What Oscar Voters Are Voting For And Why

By Will Mavity 

Oscar voting is officially over for the 92nd Academy Awards. I spoke to a number of Academy voters about what they are voting for and why. Here is what five of them have to say.
 
As you read these, just remember, these are just a handful of ballots out of the 9,000+ people who vote. While these may give some insight into voters’ minds, they are far from the be all end all.

​Voter #1 - A Member Of The Sound Branch

Best Picture
“I have not nor will probably ever see ‘Joker’ or ‘The Irishman.’ I don’t have the time to watch them and I don’t like how those kinds of films make me feel. I don’t like Tarantino movies anyway. ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ was just weird and long. It was too fancy for its own good.”

1. “Little Women”
2. “1917”
3. “Parasite”

Best Director
“Sam Mendes. I think what he did with ‘1917’ was just beyond amazing. To even conceive of something like that…and the story was well done. The two actors were unknown and they represented the everyman so well. I did love ‘Parasite’ and thought that film was very clever, but I’m not going to vote for [Bong] because I like movies that leave me feeling good and not horrible. Greta Gerwig and Kasi Lemmons were totally overlooked. I actually put the top three women-directed movies at the top of my best picture ballot for nominations (‘Little Women,’ ‘Harriet,’ ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’). I don’t want to separate the category into best woman-directed films and best male-directed films. But the little films need a break. Like I’m upset that ‘Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound’ didn’t make Best Documentary, but they didn’t have enough money to make screeners. I think that’s a big thing. Believe me, [‘Breakthrough’] with the song by Diane Warren never would have gotten in without full-page ads and parties hosted by her and Chrissy Metz.”

Editor’s Note: DVD screeners for “Making Waves” were sent out for awards voting. One was received by NBP’s editor.

Best Actress
Renée Zellweger

Best Actor
“I’m sorry that Taron Egerton who did ‘Rocketman’ wasn’t nominated. I thought he was a shoo-in. I will never watch ‘Joker’ and I didn’t see ‘Pain and Glory’ either so I don’t know how good Antonio [Banderas] is in that. So, I guess, Adam Driver. He was good. I thought he played a very compassionate guy. A kind of everyman stuck in this drama trying to preserve his kid.”

Best Supporting Actress
“I think Florence Pugh. All of the women in that film are so good. And they don’t get that good by themselves, so you know, that’s why the director thing is so infuriating.”

Best Supporting Actor
“Tom Hanks. I thought the directing in that movie was really brave, too. That one scene in the diner where they have that one minute of silence…I thought that was something really I hadn’t seen before. I don’t understand Brad Pitt. What is this? He’s just playing himself? I worked on a film early in his career and we were all like, ‘Wow how far is this guy going to go? He’s good looking but he can’t act. How far can you go on just looks?’”

Best Sound Mixing
“Most of the academy members who are mostly actors think of sound as what’s loud. Apart from ‘Ad Astra,’ all the nominees are the same this year. And that’s why the academy is fighting to combine them. I’m not a fan of combining them, but if it means keeping it on the show, then I would take it. Everyone should go see ‘Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound.’ I took my mother-in-law to see it and after we left she said, ‘Now I understand what you do!’ We need one of those before and after things at the Oscars like they do with effects to make people understand.

[The thing with the Academy is] if something wins for Best Sound Editing it’ll probably win for Best Sound Mixing, but in this case, it’s fair with ‘1917.’ I’m voting for it in both. The effects gave you a sense of place and it really put you there. There were some moments I could tell there was foley, but I couldn’t tell if it was foley or recorded on set because it sounded too good to be foley so I guess it did its job well. I thought it was a monumental task. Although, I couldn’t understand some of the dialogue when they were in the truck, but the fact that they could even record anything live on set with that kind of setup…and I had the same problem with ‘Ford v Ferrari’ and it was worse there. I did really like the work in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ too.

