Gold Derby: Contenders for technical crafts Oscars

If God is in the details, then technical crafts are what make movies divine: exceptional art direction, editing, music, effects, sound mixing and makeup. These categories may seem boring on Oscar night, but pay careful attention and keep count. Movies with the most nominations and wins here tend to claim the best picture top prize.

FOR THE RECORD:
Gold Derby: The Gold Derby column in the Dec. 7 Envelope section said that if songwriter Diane Warren should be nominated and then lose, she would become Oscar’s most nominated woman without a win with seven nods. Sound engineer Anna Behlmer has received 10 Oscar nominations without a win. —

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

(Front-runners)

“Despicable Me”

“How to Train Your Dragon”

“The Illusionist”

“Tangled”

“Toy Story 3”

Spotlight: Because only 15 animated films qualifed for this race, there will just be three nominees. Most pundits predict “Toy Story 3” and “How to Train Your Dragon” will make the list, but — hmmm — what will the third one be?

(Possible)

“Alpha and Omega”

“Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”

“The Dreams of Jinsha”

“Idiots and Angels”

“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”

“Megamind”

“My Dog Tulip”

“Shrek Forever After”

“Summer Wars”

“Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue”

ART DIRECTION

(Front-runners)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara

“Black Swan,” Thérèse DePrez, Tora Peterson

“Get Low,” Geoffrey Kirkland, Frank Galline

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” Stuart Craig, Stephanie McMillan

“Inception,” Guy Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat

“The King’s Speech,” Eve Stewart, Judy Farr

“Shutter Island,” Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

“Tron Legacy,” Darren Gilford, Lin MacDonald

“True Grit,” Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

Spotlight: Contemporary films typically get snubbed unless they have fantastic elements like “Black Swan” and “Inception.” Otherwise, expect to see period films rich in elegant detail such as “The King’s Speech” or lavish fantasies like “Alice in Wonderland” to rule.

(Possible)

“The Fighter,” Judy Becker, Gene Serdena

“Robin Hood,” Arthur Max

“The Social Network,” Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

“The Town,” Sharon Seymour, Maggie Martin

COSTUME DESIGN

(Front-runners)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Colleen Atwood

“Black Swan,” Amy Westcott

“Get Low,” Julie Weiss

“The King’s Speech,” Jenny Beaven

“Made in Dagenham,” Louise Stjernsward

“Robin Hood,” Janty Yates

“True Grit,” Mary Zophres

Spotlight: Looks like “The King’s Speech” outfitter Jenny Beaven is the front-runner considering the academy’s fondness for period garb, especially when draping royals. Beaven is an academy blue blood herself, with eight past nominations, including a win for “A Room With a View” (1985).

(Possible)

“Burlesque,” Michael Kaplan

“The Fighter,” Mark Bridges

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” Jany Temime

“Rabbit Hole,” Ann Roth

“The Social Network,” Jacqueline West

“Shutter Island,” Sandy Powell

“The Tempest,” Sandy Powell

FILM EDITING

(Front-runners)

“127 Hours,” Jon Harris

“Black Swan,” Andrew Weisblum

“Inception,” Lee Smith

“The Fighter,” Pamela Martin

“The King’s Speech,” Tariq Anwar

“The Social Network,” Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

“Toy Story 3,” Ken Schretzmann, Lee Unkrich

“The Town,” Dylan Tichenor

“Tron Legacy,” James Haygood

“True Grit,” Roderick Jaynes

Spotlight: Many Oscarologists believe there’s a mysterious link between this category and best picture. Indeed, six of the last 10 champs here also won the top Oscar, but animated films are traditionally ignored. If “Toy Story 3” really has a shot at winning best picture, it can prove itself in this category, where it’ll have lots of support within the academy branch. Director Lee Unkrich began his career as an editor and now is back here as a potential nominee. Irresistible?

