With the costumers set to declare on Tuesday, the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ 60th annual Golden Reel Awards, announced this evening, were the penultimate industry kudos in advance of next weekend’s Oscar showdown. And it was “Life of Pi” that came out the big winner, taking two awards on the night. But 007 had some plans of his own.
“Skyfall” ended up taking the sound effects and foley prize from the group, keeping “Pi” from a sweep and really keeping the Best Sound Editing category in a state of disarray. Unless the Academy wants to tick off “Argo” in those boxes, that is. Remember, it’s usually about their favorite film in lieu of actually grasping quality sound work (or, indeed, knowing the difference between the two categories).
So call it a toss-up at the moment. “Life of Pi” or “Skyfall.” It’s anyone’s guess, honestly, and again, just because the sound editors had their say doesn’t mean the whole Academy will follow suit. It’s wide open, but there’s just a little light shed on it now.
On the animated side of things, after Pixar’s “Brave” picked up wins from the Visual Effects Society, Ace Cinema Editors and Cinema Audio Society, “Wreck-It Ralph” finally got back on track with a win here. It’s an interesting split between the sound mixers and the sound editors, and perhaps a fair one.
Finally, “Rust and Bone” triumphed in foreign features, while “Searching for Sugar Man” finally fell short of an award: In the documentary category, it was global water crisis examination “Last Call at the Oasis” that came away with the recognition.
Best Animated Short Film nominee “Head Over Heels” also won an award, in the student competition.
John Roesch received the group’s Career Achievement Award while the director of the night’s big winner, Ang Lee, took the annual Filmmaker Award.
Other news from the show worth conveying is that sound editors Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn have set up a scholarship fund in the name of fellow mixer Mike Hopkins, who passed away tragically in a New Zealand rafting accident in December.
Check out the full list of MPSE winners below. We will address this and the sound mixing category in the Oscar Guide on Tuesday. And again, keep up with the season via The Circuit.
FILM
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in an Animation Feature Film
“Wreck-it Ralph”
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue, ADR and Music in a Feature Documentary
“Last Call at the Oasis”
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Foreign Language Film
“Rust and Bone”
Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film
“Life of Pi”
Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature Film
“Les Misérables”
Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film
“Life of Pi”
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film
“Skyfall”
TELEVISION
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television
“Adventure Time” – “Card Wars”
Best Sound Editing: Long Form Documentary
“Crossfire Hurricane”
Best Sound Editing: Long Form Music in Television
“Hemingway & Gellhorn”
Best Sound Editing: Short Form Music in Television
“Fringe” – “A Short Story About Love”
Best Sound Editing: Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television
“Game of Thrones” – Season 2 – “Valar Morghulis”
Best Sound Editing: Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television
(TIE) “SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden” and “Game of Thrones” – Season 2 – “Valar Morghulis”
Best Sound Editing: Long Form Musical in Television
“Let it Shine”
Best Sound Editing: Short Form Musical in Television
“Smash” – “Hell on Earth”
Best Sound Editing: Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television
“The Newsroom” – “Amen”
Best Sound Editing: Short Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television
“American Horror Story” – “Welcome to Briarcliff”
OTHER NOMINEES
Best Sound Editing: Computer Episodic Entertainment
“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”
Best Sound Editing: Computer Interactive Entertainment
“Resident Evil 6”
Best Sound Editing: Direct to Video – Animation
“Justice League: Doom”
Best Sound Editing: Direct to Video – Live Action
“Fire with Fire”
Verna Fields Award in Sound Editing for Student Filmmakers
“Head Over Heels”
Filmmaker Award
Ang Lee
Career Achievement Award
John Roesch