I was disappointed that ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ didn’t get nominated for anything. I went up to the director after and said, ‘I was so impressed how you recreated how movies sound in the ‘70s and he was like, ‘What?’ and I said, ‘Well, thank your sound team for that, they did something wonderful for you.’ But no 'Dolemite Is My Name' there. They go for all the big films that get the full-page ads in ‘Variety.’ Maybe it’s rigged…I don’t know.”

​Best Original Score
“Every time that ‘Joker’ ad comes on TV with that weird violin, I’m like, ‘Oh god, turn it off! Turn it off!’ But, I mean, come on, how many Oscars can John Williams and Randy Newman win? I know it’s so stupid to think like that but I’m sort of influenced by that. I might still vote for ‘Joker’ even though I can’t stand the score and haven’t seen the film because it’s the first time a woman would win.”

Editors Note: This wouldn’t be the first time a woman won an Original Score Oscar (Rachel Portman won Best Original Score Comedy/Musical in 1996 for “Emma.” But it would be the first time a solo female composer won strictly for Best Original Score.

Best Original Song
“Diane Warren, of course. I think she might win, too. She’s done a lot of press on this particular song. All the news shows are going, ‘11-time nominee, but never won.’ And the movie isn’t bad. It’s an incredible story.”

Best Original Screenplay
“‘Knives Out’ was brilliant because it kept you guessing the whole time, but I think I’ve gotta go with ‘Parasite.’ It’s too amazing to overlook. ‘Marriage Story’ was okay. I didn’t think it was that great.”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“‘Little Women,’ of course. I’m not a fan of the book. I was a tomboy and my mom kept trying to get me to read it and I was like, ‘No, it’s for girls!’ but I loved this and maybe I should give the book another chance.”

Best Production Design
“‘Parasite.’ I mean they built that house that they take over. Although, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' was really good because they gave you a really good feeling of that era, like the cars.“

Best Costume Design
“I think I talked to Sandy Powell one time. I said, ‘I’m in the sound branch and don’t know costumes, so what’s the hardest thing to do?’ And she said modern movies. Period’s easy. For modern ones, you have to design based on the character’s personality and psychology. But there’s nothing modern here so I would say ‘Jojo Rabbit.’”

Best Makeup/Hairstyling
“I didn’t see ‘Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil’ or ‘Bombshell’ or ‘Joker.’ I can’t believe ‘The Irishman’ wasn’t here. I’ll probably vote for ‘Judy.’”

Best Visual Effects
“I did see the behind the scenes thing on ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ ‘The Irishman’ the de-aging. ‘The Lion King’ was amazing. ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’ is so well done. But it’s like we know it’s well done. [I’ll probably vote] ‘1917’ because it’s holistically the best work; had to be more organic. I know they added things like him jumping off that waterfall, but most of it was so seamless.”

Best Film Editing
“Thelma [Schoonmaker]. I’m a fan of hers.”

Best Cinematography
“[Roger] Deakins. Gotta be Deakins. “

Best Documentary
“I’m not gonna vote because I didn’t see them. They’re just so heavy and I just don’t wanna sit through something sad like that.”

Best Documentary Short
“[‘In the Absence’]. I saw ‘Walk Run Cha-Cha’ and didn’t do much for me.”

Best Live Action Short
“I loved ‘The Neighbors Window.’ It was also American. So many foreign films make it through and we don’t have a lot of American ones here. I mean two of them were based in Syria I think. If they wanna do it right they should have a separate foreign short category. But I really liked the twist on Nefta Football.”

Best Animated Short
“‘Kitbull.’ I liked ‘Memorable’ a lot. It’s a very interesting animation about a serious subject, but it left me feeling so depressed. ‘Kitbull’ was so delightful plus it was two women.”

Best International Film
“Parasite”

Best Animated Film
“I tried to watch ‘I Lost My Body’ but I couldn’t get past the fact of how a severed hand can see where it’s going so I stopped watching. Don’t know why ‘Frozen II’ isn’t here. I liked the emotion of ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ so I guess that.”