(Possible)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Chris Lebenzon

“Biutiful,” Stephen Mirrione

“Blue Valentine,” Jim Helton, Ron Patane

“Hereafter,” Joel Cox, Gary Roach

“How Do You Know,” Richard Marks

“How to Train Your Dragon,” Darren Holmes, Maryann Brandon

“Rabbit Hole,” Joe Klotz

“Shutter Island,” Thelma Schoonmaker

“The Way Back,” Lee Smith

MAKEUP

(Front-runners)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Valli O’Reilly, Paul Gooch, Patty York, Joel Harlow

“Get Low,” Ken Diaz, Colleen Callaghan

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I,” Amanda Knight

“True Grit,” Thomas Nellen, Kay Georgiou

Spotlight: Of course, “Alice” will be nominated. Johnny Depp has even more white powder on his mug than Heath Ledger in the 2008 nominee “ The Dark Knight.” Voters are suckers for heavy-handed cosmetics, including exaggerated facial hair like Robert Duvall’s Rip van Winkle beard in “Get Low” and Benicio del Toro’s whiskers gone berserk in “Wolfman.”

(Possible)

“127 Hours,” Gina Homan, Stephanie Scott, Jenna Kilgrow

“Black Swan,” Judy Chin, Margie Durand, Mike Marino, Paul LeBlanc, Geordie Sheffer

“The Fighter,” Donald Mowat, Johnny Villanueva

“The King’s Speech,” Frances Hannon

“Robin Hood,” Paul Engelen

“Winter’s Bone,” Maya Hardinge, Marina Proctor

MUSIC SCORE

(Front-runners)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Danny Elfman

“127 Hours,” A.R. Rahman

“Black Swan,” Clint Mansell

“How to Train Your Dragon,” John Powell

“Inception,” Hans Zimmer

“The King’s Speech,” Alexandre Desplat

“Never Let Me Go,” Rachel Portman

“The Social Network,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

“True Grit,” Carter Burwell

Spotlight: This year is a high note in the career of three-time loser Alexandre Desplat, who has several contenders: “The King’s Speech,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I” and “The Ghost Writer.” If he fails to reign for “King’s Speech,” he may have a good shot next year for the final chapter of Harry’s tale.

(Possible)

“Biutiful,” Gustavo Santaolalla

“Despicable Me,” Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira

“The Fighter,” Michael Brook

“Get Low,” Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” Alexandre Desplat

“How Do You Know,” Hans Zimmer

“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet

“Salt,” James Horner

“The Town,” Harry Gregson-Williams, David Buckley

“Tron Legacy,” Daft Punk

“Twilight: Eclipse,” Howard Shore

SONG

(Front-runners)

“Despicable Me” (“Despicable Me”), written and performed by Pharrell

“I See the Light” (“Tangled”), written by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, performed by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi

“If I Rise” (“127 Hours”), written by A.R. Rahman, Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong, performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman

“Nothing” (“Why Did I Get Married Too”) written by Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin and Bryan- Michael Cox, performed by Janet Jackson

“Shine” ( “Waiting for ‘Superman’ ”), written and performed by John Legend

“Sticks & Stones” (“How to Train Your Dragon”), written and performed by Jonsi

“We Belong Together” (“Toy Story 3”), written and performed by Randy Newman

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (“Burlesque”), written by Diane Warren, performed by Cher

Spotlight: Diane Warren has lost six nominations for penning such beloved tunes as “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” sung by Aerosmith, and “Because I Loved You,” crooned by Celine Dion. If she nabs a bid for “You Haven’t Seen the Best of Me,” sung by Cher, and loses again, she’ll become Oscar’s most nominated woman without a win in any category.

(Possible)

“Alice” (“Alice in Wonderland”), written and performed by Avril Lavigne

“Better Days” ( “Eat Pray Love”), written and performed by Eddie Vedder

“Bound to You” (“Burlesque”), written by Samuel Dixon, Sia Furler and Christina Aguilera, performed by Christina Aguilera

“Chanson Illusionist” (“The Ilusionist”), written by Silvain Chomet, performed by Didier Gustin, Jil Aigrot and Frederic Lebon

“Coming Home” ( “Country Strong”), written by Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges, performed by Gwyneth Paltrow

“Made in Dagenham” (“Made in Dagenham”), written by David Arnold and Billy Bragg, performed by Sandie Shaw

“Me and Tennessee” (“Country Strong”), written by A. Martin, performed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw

“Never Say Never” ( “The Karate Kid”), written by Adam Messinger and Nasri Atweh, performed by Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith

