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Best Film Editing

So, it’s come to this. The dean of the technical races. Best Film Editing is considered the strongest Best Picture bellwether of the below-the-line races, and statistically-minded Oscar pundits love to say that no film has won Best Picture without at least a nod in this race since Ordinary People did it in 1980. Many, today, point to Birdman’s lack of a nod here as a sign of weakness, or claim that Brokeback Mountain’s lack of an editing nod is what sunk it back in 2005. Don’t buy it.

First, as we have said, it is implausible that a voter will stop him or herself from voting for a movie he or she likes simply because it didn’t get a particular, supposedly magical nod. Yes, there tends to be a correlation between some categories, but voters don’t vote on statistics. Second, the last few years prove that these trends don’t matter. Argo won without a Best Director nod. Third, it is clear that the Academy does like Birdman - nine nominations lead the field, even if a portion of the 220 editors in the Academy (of 6,000 or so members) liked the editing work of five other films more. Even if all 220 editors placed Birdman last on their ballots, the movie could win in a landslide. That it can’t win because of a lack of an editor nomination is borderline insane logic.

So, in any event, who will win this category with the potential Best Picture front-runner out of the way? One obvious candidate is, of course, Best Picture front-runner or runner-up Boyhood. Many will say that editing 12 years-worth of shots entitles it to the win. But that seems like a stretch to me. It’s not like Linklater shot continuously for 12 years, and the editing of the movie seems to me the weakest of the bunch - at times awkwardly trying to achieve the seamless transitions between the years that the director went for. But don’t doubt the power of consolation prize narrative, so do not discount Boyhood here.

The presence of The Imitation Game and The Grand Budapest Hotel here, both of which also scored directing and writing nods, shows that both movies have to be taken seriously as Best Picture front-runners. Neither, however, will be able to pull it off for Editing. The Imitation Game’s editing is virtually unnoticeable and while the vignettes of Grand Budapest provide for quick-paced and important editing, I think the film will be rewarded plenty in other tech races.

It comes down to the action film, American Sniper, and the beloved and showy Whiplash. For many reasons, including its box office success, many are going with Sniper here. Indeed, action movies do well here, as when The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo shocked Oscarologists by pulling off an improbable win here against four Best Picture nominees. Bourne Ultimatum and Black Hawk Down are other good examples of action movies that have done well here, so the smart money is probably on American Sniper.

Again, in this unpredictable year, I find myself at odds with the pundits. I may go out on a limb, however, and predict Whiplash here. The editing of the movie is crisp and poignant. It creates tension, moves you around the drum set, and even features a fast-paced action sequence at the climax of the film. Like with Sound Editing, I have a feeling that Whiplash has enough passionate support in the Academy that, together with a division of votes by the other movies, could propel it to a victory. The safe bet is American Sniper, but the more daring and, yes, even likelier outcome is Whiplash.

Up next: The writing, acting, and directing awards.

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