Sound Mixing – The Nominees:

Both of these categories have two clear-cut favorites, 1917 and Ford v Ferrari. The difficult question is sussing out which of the two is the frontrunner. I will say that the safe money is on 1917 winning in both categories. The film has a better awards season stock overall, and it is a war film that utilizes sound effects and the mix very well.

But I don’t think Ford v Ferrari should be counted out. The film got a surprising number of nominations, including one for Best Picture. The Academy as a whole appreciates the film, even if it is not a presumed frontrunner in its other categories. The tricky thing is, it could conceivably win in either Mixing or Editing. The racing sequences utilize both aspects well.

These are two pretty difficult races to call. At least we can narrow each one down to two films. I suspect there will be a split between the categories, but I am uncertain about which film will win each. 1917 might have better chances in Sound Editing but, having seen the film in Dolby, the mixing is really quite good. It truly feels like a toss-up.

Even looking at the MPSE Awards, where sound editors choose the best sound editing of the year, leaves things unclear. Ford v Ferrari won for foley, and 1917 won for dialogue and ADR. I would think that non-sound editors in the Academy perceive “Sound Editing” to be foley and sound effects, so maybe this is a sign that Ford v Ferrari could edge out in Editing. But my line of thinking here is admittedly kind of a stretch.