The sound division of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences streamlined its awards by combining the categories for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing into a single category for Best Sound in 2020, with “Sound of Metal” emerging as the inaugural winner in 2021. Despite this unification, two organizations — the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) and the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) — continue to recognize achievements in sound separately and will be holding their awards ceremonies this weekend.
The MPSE represents sound editors, while the CAS honors sound mixers. Historically, the nominations and winners from these guilds have been analyzed for insights into potential outcomes at the Oscars, particularly in the sound category.
The sound branch of the Academy, consisting of 551 members, which is about five percent of the total membership, is responsible for determining the Oscar nominations related to sound. Subsequently, the entire Academy participates in deciding the winners.
Over the past three award seasons, following the integration of the sound categories, a question has arisen: has either the CAS or the MPSE proven more reliable as a predictor for the Oscar winner? The situation is intricate.
It’s noteworthy that the CAS presents a single premier award for sound mixing in live-action features, alongside separate awards for animated and documentary features. Conversely, the MPSE’s Golden Reel Awards feature three equally significant categories: dialogue/ADR editing, effects/Foley work, and music editing.
In 2023, the CAS awarded its top prize to “Oppenheimer,” while the Oscar went to “The Zone of Interest.” However, in the previous three years, CAS and the Academy aligned on the same three films: “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Dune,” and “Sound of Metal,” marking an impressive trend. Prior to this period, their selections were inconsistent. For instance, in 2020, “Ford v Ferrari” secured the CAS award but won the Oscar for sound editing, while sound mixing was awarded to “1917.” Instances of disparity continued in other years as well.
Last year, the Academy recognized “Oppenheimer” for best sound, with the film also winning the MPSE’s dialogue/ADR and Foley awards, whereas “Maestro” took home the music editing award. In the preceding years, the eventual winners often reflected the MPSE’s earlier awards, although there were exceptions.
Looking at the nominees for this year’s Best Sound Oscar, “A Complete Unknown” received nominations from both CAS and MPSE (for dialogue/ADR and music editing), whereas “Dune: Part Two” garnered nominations across the board. “Emilia Perez” was overlooked by CAS but received recognition from MPSE in music editing. “Wicked” appeared on both lists for dialogue/ADR and music editing.
Interestingly, the animated feature “The Wild Robot” stands out as it was nominated by CAS in the animation category and acknowledged by MPSE for sound editing. The last animated feature to receive a sound-related Oscar nomination was “Soul” in the inaugural year of the combined category, which went on to win.
The overlap between these nominations raises a question: is it a result of causal relationships or mere coincidence? The latter seems more plausible, as a significant majority of Oscar voters do not belong to the sound community.
This disconnect might explain why the Academy often favors sound-related awards towards films nominated for Best Picture, as these are the films they are more familiar with, either through viewing or acclaim. This trend has been evident in recent years, with films that prominently feature sound or its absence — like “Sound of Metal” and “The Zone of Interest” — attracting awards.
So, what does this imply for the Best Sound Oscar nominations this year? Four of the five nominees are also competing for Best Picture (“A Complete Unknown,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez,” and “Wicked”), and four of the five could be classified as musicals or variations thereof, with “Dune: Part Two” being a sequel centering on sound.
Ultimately, predictions about the winners remain uncertain.