Voter #2 - A Member Of The Visual Effects Branch

Best Picture
“I didn’t like ‘Little Women.’ I just don’t like those kinds of movies. I don’t think it’s flawed in any fundamental way. I didn’t really see anything exceptional in that film. I suffered through it as my professional duty, and my wife loved it, but it didn’t deserve a Best Picture nomination to me. There were some technical issues and character moments that pulled me out of the movie. Compare that to ‘1917’ with a bunch of wild technical choices where they never pulled me out of the story. Same with ‘The Irishman.’”

1. “Parasite”
2. “Jojo Rabbit”  
3. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
 
Best Director
“Between being a below the line kind of technical guy, I really was most impressed with [Sam] Mendes. Between him, Guillaume Rocheron on the VFX side, and [Roger] Deakins, that was something. I heard the concept and thought, “Oh, it’s gonna be so goddamn boring,” and then I saw it and I got what I think a lot of people probably get out of Marvel movies and I don’t – kind of this thrill ride experience. I do think Bong stands a pretty good chance at taking it, and I would be happy with that too. I worked on one of Bong’s films over a decade ago. And I came up to him a few months ago and told him I’d worked with him and he just started immediately rattling off all the names of the animators and VFX supervisors and everyone who worked on the film. That’s part of the reason he’s so good. He has such care for the process. Not a lot of directors take the effort to get to know and remember everyone who they work with, and it’s something really special about him.”
 
Best Actress
“I say this having not seen ‘Harriet,’ but Charlize [Theron] just kind of became someone else. It was amazing.”
 
Best Actor
“Just like 90% of everyone I talk to – Joaquin Phoenix.”
 
Best Supporting Actor
“Brad Pitt."
 
Best Supporting Actress
“Scarlett Johansson in ‘Jojo Rabbit.’ Something about her performance really connected with me emotionally and I can’t explain why. I didn’t buy Laura Dern as much.”
 
Best Original Screenplay
“‘Knives Out.’ I think it was such a cool screenplay. I think ‘Parasite’ will win, but seeing Rian Johnson come out of the ‘Star Wars’ funk and deliver a story as well crafted as that and super entertaining was amazing.”
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Joker”

Best Film Editing
“‘Parasite.’” That movie was masterful in how it started with the pacing and story being a little ho-hum and then how it started ramping up into insanity.”
 
Best Sound Mixing
“1917”
 
Best Sound Editing
“I think it will and should be ‘1917’ in this one, too, but I think ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’ actually has a chance with the nostalgia vote.”
 
Best Makeup/Hairstyling
“‘Joker.’” It didn’t like that Joaquin [Phoenix] wasn’t easy to work with on that in that state of mind and they deserve an award for that.”
 
Best Production Design
“I’ll vote for ‘Parasite,’ but I think ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ has a chance, too. Setting the tone for various spots in the film was so immersive. ‘Knives Out’ should’ve been nominated, especially given the amount of time they had.”
 
Best Costume Design
“‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ as a kind of pin the tail on the donkey choice. I would’ve voted for ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ if it had been here.”
 
Best Visual Effects
“I really want ‘1917’ to win. I think it’s a longshot because it’s invisible FX that people don’t really notice. People don’t know how much work was done on that film. The field this year is incredibly varied. I think “The Irishman” could take it if not enough people were bothered by some of the things that didn’t really have to do with visual effects (like those colored contact lenses), and I do think the actors will vote for something like this because it will let them think they can keep acting forever. “
 
Best Cinematography
“‘1917.’ The puzzle that [Roger] Deakins had to put together is just incredible.”
 
Best Original Score
“F*** if I know. It’s a coin toss. I’ll go with ‘1917’ because it was a key part of immersing me into the story and I didn’t really notice it, which I think is the sign of a great score.”
 
