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"Best Sound Mix" awards


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" how does the judging process work for "best sound mix" on TV and Film? "

The Emmy judging has just been completed.

while I am certain this process has been explained before, it has been updated a bit recently, so I'll review:

First: entries are submitted, mostly by producers, but also by the folks involved (actors, directors, DP's, MU, etc). Academy members may submit a (single) project they worked on for free, but after that one, there is a submission fee.

a list of the eligible submissions are sent to Academy members for initial (nominations) voting. All members vote in general "best program" categories, and the categories of their peer group (for examples directors, actors, sound). Members are supposed to have watched the programs they vote for, and believe them worthy of an Emmy.

Top eligible vote getters are announced as finalists (nominees). Members may request ballots for eligible categories (program + peer group) and certify they have no conflicts. They are appointed to panels pretty much by their own request, but cannot judge some of the same categories year after year. The receive DVD's, and are instructed to watch them and vote according to the rules of the category, and it is left up to the professional integrity of each judge to decide on their votes. They sign an affadavit, and the ballots go to a CPA firm to be tabulated.

Edited by studiomprd
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This is what I'm most interested in knowing. It would be nice knowing what these rules are so that I know what to strive for.

Just do your best to make yourself proud of the work. Some people record brilliant sound on very difficult TV shows and movies for years without award recognition. And some people get awards for... lesser contributions?... Winning awards would be great, but I'm happy when I feel like I have delivered something I'm proud of and sometging better than they expected.

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" It would be nice knowing what these rules are "

The complete rules are published by the academy.

What I referred to is that some categories are preferential voting (ranking the finalists from 1-5; top score gets the statue) and some are valuation, where each finalist-nominee is considered individually (yes/no) on worthiness for an Emmy, and there may be none or one or more Emmys awarded.

I have had discussions with production sound mixers who voted by trying to determine which nominee(s) had the least ADR, but the award is for the best sounding final product, and frankly, it really is, IMHO, pretty much a post-sound award. I personally know of a show that won and was a very high % ADR... It was a tough show, but the post was spectacular.

As I said, as judges, we do not get much instructions on how to make our determination...it is left to our experience, judgment, and professionalism to fairly vote for the mix we think best serves the project.

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The CAS awards (also have published rules) allow every member to vote first for the submitted entries to determine a list of nominees, and then to select the winners.

A committee selects the technical award nominees.

For the Oscars, the initial balloting on eligible submissions is done similar to the Emmy's, with peer groups voting for nominees in specific categories, but then the entire voting membership votes on all of the awards in most categories, but there are some special exceptions and requirements for several specified categories (like foreign films, and special effects, etc. There are complex rules about entries, eligibility and such, but as for the judging, that is pretty much at the same professional desecration of the members as in the other sound mix awards.

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It is my personal feeling that by having all voting members voting in almost all of the categories for the final awards, there is a "piling on" effect.... If a member loved Movie X, then they loved the movie, the directing, the producing (best Pix), the cinematography, the makeup, the sets, the music, the acting, and the sound.

Frequently in the nominations (by the Sound members) you will find movies that have no other nominations in other categories (Waterworld, Under Siege) but as JD sez: big sound movies

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69 pages of rules, just for the Emmys:

http://www.emmys.tv/sites/emmys.tv/files/pte10_rulesandproced_4.pdf

I agree with the Senator on the "piling on" effect. I knew a cinematographer in 1997 who was steamed that he got passed up for an Oscar nom, and when I mentioned Titanic, he grimaced and said, "even the caterer on that movie will have a career for 10 years, just because of that film's success."

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Absolutely not true.

"No country for old men"

+1.

Also, I don't remember much crashing metal and explosions in Dreamgirls, which was nominated and won against Flags Of Our Fathers and Pirates. Or Slumdog, which upset films like Wall-E and Wanted. Or Hurt Locker - though loud and crashing at times, it wasn't nearly as loud and FX-filled as Transformers, Star Trek, and Inglorious Basterds. I'm quite positive there are many more examples.

Andrew U.

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