# Oscar Nominations 2014



## lucor (Jan 16, 2014)

The Oscar Nominations just got announced!

http://oscar.go.com/nominees?fullsite=true


Best Original Score:

- "The Book Thief" by John Williams

- "Gravity" by Steven Price

- "Her" by William Butler and Owen Pallett

- "Philomena" by Alexandre Desplat

- "Saving Mr. Banks" by Thomas Newman


Who's your favourite? I haven't heard them all yet, but I really liked John Williams' score (although I might be a bit biased about that :mrgreen.
I'm also kind of surprised that Hans Zimmers score for "12 years a slave" didn't get a nomination.


----------



## AC986 (Jan 16, 2014)

I think this could be Thomas Newmans year at last.


----------



## mark812 (Jan 16, 2014)

lucor @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> I'm also kind of surprised that Hans Zimmers score for "12 years a slave" didn't get a nomination.



Really? With that one 4-chord _Journey to the Line_/_Time_ cue? 

I love Hans Zimmer's work, he's one of my favorite composers, but this score really was dissapointing. Interesting article regarding that: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/201 ... audio.html

I'm very excited about _Interstellar_, though.

My favorite is JW, followed by Steven Price and TN.


----------



## lucor (Jan 16, 2014)

mark812 @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> lucor @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm also kind of surprised that Hans Zimmers score for "12 years a slave" didn't get a nomination.
> ...




Mh, I haven't heard much of the score yet (the movie just got out today in Germany), but I remember hearing alot of positive reviews on it, plus the Golden Globe nomination.
I hope I'll see the movie soon to hear it for myself.
Interesting article though, thanks!


----------



## H.R. (Jan 16, 2014)

No 12 Years a Slave ???!!! I'm very disappointed. I haven't heard it yet but if it's even half close to The Thin Red Line it most be up there with other nominees.


----------



## Jdiggity1 (Jan 16, 2014)

H.R. @ Fri 17 Jan said:


> No 12 Years a Slave ???!!! I'm very disappointed. I haven't heard it yet but if it's even half close to The Thin Red Line it most be up there with other nominees.



Oh it's very close to The Thin Red Line, that's for sure.


----------



## sluggo (Jan 16, 2014)

The story of the A-list composer who 'rips himself off' is a tale as old as time. (Well, maybe not time, but at least as old as your uncle.) Anyways, the thing to remember is that it is not the composer's fault. It is the director's fault. And all the cooks in the kitchen who just wanted a certain sound to begin with. And don't forget the amazing schedule these composers have today to knock out an 'original' score.


----------



## germancomponist (Jan 16, 2014)

"With some 6000 members, nominations are made remotely, and this in 2013 controversially by electronic voting. Members could start voting on 17 December 2013, but their deadline to get their ballots in was extended this year due to the implication of the new electronic system after complaints were made. ...

Votes are sent to PricewaterhouseCoopers to be counted and verified securely, and then the nominees who come out on top are announced a few days later in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. ...

The process has mainly been criticised by some of the film industry for the ruthless campaigning that can take place from November. Most recently Joaquin Pheonix and Anthony Hopkins have joined the list of actors who have been outspoken about the awards-season buttering up of Academy members. Pheonix, who appeared in Oscar-tipped The Master and has racked up two previous nominations for Gladiator and Walk the Line told Interview magazine that the annual campaigning “is total, utter bulls***, and I don’t want to be a part of it.” Hopkins, who won an Oscar for his role in Silence of the Lambs called the “kissing the backside of the authorities that can make or break it” “disgusting to behold” in an intervuew with The Huffington Post. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/9785283/Oscar-Nominations-2014-How-the-shortlist-is-made.html


----------



## RasmusFors (Jan 16, 2014)

Well I'm just hoping that Leonardo DiCaprio finally gets an Oscar, he deserves it.


----------



## Ozymandias (Jan 16, 2014)

H.R. @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> No 12 Years a Slave ???!!! I'm very disappointed. I haven't heard it yet but if it's even half close to The Thin Red Line it most be up there with other nominees.



As it happens, there's relatively little music in 12 Years a Slave.

I don't know whose decision that was, but it was absolutely the right one. It's an excellent film and that's partly thanks to the absence of music from certain scenes.


----------



## José Herring (Jan 16, 2014)

mark812 @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> lucor @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm also kind of surprised that Hans Zimmers score for "12 years a slave" didn't get a nomination.
> ...



I don't get why if a composer does a score that's similar to another score he did that people get all up in arms about it. Is it really plagerism if you're copying yourself? Jeez. I almost feel sorry for guys like Hans that everything they do somebody has to try to find something wrong with him for doing it.


