Thanks to the Disney/Fox merger, the media conglomerate is set to run roughshod over the craft categories at the Oscars this year. Once again, Netflix looks to put up a fight, but Disney has the odds on favorite to win in most categories. Technical triumphs like Ford V Ferrrari, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Ad Astra all come from the Disney pipeline. The strength of war film 1917 lies in the technical prowess from Sam Mendes. Not only will the one-shot trick play an integral role in its success, but war movies shine thanks to the auditory experience.
One film that hopes to shake up the race will be Parasite. The immaculate design and craft of the film gives it a chance to breakthrough in many categories. Until it performs well here, it’s tough to consider it any more than a fringe best picture winner. Expect Neon to invest resources to get it over the hump.
Let’s jump into some of the categories for the below-the-line contenders.
Best Cinematography
The Predicted Five
1917 –– Roger Deakins *PREDICTED WINNER
Ford V Ferrari — Phedon Papamichael
The Irishman — Rodrigo Prieto
Joker — Lawrence Sher
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Robert Richardson
The Next Five
A Hidden Life — Jörg Widmer
Motherless Brooklyn — Dick Pope
Parasite — Hong Kyung-pyo
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Dan Mindel
Waves — Drew Daniels
Best Costume Design
Dolemite Is My Name — Ruth E. Carter
Dumbo — Coleen Atwood
Joker — Mark Bridges
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Arianne Phillips *PREDICTED WINNER
Rocketman — Julian Day
The Next Five
Aladdin –– Michael Wilkinson
Downton Abbey — Anna Mary Scott Robbins
The Irishman — Christopher Peterson & Sandy Powell
Judy — Jany Temime
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Michael Kaplan
Best Film Editing
1917 — Lee Smith
Ford v Ferrari — Michael McCusker *PREDICTED WINNER
The Irishman — Thelma Schoonmaker
Parasite — Jinmo Yang
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Maryann Brandon & Stefan Grube
The Next Five
Jojo Rabbit — Tom Eagles
Knives Out — Bob Ducsay
Marriage Story — Jennifer Lame
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Fred Raskin
Waves — Isaac Hagy, Trey Edward Shults
Best Visual Effects
The Predicted Five
Ad Astra — Christopher Downs, Jiwoong Kim, & Bradley Parker
Avengers: Endgame — Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Kelly Port, & Daniel Sudick
The Irishman — Pable Helman & Jiwoong Kim
The Lion King — Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, & Adam Valdez
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Roger Guyett & Dominic Tuohy
The Next Five
Alita: Battle Angel — TBD
Captain Marvel — Christopher Townsend & Daniel Sudick
Dumbo — Richard Stammers & Jonathan Weber
Gemini Man — Bill Westenhofer, Bryan Hirota & Mark Hawker
Missing Link — Steve Emerson
Best Production Design
The Predicted Five
Little Women — Claire Kaufman
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh *PREDICTED WINNER
Parasite — Lee Ha-Jun
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Rick Carter & Kevin Jenkins
The Two Popes — Mark Tildesley & Véronique Melery
The Next Five
1917 — Dennis Ganner & Lee Sandales
Cats — Eve Stewart
Downton Abbey — Donal Woods
Ford V Ferrari — François Audouy & Peter Lando
Knives Out — David Crank & David Schlesinger
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Bombshell — Vivian Baker, Cristina Waltz & Richard Redlefsen* PREDICTED WINNER
Dolemite Is My Name – Vera Steimberg, Debra Denson, Deborah Huss-Humphries
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood — Heba Thorisdottir & Gregory Funk
Rocketman — Lizzie Yianni Georgiou, Tapio Salmi, Laura Solari
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — TBD
The Next Five
Avengers: Endgame — John Blake & Francisco Perez
Captain Marvel –– Brian Sipe, Alexei Dmitriew, Sabrina Wilson
Hustlers — Margot Boccia & Roxanne Rizzo
The Irishman — Mike Marino, Mike Fontaine, Carla White
Us — Scott Wheeler, Tym Shutchai Buacharern & Sabrina Castro
