You’d think working in video production would mean the SolidLine staff sees every new movie out there.
Think again.
Life in the video production business is pretty time consuming, and contrary to popular opinion, most of the guys on staff have lives out of the office. And a few kids. Which means no time for much of anything, let alone a trip to the movies.
But that doesn’t mean they all don’t have opinions! I polled the staff and asked for their predictions on who will win an Oscar this Sunday night. Some of their entries were sensible….others…..not so much (Executive Producer Greg Vass said of “The King’s Speech:” “This was a great film…but I really only saw the trailer”).
After asking for each staff member’s picks, here are the consensus winners.
BEST PICTURE - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (above)
It was a tough race between the Facebook tale and “Toy Story 3,” but “The Social Network” came out on top. Production Intern Sam Sher broke it down this way….
“In the scheme of things it might not be as good as Black Swan, but when you add the script, editing, acting, cinematography and score to the fact that it’s extremely socially relevant and came out exactly when it needed to, it wins. Not to mention that it’s been sweeping the awards. I think it’s the only nominee that needed to be released in this decade for it to be as relevant/important as it is, and for that I think it should win best picture.”
BEST DIRECTOR - DAVID FINCHER, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
It looks like the guys are spending way too much time on Facebook, or they just have huge man-crushes on Mark Zuckerberg. Even though “The King’s Speech” is predicted to sweep the top two categories by many major entertainment pundits, SLM was torn between “The Social Network’s” David Fincher and “Black Swan’s” Darren Aronofsky. In the end, the pick goes to Fincher. Director of Photography / Editor Ed Boe explains why….
“It has been the front runner for me this year, so I’m going with David Fincher for The Social Network. If Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky) , and Memento (Nolan) had come out this year, then there’d be some second guessing, but as it is, Fincher is the clear winner.”
BEST ACTOR - COLIN FIRTH, THE KING'S SPEECH
Clearly the favorite in the race, SLM likes Firth to take the Oscar. Says Executive Producer Greg Vass….
“I believe Kings Speech will be crowned many times on Sunday.”
BEST ACTRESS - NATALIE PORTMAN, BLACK SWAN
The other clear favorite of the night, it’s hard to bet against Portman – even if Annette Bening is coming on strong. Pretty sure Motion Graphics Artist Jeff McBride lifted his thoughts from the “Black Swan” poster…..
“Natalie Portman, amazing performance- intense, beautiful and driven.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - HAILEE STEINFELD, TRUE GRIT
What was once a lock for Melissa Leo has been thrown up in the air after her somewhat controversial “for your consideration” advertisements. But is that the reason the SLM team picks Steinfeld? Nah. Creative Director Michael Kromm thinks more kids should be given Oscars.
“It’s about time a 12 year old won.”
BEST ANIMATED FILM - TOY STORY 3
Another no-brainer.
Graphics Intern Caylin Younger says…..
“Toy Story 3 should stomp the competition. Buzz’s Spanish mode won Toy Story this award.”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - BLACK SWAN
While some might consider “True Grit’s” lush landscapes a lock for this award, the SLM team was obsessed with “Black Swan.” Sure it had NOTHING to do with a certain love scene. Anyways, Production Coordinator David Rokos explains the pick….
“Created such a strong feeling with the visuals. The scene where she sobers up at the club and realizes what is going on is so well done it sucks you right into the world with the visuals alone.”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
I love this movie and can’t wait to see what Banksy does to keep himself a mystery at the Oscars. Jeff McBride wonders if the whole thing was just another Banksy hoax.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – INCEPTION
Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending trip down the ol’ dreamhole captivated the SLM staff. Sam Sher explains…
“I can’t describe how much I love Inception. I agree with whoever said that it’s basically a $160 million art film. How Nolan navigated and wove the dream worlds together is incredible, not to speak of all the subtleties. My vote here is with Inception.”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Aaron Sorkin’s manic script is the favorite to win, and it’s no different with the SLM staff. Art Director Mike Petrik was seeing double…
“Rarely do I watch a movie all the way through, then start it over an watch it all the way through again. Which is what I did.”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PT. 1
While “Inception” is probably the front-runner, the SLM team says it’s hard to overlook the last chapter of “Harry Potter.” Jeff McBride says this is an instance where the movie is actually BETTER than the book….
“These films continue to delight with light hearted wizard world quirks and stunning action scenes. They made this movie a success even though the 7th book is terrible.”
BEST EDITING – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Again, Aaron Sorkin’s manic script had the Facebook timeline boucing all over the place. That makes a tough edit, doesn’t it Mike Petrik?
“I loved the editing in The Social Network. With all of the crazy jumps in timelines and narratives, you’d think we would get lost. Luckily Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter were on the job to keep our brains organized.”
Here are the rest of the SLM Oscar picks…..
ART DIRECTION – ALICE IN WONDERLAND
COSTUME DESIGN – ALICE IN WONDERLAND
DOCUMENTARY SHORT – KILLING IN THE NAME
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – BIUTIFUL
MAKEUP – THE WOLFMAN
ORIGINAL SCORE – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
ORIGINAL SONG – WE BELONG TOGETHER, TOY STORY 3
ANIMATED SHORT FILM – DAY & NIGHT
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: NA WEWE
SOUND EDITING – INCEPTION
SOUND MIXING – INCEPTION
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