Best International Film
“Parasite”
 
Best Documentary Film
“The Edge of Democracy”
 
Best Animated Film
“‘I Lost My Body.’ So inventive.”
 
Best Animated Short
“‘Memorable’ is about Alzheimer’s and it’s a super tearjerker done in a style I’d never seen before. I liked ‘Hair Love,’ too, but it was just a little more clichéd and predictable.”

Voter #3 - A Member Of The Sound Branch

Best Picture
“[I would put ‘1917’] lower down but not the bottom. I think, as a movie, it failed, but the technical parts are fascinating. Like I didn’t care about the characters and every time we went into a bunker I was like, “Oh, here we go again,” but what they pulled off technically was amazing.”

1. “Parasite”
2. “Joker”
3. “Marriage Story”
 
Best Director
“Bong Joon-ho hands down. Picture and Director have got to go together here.”
 
Best Actor
“Joaquin Phoenix, easily. Everyone else is interesting but it’s not even close.”
 
Best Actress
“I guess Renée Zellweger”
 
Best Supporting Actress
“Hands down Laura Dern.”
 
Best Supporting Actor
“Joe Pesci. I was just blown away by him.”
 
Best Original Screenplay
“I think it will go to ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ but I’m voting for ‘Parasite.’ Just a knockout movie.”
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Definitely ‘Jojo Rabbit.’”

​Best Film Editing
“‘Ford v Ferrari.’ And I would give it both Sounds, too. It should solidly win both. I think the sound mix in ‘1917’ is just okay. It’s not that dynamic, but [the Academy] loves war films. I think it’s probably the third best there with ‘Joker’ second.”
 
Best Original Score
“Joker. [Hildur Guðnadóttir] crushed it.”
 
Best Original Song
“Frozen II”
 
Best Visual Effects
“‘1917.’ It’s super obvious work but it works well.”
 
Best Production Design
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
 
Best Costume Design
“I know this is a little odd but ‘Joker.’”
 
Best Makeup/Hairstyling
“Easily ‘Bombshell.’”
 
Best Cinematography
“‘1917.’ I don’t know why a couple of those other ones were there. Like, ‘The Lighthouse’? That’s a waste of a nomination. ‘Ford v Ferrari’ should have been there.”
 
Best Documentary
“The Cave”
 
Best International Film
“Gotta be ‘Parasite.’”
 
Best Animated Film
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Voter #4 - An Oscar Nominated Member Of The Sound Branch

Best Picture
“I thought ‘The Irishman’ was way too long. I’m sure you’ve heard that from everybody. That story could have been told in an hour and a half and it probably would have been terrific. It didn’t need to be three hours.”

1. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
2. “1917”
3. “Parasite”
 
Best Director
“Tarantino – it’s Quentin’s year. I think he’s got this. There was a real absence of women. Marielle Heller should have been there. Everyone is talking about [Greta] Gerwig and that was a perfectly fine adaptation but it didn’t really do it for me the way Heller’s movie did.”
 
Best Actress
“Renée Zellweger”
 
Best Actor
“Joaquin Phoenix. [Matthew Rhys], who played across Tom Hanks, should have been here though.” 
 
Best Supporting Actor
“I was torn between Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt. I really thought ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ was overlooked in a lot of categories. One of my favorite pictures at TIFF this year. I don’t think Hanks will win but he should.”
 
Best Supporting Actress
“Kathy Bates. I know everyone is voting for Dern but I thought Bates was a pretty emotional performance and Laura Dern just played a sleazy lawyer.”
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Jojo Rabbit”
 
Best Original Screenplay
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Best Sound Mixing
“‘Ford v Ferrari.’ I liked it more than ‘1917’ and I think it’ll win mixing. It was a very dynamic track. I did like the sparseness of ‘1917,’ though. It was very atmospheric.”
 