“Prettiest Girls” (“Despicable Me”), written and performed by Pharrell Williams

“Ramona” ( “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”), written and performed by Beck

“Same High” ( “The Kids Are All Right”), written by Camila “Grey” Gutierrez and Leisha Hailey, performed by Uh Huh Her

“There’s a Place for Us” ( “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”), written and performed by Carrie Underwood

SOUND EDITING

(Front-runners)

“127 Hours,” Glenn Freemantle

“Alice in Wonderland,” Steve Boeddeker, David Evans

“Black Swan,” Craig Henighan

“The Fighter,” Odin Benitez

“How to Train Your Dragon,” Randy Thom, Jonathan Null

“Inception,” Richard King

“Toy Story 3,” Tom Myers, Michael Silvers

“Tron Legacy,” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Addison Teague

Spotlight: War movies usually blast rivals in this category, in which the loudest films tend to triumph, but, alas, peace reigns this year. So, expect big, booming blockbusters like “Tron,” “Inception” or “Alice” to emerge victorious.

(Possible)

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1,” James Mather

“Hereafter,” Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman

“The King’s Speech,” Lee Walpole

“Owl of Ga’Hoole: Legend of the Guardians,” Wayne Pashley

“Robin Hood,” Wylie Stateman, Mark Stoeckinger

“The Social Network,” Ren Klyce

“Tangled,” Cameron Frankley

“The Town,” Aaron Glascock, Curt Schulkey

“True Grit,” Skip Lievsay

“Unstoppable,” Mark P. Stoeckinger

SOUND MIXING

(Front-runners)

“Alice,” Michael Semanick, Tom Johnson, William B. Caplan

“127 Hours,” Steven C. Laneri, Douglas Cameron, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke

“Black Swan,” Ken Ishii, Dominick Tavella, Craig Henighan

“The Fighter,” Anton Gold, John Ross, Myron Nettinga

“Inception,” Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo

“How to Train Your Dragon,” Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo

“Secretariat,” Kevin O’Connell, Beau Borders, David Daniel

“Toy Story 3,” Michael Semanick, Tom Myers, Doc Kane

“Tron Legacy,” Christopher Boyes, Gary Rizzo, Michael McGee

“True Grit,” Peter F. Kurland, Douglas Axtell, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff

Spotlight: Oscar’s biggest loser Kevin O’Connell has two more chances to add to his 20 past defeats — or else finally to win. “Secretariat” has a better chance than “Unstoppable” since voters appreciate films full of thumping horse hooves like recent nominees “3:10 to Yuma” and “Seabiscuit.”

(Possible)

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” Stuart Wilson, Mike Dowson

“Hereafter,” Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff

“The King’s Speech,” Paul Hamblin

“Owls of Ga’Hoole: Legend of the Guardians,” Phil Heywood, Peter Smith, Wayne Pashley

“Robin Hood,” Paul Massey, David Giammarco

“The Social Network,” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Mark Weingarten

“The Town,” David J. Schwartz, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker

“Unstoppable,” Kevin O’Connell, Beau Borders

“Salt,” Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan

“Shutter Island,” Petur Hliddal, Tom Fleischman

“Tangled,” David E. Fluhr, Dean A. Zupancic, Gabriel Guy, Doc Kane, Bill Higley, Roy Latham

VISUAL EFFECTS

(Front-runners)

“Alice in Wonderland,” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Sean Phillips, Carey Villegas

“Black Swan,” Dan Schrecker

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1,” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicolas Ait’hadi, Christian Manz

“Inception,” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb

“Iron Man 2,” Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick

“Tron Legacy,” Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Karl Denham, Nikos Kalaitzidis

Spotlight: The voting method changes this year, ditching the old “bake-off” elimination process, which usually resulted in three nominees. Now there will be five. Good thing since there are so many top contenders like “Alice,” “Inception” and “Tron Legacy.”

(Possible)

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” Angus Bickerton

“How to Train Your Dragon,” Rob Legato

“Owls of Ga’Hoole: Legend of the Guardians,” Grant Freckleton, Aidan Sarsfield, Ben Gunsberger, Craig Welsh

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Frazier Churchill, Lucy Killick