the often-overlooked technical Oscar’s to see what was hot in the world of video production in 2016 films.
While the big awards such as Best Actor and Actress and Best Film tend to dominate the Oscar ceremony, no film gets it’s many plaudits without those technical contributions such as cinematography, editing and production design.
To celebrate these mainly unsung heroes, here’s are pick of the winners from the 2017 ceremony.
Linus Sandgren: Cinematography for La-La Land
The camera work in any film is all important and can make an ordinary production look and feel extraordinary. Sandgren is a Swedish cinematographer and has worked on numerous films including American Hustle and Joy. La-La Land took many of the awards at this year’s ceremony and Sandgren was chosen to work on the project because of American Hustle where he used the unique movement of the camera to help tell the story.
John Gilbert: Film Editing for Hacksaw Ridge
You might not have heard of John Gilbert but he’s worked on some big films in the past, including Lord of the Rings and The Bank Job. Film editing is an important part of any production, enabling scenes to move seamlessly along in perfect rhythm. While one of the more intangible filmic skills, when it goes wrong we notice big time. The sign of a good film editor, therefore, is that you don’t notice them at all.
David Wasco: Production Design for La-La Land
David Wasco has worked in Hollywood for a long time and is the first choice for many directors, including Quentin Tarrantino for whom he worked on Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. Production designers are involved in the whole visual concept of a film, directing the teams who bring everything together on set, including costume and set design.
Sylvain Bellemare: Sound Editing for Arrival
Canadian born Bellemare has worked on a wide range of foreign language and Hollywood movies. Arrival is the story of a 13 alien ships landing on earth and stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. No one would dispute that sound is an important aspect of any film. Could you imagine Jaws without that menacing music or Star Wars without the quirky sound of a light sabre powering up? Sound editors need to bring all the audio aspects together, including dialogue, so that we get a believable film that carries us to another level of imagination.
Jungle Book: Visual Affects
We’ve become so used to the stunning visual affects we see in movies nowadays and we could be accused of taking them for granted. As you might expect, it involves a whole team of experts who help bring strange new worlds to life. The challenge with Jungle Book was to create a photorealistic environment to bring the story to the big screen. Despite strong competition from films like Deepwater Horizon, there could be only one real winner.
There’s a lot apart from the script and good acting that goes into making any movie, whether it’s a small promotional video or a large cinematic extravaganza. The editing, production design and cinematography all combine to make something that is memorable, much of the time without many of us noticing. Next time you watch a movie, give a thought for the all too often unsung heroes who brought that experience to your local cinema.