Best Sound Editing
“‘1917.’ I’d be sort of disappointed to see them combine the sounds into one category. I understand why though because people don’t really understand sound. It’ll just go with the big-sounding films which are kind of already how it is anyway. Nothing to do with how hard it was to gain a track. Most people don’t even understand what I do.”
 
Best Film Editing
“‘Ford v Ferrari.’” Definitely not ‘The Irishman.’ I don’t even know why that was in there.” 
 
Best Production Design
“Parasite”
 
Best Original Score
“I went with ‘Joker’ on that one.”
 
Best Visual Effects
“I went with ‘The Lion King.’ The blending of real footage was pretty seamless with the CGI. I can’t believe Caleb [Deschanel] wasn’t nominated.”
 
Best Cinematography
“‘1917.’” The shot designs in that were fantastic. And from a sound recording perspective, I was thinking, ‘How did they do that?’ Amazing collaboration between the two.”
 
Best Makeup/Hairstyling
“I really liked ‘Bombshell’ but ‘Judy’…the whole period look was amazing and I’ve worked with the guy who did it before.”
 
Best Costume Design
“I went with ‘Jojo Rabbit.’”
 
Best Original Song
“Rocketman”
 
Best International Film
“‘Parasite.’” Obviously, it’s gonna win and it should. ‘Les Miserables’ was good, too, but pretty grim.”
 
Best Animated Film
“Missing Link”
 
Best Documentary
“‘The Cave.’” It’s hard to watch but very powerful.”

Voter #5 - A Member Of The Sound Branch

Best Picture
“It’s a pretty strong field this year. I wasn’t much of a fan of ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ I respected it. It’s well-made but the pacing was off. Ever since Sally Menke died, [Quentin] Tarantino has needed someone to say, “Let’s cut the scene now.” But the craft is incredible. I was at the producer’s guild awards where ‘1917’ won and people seemed so content about that as a winner so I think it’s taking it. It’s a very visceral experience and I really liked that. And I liked that [Sam] Mendes had this very personal connection to the material. And it’s a very personal vision of how to make a film. He’d probably be my number three among the directors because I very much respect the decisions he made. But things like the score distracted me. There’s too much of it. I think he scored it like a James Bond movie. I know a lot of people in the sound branch who say the same – that the music buried the sound. A lot of people missed hearing the sound shine.”

1. “Parasite”
2. “Joker”
3. “Marriage Story”
 
Best Director
“I’m still a ‘Parasite’ guy.”
 
Best Actor
“Joaquin Phoenix — it’s the obvious choice. It’s just incredible what he’s doing in that film. Although, I’m very happy I’m not the boomer on some of his scenes. I also really liked Adam Driver. I wish the main actor in 'Richard Jewell' had gotten in [Paul Walter Hauser]. Adam Sandler, too.”
 
Best Actress
“I thought what Renée Zellweger did was…good. I thought this was the best work of Scarlett Johansson’s career and for me, the thing with Zellweger is that it’s an iconic pre-existing character but Johansson was a created person played with real nuance. So I’ll go with her.”
 
Best Supporting Actor
“Why are there no 'Parasite' actors nominated for any of these categories? It’s so weird. Especially when they get standing applause at the Screen Actors Guild. Do they just vote for their friends at the Academy? I really liked Joe Pesci. I was so happy to see him back. I thought Brad Pitt was really great in that film but for me, Pesci was the revelation of ‘The Irishman.’”
 
Best Supporting Actress
“I thought the one in ‘Little Women’ was really good [Florence Pugh]. And she had an incredible year, like ‘Midsommar.’ Laura Dern was also amazing. Everybody loves Laura Dern. I’m actually about to rewatch ‘Little Women’ before I make my final decision. I saw it on a screener but I need to see it on the big screen. It’s between those two for sure.”
 