----------



## germancomponist (Jan 16, 2014)

josejherring @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> I don't get why if a composer does a score that's similar to another score he did that people get all up in arms about it. Is it really plagerism if you're copying yourself? Jeez. I almost feel sorry for guys like Hans that everything they do somebody has to try to find something wrong with him for doing it.



The sad way how it works, worked and will work in the future. 

Why? 

You know the answer... .


----------



## Rctec (Jan 16, 2014)

I just like writing in my style...don't you have a style? ...and yes, I agree, the music in "12 Years..." is minimal, both in notes and amount off. All I wanted to do be as unintrusive and transparent as possible. It's a film that I just feel privileged to be a part off. It's not a show-ey Oscar type thing.


----------



## AC986 (Jan 16, 2014)

I love minimal. Nothing wrong with minimal. 8)


----------



## germancomponist (Jan 16, 2014)

Rctec @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> All I wanted to do be as unintrusive and transparent as possible.



And here we go!

Film music isn't concert music, yeah, and film music has to work for/with the film. Or else there is a task that I have overlooked? 

You know my general opinion. I lose better no word about the voters.


----------



## givemenoughrope (Jan 16, 2014)

Only God Forgives is easily the best score of 2013 for me. It doesn't have much more than a few synths here and there (and some string samples), no big orchestra, no 13 drummers, no romantic themes or counterpoint but it's the only film music that fired my imagination last year in the way that a 70s Goldsmith score might (besides one cue from The Place Beyond the Pines.) And there's one cue in particular that blew my mind in the theatre but it looks like they chopped it down since. A shame. 

Why do we need the Oscars anymore? We have the internet.

Also, I don't understand why The Lone Ranger has received so much flack. I loved it…the score as well.


----------



## germancomponist (Jan 16, 2014)

givemenoughrope @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> Also, I don't understand why The Lone Ranger has received so much flack. I loved it…the score as well.



They have missed the/a banjo!


----------



## syashdown (Jan 16, 2014)

givemenoughrope @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> Only God Forgives is easily the best score of 2013 for me. It doesn't have much more than a few synths here and there (and some string samples), no big orchestra, no 13 drummers, no romantic themes or counterpoint but it's the only film music that fired my imagination last year in the way that a 70s Goldsmith score might (besides one cue from The Place Beyond the Pines.) And there's one cue in particular that blew my mind in the theatre but it looks like they chopped it down since. A shame.
> 
> Why do we need the Oscars anymore? We have the internet.
> 
> Also, I don't understand why The Lone Ranger has received so much flack. I loved it…the score as well.



Only God Forgives was a great score, really unique atmosphere.


----------



## syashdown (Jan 16, 2014)

Although listening to the JW score and that is rather nice, although less unique in its tone than the Martinez one.


----------



## Greg (Jan 16, 2014)

HER wins in my book. 100%


----------



## chimuelo (Jan 16, 2014)

Ozymandias @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> H.R. @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> 
> 
> > No 12 Years a Slave ???!!! I'm very disappointed. I haven't heard it yet but if it's even half close to The Thin Red Line it most be up there with other nominees.
> ...



Totally agree. Sometimes less is more, and silence is an effective part of symphonic music if you were to consider composers like Wagner and Lizst.

I still love the big productions and endless CG, they seem to benefit from more audio assistance, but really good story lines can stand on their own sometimes too.


----------



## pkm (Jan 16, 2014)

If recent history is any indication, the Oscar will go to Her or Gravity. I'd be happy with any of them winning (except I haven't heard Philomena yet). 

JW hasn't had much luck in winning the award lately, and I don't think The Book Thief will be the score to break him out of his "streak". But jeez, 49 nominations...incredible.

Same with Thomas Newman. The Mr Banks score is gorgeous and VERY Thomas Newman (and I love him for it), so without being too far away from his other 10 scores that got nominated, I don't see this being the one to finally win the award. But you know what they say, 11th time's the charm.

Arcade Fire is definitely hip, so Her could take it, and Price's Gravity has an interesting story behind it (music editor turned composer, etc.).


----------



## jleckie (Jan 16, 2014)

Gravity all the way. I hope the academy has some sense. It is one of the most unique treatments of processing and recording instruments I have ever heard.


----------



## RiffWraith (Jan 16, 2014)

josejherring @ Fri Jan 17 said:


> Is it really plagerism if you're copying yourself?



Yes - if the score you are copying was a WFH and is owned by an entity other than yourself. However, the chances of you getting sued are just about zero.


----------



## NYC Composer (Jan 17, 2014)

I would like to know which score Hans would vote for.


----------



## Harzmusic (Jan 17, 2014)

I know it was completely hopeless, but I was secretly hoping that Roque Baños would receive a nomination for the Evil Dead Remake. I usually don't get so excited about horror music, but this score really blew me away.

