One Category at a Time: Film Editing

The contest for Best Film Editing is always closely associated with Best Picture. Since editors and directors work pretty much hand in hand, the editors branch of AMPAS tends to nominate based on quality of the films as much as quality of just the editing. On top of that, the film to win Best Film Editing is often well liked enough that it almost always wins multiple categories (last year's victory for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being among the rare exceptions). And since editing can be such an invisible art at times, the winning film is usually required to have the “most” editing, rather than the “best”, to earn the Academy's attention.

ACE winners clarify Best Film Editing race

Only one notable surprise at last night's American Cinema Editors awards. While The Artist predictably took home the Best Edited Feature prize in the Comedy/Musical category, and while Rango continued its precursor dominance in the Animated Feature category (I'd have liked to see Michael Kahn win that for Tintin), it was the subdued editing of The Descendants that beat out the Best Picture buzz of Hugo, flashier editing of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and superior editing of Moneyball in the Drama category.

ACE Eddie nominees

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic):
The Descendants, Kevin Tent, A.C.E.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.
Hugo, Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.
Moneyball, Christopher Tellefsen, A.C.E.
War Horse, Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

War Horse very much needed this to keep its Best Picture hopes alive. Nice to see Tellefsen nominated for his precise work on Moneyball. He'd make a handsome winner, but alas, I fear this is headed the way of Dragon Tattoo.

Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical):
The Artist, Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, William Kerr & Michael L. Sale
Midnight in Paris, Alisa Lepselter
My Week with Marilyn, Adam Recht
Young Adult, Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E.

What!? No Beginners!? And in lieu of that they nominate My (Excruciatingly Long and Clumsily Paced) Week with Marilyn!? Oh, A.C.E. Bow your heads in shame. I'd say The Artist has this sewn up.

Best Edited Animated Feature Film:
The Adventures of Tintin, Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Puss in Boots, Eric Dapkewicz
Rango, Craig Wood, A.C.E

Michael Kahn is easily the most deserving of this lot if you ask me, but that doesn't necessarily mean the animators branch will nominate the film. Puss in Boots might be emerging as Dreamworks' better bet over Kung Fu Panda 2.

Best Edited Documentary:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
, Joe Bini & Maya Hawke
Freedom Riders, Lewis Erskine & Aljernon Tunsil
George Harrison: Living in the Material World, David Tedeschi

None of these are on Oscar's shortlist so it's a moot point. But I must inquire as to where Senna is? I didn't think highly of the film itself but there's no denying it's an editors' piece if there ever was one.

One Category at a Time: Best Film Editing

As with Best Director, it's hard to imagine that this field will ever include a non-Best-Picture nominee so long as there are ten. It's hard to get a read on what kind of editing a film will have this early in the year, so maybe just choosing a bunch of Best Picture frontrunners is the best way to go about guessing.

One contender I don't feel too uncomfortable predicting is Steven Spielberg's editor of choice, three-time Oscar winner Michael Kahn, a true giant in his field with three high-profile titles being released this year, two of them helmed by Spielberg. The one people will be watching the closest for awards buzz is War Horse, which should stand a decent chance on account of being a war film.

Kevin Tent has been nominated by the American Cinema Editors three times for his collaborations with director Alexander Payne, but has never copped an Oscar nomination. With Payne's The Descendants, maybe he'll finally break through. There's no denying he's due, but will the editor's branch be impressed enough with his typically un-showy work?

It's usually the case that the respected action blockbuster of the year will earn a nomination here, especially if it ends up a Best Picture nominee as well. That may bode well for Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey (who should have been nominated last year for Star Trek) if J.J. Abrams Super 8 delivers with critics and audiences. Of course, that trend catastrophically failed for Inception this past year, so who knows?

Christopher Tellefsen is teaming up again with Bennett Miller (his director on Capote) for the upcoming Moneyball. Nothing about the film really screams "Best Film Editing!!!" aside from its Best Picture potential, but with zesty screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian on script duties, Tellefsen will have his hands full just trying to edit around their typically whip-smart dialogue.

Finally, Terrence Malick's long-awaited The Tree of Life has had to employ a whole five-man squad of editors, including Oscar nominees Daniel Rezende (City of God) and Billy Weber (Malick's The Thin Red Line). Again, the possibility of being a hot Best Picture contender is the film's biggest selling point.

Predicted five:
The Descendents
Moneyball
Super 8
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Also consider: Tintin, A Dangerous Method, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, The Ides of March, Hugo Cabret, The Whistleblower, Young Adult.