Best Sound Mixing
“I’m really impressed by [Gary] Rydstrom’s work on ‘Ad Astra.’ Amazing that a guy who’s been in the business for 40 years could create something so unique. Abstract and poetic and filled with distortion and weird noises that you’d never hear in a mainstream Hollywood film. Sounded unlike anything else. It’ll never win. It’s too abstract. I miss some of the experimentation in this category. I wish ‘The Lighthouse’ had been nominated. ‘Uncut Gems’ was brilliant. ‘Waves,’ too. So inventive and experimental and emotional at the same time. I feel like the choices made for the Sound nominations this year were the safe choices. A little conservative. It’s been a really creative year for film sound and that wasn’t reflected in this year’s nominations.”
 
Best Sound Editing
“‘Ford v Ferrari’ was amazing. The sound design of that film was extremely powerful. Everything that had an engine in that film sounded awesome. It also had a wonderful interplay between sound and music. The way it used sounds almost as music was really impressive. ‘1917’’s sound design wasn’t dynamic at all. There were these specific sequences with a really interesting sound. But a lot of scenes it was all about the music and the sound was an afterthought and that made me feel a little detached from the film. Every sound editor I know is talking about the subway scene in ‘Joker.’ That sequence is a masterpiece of sound editing. But overall, ‘Ford v Ferrari’ had more of where sound effects shine.“
 
“Every year I have to explain to people what sound editing and sound mixing is and I’m okay with that and I don’t need the Oscars to kind of dumb down what sound is. I still think there’s a reason for splitting them up and showing how much work there is in doing a great sounding film. If we scale back on having one award instead of two, we as a sound community will be even more anonymous and we should be putting sound people on the posters not buried in the credits.”

​Best Original Score
“Thomas Newman’s work is great, but I just feel there’s too much of it. There’s this tradition in Hollywood movies where you just score the film wall to wall. And that’s why ‘Joker’ shines to me. Hildur [Guðnadóttir]’s music comes in at very precise times and works as a very precise storytelling device. And that’s why she’ll win and Newman won’t.”
 
Best Visual Effects
“‘The Lion King’ was impressive but the film was so boring. I’ll go for ‘1917’ because I also feel like the film works well because of the work there. I don’t see why ‘Ad Astra’ wasn’t there. I’m definitely not going for ‘The Irishman.’ That whole part of the de-aging thing was [laughs]. I really liked the film but I don’t see why Scorsese didn’t choose younger actors to play them young. It just felt weird. You see an old man with an old body and a young face.”
 
Best Production Design
“‘Parasite.’ Crazy how the architecture and design of the sets reflect the story. Really ties in together – filmmaking at its finest. 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' would be my number two. The whole lineup is incredible.”
 
Best Costume Design
“Kind of a funny lineup isn’t it? I actually liked ‘Jojo Rabbit’’s costume look. For me, that film had a lot of vibe going for it. Not sure I liked every aspect of where the story was going. There were elements that were missing in the emotional trajectory, but the texture of the whole environment including the costumes, I actually really liked that. It felt like I was back there but it was filtered through a special director’s mind. It felt personal. And the works weren’t clichéd liked a lot of WWII films. Like I believed the girl had been living inside a wall.”
  
Best Original Screenplay
“'Parasite.' I’m very predictable.”
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
“I actually really liked ‘The Two Popes.’ It was telling a complicated story in a way that felt quite simple and that’s really hard”
 
Best Documentary
“‘The Cave,’ easily. ‘Apollo 11’ should’ve been there.”
 
Best Animated Film
“‘I Lost My Body.’ It’s a very amazing artistic achievement on all levels. From sound to the music. Sometimes animation can create a bit of a distance, but this felt like you were really experiencing a human story that for me was incredibly touching. I really think that film deserves a lot of love. Doing something you hadn’t seen before.”
 
Best International Film
“Parasite”

Voter #6 - A Member Of The Sound Branch

Best Picture
The biggest challenge for anybody – it’s the elephant in the room and nobody wants to deal with it-- is that it is physically impossible to watch everything in the time we have. So there are categories where I just pass because I haven’t seen everything. I feel guilty if I vote for something I haven’t watched. I think there were 83 films to be watched on the Academy streaming site. Just do the math. Let’s say they’re an average of 120 minutes each. You can’t possibly do that all if you work.

