Ahead of the 2021 Oscars, the academy made the decision to merge the Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing categories into one. The films vying for the second annual Best Sound prize are “Belfast,” “Dune,” “No Time to Die,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story.” Our current odds indicate that “Dune” (31/10) will be victorious, followed in order of likelihood by “West Side Story” (39/10), “No Time to Die” (4/1), “The Power of the Dog” (9/2), and “Belfast” (9/2).
The craftspeople included in the current lineup have collectively amassed a staggering 86 previous nominations and 16 wins for their sound work in 57 films. Those responsible for the largest chunks are Andy Nelson and Gary Rydstrom, whose shared bid for “West Side Story” brings their respective individual totals to 22 and 19. Rydstrom has collected seven trophies over the years, including two each for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1992), “Jurassic Park” (1994), and “Saving Private Ryan” (1999) and one for “Titanic” (1998). Nelson shared in one of those “Saving Private Ryan” victories and later won for “Les Misérables” (2013). He and Rydstrom have also been nominated together for “War Horse” (2012), “Lincoln” (2013), and “Bridge of Spies” (2016).
The “West Side Story” team also includes Tod A. Maitland and Shawn Murphy, who have previously competed here four and three times, respectively. Murphy won alongside Rydstrom for “Jurassic Park” and was then nominated with him again for “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (2000). “West Side Story” is also the second film for which Maitland and Nelson have been concurrently recognized after “Seabiscuit” (2004).
The entire five-person “Dune” team is made up of previous contenders, with Doug Hemphill standing out as a 10-time nominee. His sole win to date came for his work in “The Last of the Mohicans” (1993). The only other former champ in his group is Mark Mangini, who triumphed on his fourth of five past bids for “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016). The remaining three – Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, and Theo Green – are on their fourth, third, and second nominations, respectively. Bartlett and Hemphill were first recognized together for “Life of Pi” (2013) before all five men earned notices for their work in “Blade Runner 2049” (2018).
Paul Massey’s bid for “No Time to Die” is his 10th and could lead to his second victory after his Best Sound Mixing one for “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019). His fellow “No Time to Die” nominees Simon Hayes, Mark Taylor, and Oliver Tarney have respectively been recognized one, three, and four times before. Hayes triumphed alongside Nelson for “Les Misérables,” and Taylor won two years ago for “1917.” Along with Ruth, Massey and Taylor were previously nominated together for “The Martian” (2016). Massey and Hemphill have shared in three bids for “Air Force One” (1998), “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” (2004), and “Walk the Line” (2006).
Robert Mackenzie (“The Power of the Dog”) was doubly nominated for “Hacksaw Ridge” (2017) and won in the Best Sound Mixing category. Niv Adiri (“Belfast”) also achieved a victory there in 2014 for “Gravity.”
The newcomers in this year’s lineup include three from “Belfast” (Simon Chase, James Mather, and Denise Yarde), two from “The Power of the Dog” (Richard Flynn and Tara Webb), and one each from “No Time to Die” (James Harrison) and “West Side Story” (Brian Chumney).
The inaugural Best Sound victor was “Sound of Metal” (2021). The last films to win Best Sound Mixing prior to the merging of the categories were “1917” (2020), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019), and “Dunkirk” (2018). The last Best Sound Editing winners were “Ford v Ferrari” (2020), “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Dunkirk.” This year’s Best Sound winner will be revealed during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, airing March 27 on ABC.
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