Assistant directing and lighting industry professional, and the host of the ContraZoom podcast, Dakota Arsenault joins Elysia to get into the technical details behind this year's Oscar nominees for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Film Editing, and Sound. They look at why a movie is nominated, what makes it special, and others they would have liked to see make the cut. Stick around after their conversation for updates (02:17:37) on these races!

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free.

Links discussed:

• Explore the ContraZoom podcast and blog
• One Sentimental Bugonia After Another (audio, Elysia guests)
• Elysia's ContraZoom review of Resurrection
• Corridor Crew's Oscar VFX nominees review
• Inside Sinners' VFX
• Sirāt sound design (video)

Cinematography nominees (00:05:01)

• Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams – trailer (Netflix)
• Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Darius Khondji – Marty Supreme – trailer (to rent)
• Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein – trailer (Netflix, our coverage)

Other films mentioned: The French Connection (1971, Disney+ [EU] / to rent, our coverage [subscribers]), Sound of Falling (eventually Mubi), Ballad of a Small Player (Netflix), Resurrection (to rent), No Other Choice (to rent / Netflix [Korea] / later Hulu [US]), The Long Walk (Starz / to rent), Materialists (Netflix) 

Visual Effects nominees (00:51:46)

• Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash – trailer (in theaters, eventually Disney+)
• Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen, Brandon K. McLaughlin – The Lost Bus – trailer (Apple TV)
• David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, Neil Corbould – Jurassic World Rebirth – trailer (Netflix [US], Skyshowtime [NL])
• Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington, Keith Dawson – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)

Other films mentioned: Tron: Ares (Disney+), The Creator (2023, Prime, our coverage), Monsters (2010, Prime / Tubi / etc.), The Electric State (Netflix), Superman (HBO Max, our coverage), Predator: Badlands (Disney+, our coverage), Thunderbolts* (Disney+, our coverage), The Fantastic 4: First Steps (Disney+, our coverage), Warfare (Prime), Mickey 17 (HBO Max)  

Film Editing nominees (01:29:57)

• Stephen Mirrione – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)
• Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme – trailer (to rent)
• Michael P. Shawver – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• Olivier Bugge Coutté – Sentimental Value – trailer (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])

Other films mentioned: If I Had Legs I Would Kick You (HBO Max, our coverage [subscribers]), Better Man (2024, Prime / Paramount+), Black Bag (Prime [USA] / Skyshowtime [EU]), 28 Years Later (Netflix, our coverage), Good Boy (AMC+ / Shudder / etc.), Sore: A Wife from the Future (YouTube)  

Sound nominees (01:55:54)

• Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 – trailer (Apple TV)
• Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas – Sirāt – trailer (to rent: Mar 24, later Hulu [US])
• Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker – Sinners – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage)
• José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another – trailer (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
• Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern – Frankenstein – trailer (Netflix, our coverage)

Other films mentioned: Wicked: For Good (to rent, our coverage), Superman (HBO Max, our coverage), Predator: Badlands (Disney+, our coverage), Warfare (Prime)    

The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats and access to the animated shorts via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound (this episode)

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTAs shorts

BAFTAs features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

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