I haven't seen all the nominated films yet, most of them aren't even in german cinemas yet, but I am sure that Gravity will get a lot of awards this year! Visual effects, sound mixing, sound editing and cinematography are a sure thing for this movie in my opinion. And Steven Prices achievement in scoring this film deserves a lot of credit too. Imagine having to score a movie like that - with almost no sound, an unusual setting and narration and a lot of very unique emotions to carry out. I would freak out, this must have been incredibly hard to make it work - and it did work.


----------



## Lupez (Jan 17, 2014)

Hans, was it a big disappointment not winning the Globe, or not being nominated? 
I would have been heartbroken.


----------



## H.R. (Jan 17, 2014)

Rctec @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> I just like writing in my style...don't you have a style? ...and yes, I agree, the music in "12 Years..." is minimal, both in notes and amount off. All I wanted to do be as unintrusive and transparent as possible. It's a film that I just feel privileged to be a part off. It's not a show-ey Oscar type thing.



Well said. But I guess being "unintrusive and transparent" and meanwhile being affective is really hard. I remember Frost/Nixon and how minimalistic it was but I also remember how crucial it played its role in that film.

The Bible, The Lone Ranger, Man of Steel, Rush and 12 Years a Slave. being able to write such amazing scores is the most valuable prize one composer can get.


----------



## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 17, 2014)

All artists repeat themselves, we're all obsessed with our vision, and we want to make it sharper, clearer, in a beautiful way. As Adrian Belew once sang (just imagine he's talking about a score):




> I do remember one thing.
> It took hours and hours but..
> by the time I was done with it,
> I was so involved, I didn't know what to think.
> ...


----------



## EastWest Lurker (Jan 17, 2014)

sluggo @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> The story of the A-list composer who 'rips himself off' is a tale as old as time.



You mean like Mozart, who did so all the time ?


----------



## Tatu (Jan 17, 2014)

RasmusFors @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> Well I'm just hoping that Leonardo DiCaprio finally gets an Oscar, he deserves it.



Yeah, they should finally give him one! But damn, I was mostly impressed by Jonah Hill's performance.

Regarding soundtracks; I guess it'll go to Gravity..


----------



## NYC Composer (Jan 17, 2014)

RasmusFors @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> Well I'm just hoping that Leonardo DiCaprio finally gets an Oscar, he deserves it.



I haven't liked him in a film since Catch Me If You Can (in which he was excellent).
To me, he always seems like a slightly petulant boy playing mannish roles. 

I know his star power attracts money that makes films. He is most definitely a movie star. I just have to wonder if Scorcese really needs the funding?

His work in Gangs of New York playing opposite Daniel Day Lewis was instructional.

I liked Inception, but there were times during it when I wanted to jump onto the screen, unfurrow his brow and uncurl his lip. His efforts at appearing serious are relentlessly similar.

Now, back to the topic at hand. :wink:


----------



## AC986 (Jan 17, 2014)

I'd be surprised if an actor gets an oscar for playing a real person.

Judi Dench for best actress (an actress playing a real person)  

Thomas Newman for score

Philomena for best picture

Bruce Dern for best actor

Bradley Cooper for best supporting actor

Jennifer Lawrence/Sally Hawkins for best supporting actress

Emmanuel Lubezki for cinematography

David O Russell for director

Trying work out how many bets this could be.


----------



## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 17, 2014)

Once the winner is announced, Kanye West is going to run up to the stage, take the Oscar away from Steven Price, and give it to Newman.


----------



## Jetzer (Jan 17, 2014)

I'm in love with Desplat's style, so I'm biased, but Newman really should win it sometime  

However, I think Gravity will win it.


----------



## AC986 (Jan 18, 2014)

NYC Composer @ Fri Jan 17 said:


> RasmusFors @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't liked him in a film since Catch Me If You Can (in which he was excellent).
> ...



I haven't seen the film but one of our foremost film critics that I have time for, namely Mark Kermode hated it and I can understand why from extracts I've seen so far. Some people will love it.


----------



## dcoscina (Jan 18, 2014)

josejherring @ Thu Jan 16 said:


> mark812 @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> 
> 
> > lucor @ Thu Jan 16 said:
> ...



Agreed. There's so much precedence in the classical world too. Prokofiev re-used his War and Peace theme for Ivan The Terrible (which Horner in turn used 50 years later for Glory ). Stravinsky actually used what he thought was a folk tune for a central theme in Petrushka and had to pay the guy who wrote it when he found out the original composer was very much alive. HEck, I love John Adams and I've heard "licks" that he uses from earlier seminal works. Williams is the same. And the list goes on. The romanticized idea that every note is wholly original is just that- it's an abstract but not a reality.