“Jojo Rabbit” was the only one that was hard for me to really get into. But that’s just a personal taste thing. All the other movies I thought were really great. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” I thought was a really good movie but it wasn’t the best of the bunch.

1. “Parasite”
2. “Ford v Ferrari”
3. “1917”

Best Sound Mixing & Editing
There’s a wave in The Academy to consolidate the sounds into one category. And I don’t think it’s fair. Because it would mean that it’s only the major movies with big budgets that get in. And sometimes a really good small movie like 'Barton Fink' will get in. But if the Academy caves into pressure and merges them, then that won’t happen. The awards will all go to 'Star Wars' and 'Avengers.'"

So this year, '1917' and 'Ford v Ferrari' were just amazing sound jobs. They did such an amazing job of creating tension through sound in “Ford v Ferrari” and it wasn’t just these generic racing sounds you have in some movies. I’m an F1 fan so I was just in tears because it was so good. That scene where he takes Henry Ford for a test drive was one of the best moments of the year and a lot of that was the sound. '1917' was 'The Revenant' but in WWI. You’re tracking this lone survivor through all these different terrains. You get to appreciate the differences in sound in a single sequence, like where he’s running through the courtyard and then goes into that basement to see that woman and there’s such a striking change between the two.

With 'Joker,' I think this was an intentional choice, but I think all the individual elements were pushed too far. It distracted me. Dynamic range is the language of sound and there could have been a lot more subtlety in 'Joker.'

For the majority of the time, to have a great sound mix means you have to have a great sound edit. The material mixers have, you can’t do a great job with it, so I split my love. 'Ford v Ferrari' for Sound Mixing and '1917' for Sound Editing. But really, every one of those nominees was pretty great.

Best Actor
“Joaquin Phoenix hands down. Absolutely no way anyone could compare. And it sucks because this was a great field. It’s not fair that, like, Jonathan Pryce has to compete with a performance like Joaquin’s, but it is what it is. It was a great year.”

Best Actress
“This was a tough one for me. Mainly because I thought 'Judy' was one of those really fantastic jobs. I think Renee really owned that role. I also loved 'Harriet.' As a first-time feature actress, I think Cynthia Erivo did an amazing job. It was so physical. I ended up going with Renee.

'Bombshell' and 'Little Women' to me were kind of the same in that they were more ensemble pieces and nobody individually really stuck out the way Renee and Cynthia did.”

Best Supporting Actor
“I had to go with Hanks in 'A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.' It’s an iconic role. It was close between him and Pacino though.”

Best Supporting Actress
“I passed on this category. I didn’t see all the movies so it didn’t feel right to vote. I didn’t catch 'Richard Jewell.'”

Best Editing
“I loved all of these. 'Parasite?' My god. 'Ford v Ferrari?' How could you not? 'The Irishman?' Thelma? Just Epic. So good. So this was really difficult. I did “Ford v Ferrari.” I definitely thought '1917' should’ve been here though for making the trick look so seamless.”

Best Cinematography
“'The Lighthouse' was really beautiful but I had to do '1917'.”

Best Visual Effects
“What they did in 'The Irishman' was really interesting even if it didn’t work for some people. I still went with '1917' but I really did respect what Marty’s team did there.”

Best Production Design
“This was another tough call. I was between '1917' and 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.' They were both epic, but I went with 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.'"

Best Costume Design
“I was split between 'Jojo Rabbit' and 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' here. I went with 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' because it was so authentic.”

Best Animated Feature
“I thought the most innovative thing was 'I Lost My Body.' It was a really bold way to tell a great story.”

What do you think of these anonymous ballots? Check out our predictions here and let us know in the comments below or on our Twitter account.

You can follow Will and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @mavericksmovies