----------



## CHendricks (Jan 18, 2014)

I'm a little bummed he didn't get nominated. But that's just personal preference, I love Zimmer's work. To me, it's more than the melody and chords, though "12 Years…" as its' similarities to "Time", Solomon's theme is not "Time". I love the simplicity of the score and the tone. I simply would've liked to see 12YAS win simply because, yes, the music was brilliant, but the way it left me feeling emotionally when I walked out of that theater - IMO, that's what makes this score Oscar-worthy. 

However, that being said, and the fact Hans isn't in the nominations, I haven't seen all the nominated films and not heard their scores, so I can't really make an "unbiased" nomination myself, however, I would like to see newcomer Steven Price win.

-Cyle


----------



## H.R. (Jan 18, 2014)

Is Steven Price one of Zimmer's prodigies ? Really worthy nominee. I was amazed how he manage to fill the absence of soundeffect with his music.


----------



## Rctec (Jan 18, 2014)

Steve Price was my music editor on Batman Begins. ...and as he says himself, he's done a bit of everything (actually A Lot) in the past: Music editing, orchestration, sound-design, composing... He definitely deserves this!

-H-


----------



## jleckie (Jan 18, 2014)

Lets keep our fingers crossed for a littel sanity amongst the voters.


----------



## NYC Composer (Jan 18, 2014)

So now I know WWHVF (Who Would Hans Vote For). :wink:


----------



## Rctec (Jan 18, 2014)

Not necessarily...I really love Tom Newman's work. ...And honestly, I've been so busy, I can't remember who's nominated.
Anyway, no one can ever remember anything other than "Best Picture" in the real world (and Meryl Streep), so it's all a bit irrelevant. Didn't do a thing for my career, but my kids where proud. But, I bet you, they'd have traded it for a pony in a heart-beat 
-H-


----------



## NYC Composer (Jan 18, 2014)

Hard not to admire Newman's work. For example, the theme from The Newsroom just slays me with its humanity, simplicity and warmth. It's not the most modern style, but there's something evocative and timeless about it.

As a songwriter, I've been trying to write the equivalent of Amazing Grace or Hallelujah for years- a melody or theme that seems to have always existed, that was just plucked from the stream of human memory. Newman's Newsroom theme felt like that to me. So did your theme from The Last Samurai.


----------



## AC986 (Jan 19, 2014)

jleckie @ Sat Jan 18 said:


> Lets keep our fingers crossed for a littel sanity amongst the voters.



You mean like they were sane when they gave Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann one oscar each over a huge period of years? :lol: 


Thomas Newman must have a good chance because of the nature of the film. Walt Disney. They should love that. The actual music is probably great. I haven't heard it yet.

12 years a slave is 4/9 but American Hustle has come in to 7/4. Lot of money for American Hustle atm.

Matthew McConhauhey is heavy at 1/2 for best actor.
Cate Blanchet is unbackable at 1/10 for best actress.
Alfonso Caruan is heavy at 1/3 for best director.
Jared Leto is 1/8 unbackable for best S. actor and
Lupito Nyong'o @ 1/2 with Jennifer Lawrence on the rails at 6/4 for best S. actress.


----------



## chimuelo (Jan 19, 2014)

Anyone who particpates or is nominated is a winner from my POV. Our entire culture has been influenced by Hollywood.
Sanity has been replaced by political correctness, as it should be, as that train of thought is well suited in the entertainment industry.

Speaking of Meryl Streep, I can imagine the upcoming anti NRA movie will be a huge success in 2014-15. It should easily take several awards. Lets hope Hollywood can help where our ineffective politicians are frozen by the power of cash.

At the end of the day the best thing about the ceremony that I like is the respectful way that actors/actresses who brought us so much pleasure that have passed away get another mention and reminder of how much they were appreciated.

Even as an adult I confess I am emotionally moved by the entertainment industry and often wished I had such drama in my boring life.

Another great year as usual, and I think everyone involved won.. 8)


----------



## AC986 (Jan 20, 2014)

Jesus Chim, I just read your last post and for second there I thought you'd been taken ill.

:mrgreen:


----------



## dgburns (Jan 20, 2014)

I think sometimes award shows are a bit of a popularity contest.How to boil down the "best of" of any given year? how do you even decide what is "best" ?

remember that there is a big machine that needs to rev up behind the scenes to get award show campaigns off the ground.

I don't do well at those things,been to my fair share of the Canadian variants of these things.I usually chastise myself for getting ahead of me about winning,which I never do.And then I wonder why all the fuss when all is said and done.You feel kind of silly about getting all worked up about it ,especially when you sit there listening to someone else's acceptance speech  

they say these are good for one's career,I have yet to see the evidence of that.Other than a fair quid spent on some decent threads for you and spouse,I'd say these nights can be taxing at best.Unless of course you just go to have some fun.


----------

