Tim Brayton: Hi Chris. I'm so excited to get to talk about editing with you. It’s my favorite part of the filmmaking process, ever since my film school days. I even spent a few years as a professional editor - not of movies, sadly! There’s some wonderful magic that happens when two images, captured hours, days, potentially years apart, are placed next to each other and create a sense of unity and continuous space and time. To me, it’s the heart and soul of cinema.

Which makes it so very irritating that, historically, the Academy has treated the art form so dismissively. Like most of the below-the-line crafts categories, it rarely ever gets contexualized during the show itself. Unlike some of the more conspicuous categories, the Academy doesn't even always seem like they care if the editing is actually good or not. My sense is that Best Editing nominees at the Oscars tend to come in two different flavors: "MOST Editing", where just the sheer quantity of visible cutting is meant to impressive whether or not it does anything useful for the story, and a sort of "Best Picture Plus", where it’s just tacked onto whatever movies generally seem to be frontrunners. That’s not to say that 'Most-Editing' types and Frontrunners can’t have great editing. They often do.

If nominated, "Belfast" editor Úna Ní Dhonghaíle would be a first time nominee.

From this year's crop, I very much loved how The Power of the Dog was assembled.  But I’m also already steeling myself to deal with a nod for Belfast, for example, where I can’t remember a single specific instance of cutting, except for an opening montage that I didn’t like. But before I head off on tangents, let me kick it over to you. How optimistic are you that the Best Editing nominees will actually have the best – or even just very good – editing?

Chris James: Hey Tim! I've always found editing the most integral but oddly least flashy part of the filmmaking process. Great editing often doesn't draw attention to itself, as a movie should feel seamless and cohesive. To feel fully transported is to forget that you're watching a film and are instead experiencing it with the characters. Film editing is most crucial in upholding this bond with the audience.

First, I want to echo your praise of The Power of the Dog. There are a few reasons I think it will get in. First - it is a Best Picture frontrunner. If it were to miss, that would likely point to a Best Picture loss. Second, the editing is just noticeable enough to demonstrate why it is so skilled. This four hander changes perspective so seamlessly largely because of the editing.

Compare that to Belfast, a movie where I unfortunately remember most of the cuts. This feels like a great case of MOST editing not equalling BEST editing. It feels almost like a stream of consciousness that never formally establishes its cinematic language. There's one strange flashback fragment that feels almost Family Guy-esque with its lead up and shoehorning. Even at just 98 minutes, it feels a bit like Branagh is taking an 'everything and the kitchen sink' approach to the story, and the editing reflects that.

Could Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond earn "No Time To Die" a Best Film Editing nomination?

So far we've only talked about the two Best Picture frontrunners, which feels natural. Since the expanded Best Picture lineup, only four movies have earned a Best Film Editing nomination without getting a Best Picture nomination (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 2011 (WINNER); Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 2015; Baby Driver and I, Tonya - both 2017). Is there any movie that you think could follow in these movies footsteps and make it into the category without getting into Best Picture? To me, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Don't Look Up, and Nightmare Alley are on the cusp of Picture, but could still make it in here even if they miss the 'top' category. In terms of a longshot, I wonder if No Time To Die could be the rare, but not infrequent, action movie that makes it in. What do you think?

Tim Brayton: I'm very eager to dive into your question, but before we bid farewell to The Power of the Dog, I want to just mention my favorite bit of cutting, or at least the one where I knew we were in excellent hands with editor Peter Sciberras (not a name I can recall hearing - The Power of the Dog is only his fifth feature - but I'm on notice). It's when Benedict Cumberbatch is in the water bathing, and the film seems so reluctant to move in close to share the moment with him staying in at least medium-wide shots, right until he hears noise, and suddenly we snap into, not quite a POV shot I don't think, but a subjectively motivated one. It's the first moment when I remember having a glimpse beyond the character's mean surfaces into his emotional core, as we suddenly get just a beat of sharing his headspace and feeling the disappointment of his private moment getting cut short. Very simply, very lovely, and very potent.

But back to the game: what film might end up swinging an Editing nod without Picture? I think your three "on the cusp" picks are very on point, though I really do have a hard time imagining Macbeth or Don't Look Up getting as far as Editing without sufficient enthusiasm to go all the way. 

As for things that I think have no hope of a Picture nomination, I do think you got it right on the first try: no James Bond film has ever gotten a nomination for its editing, but it's easy to suppose Skyfall was awfully close. No Time to Die, I think, would be a MOST-edited film that actually works, not least because it doesn't tend to over-use tricks; its big action setpieces are all cut very differently, so they all end up feeling fresh no matter how deep into the very long running time we get. Which does make me pause a bit: "editing" is not the same as "running time", and the professional editors who vote for nominations certainly should know that, but I think there's a certain layman's idea that overly long films are "badly" edited. Your mileage may vary with No Time to Die 's length but I can see that holding it back.

Anyway, it's not sporting to copy your answer, so I'm going to offer a different one that I feel much less confident about: of the year's curious abundance of musicals, I think In the Heights had the most visible and arguably the best cutting. Specifically, I think the editing works hand-in-hand with the dance choreography in a way that it doesn't always in West Side Story, which is obviously going to be the gravitational field sucking up any and all tech awards that go to a musical this year. But given that our very own recent Team Experience awards saw fit to remember In the Heights, I wonder if it might not be entirely dead.

Most likely, though, as you point out, we're probably looking at five Best Picture nominees showing up here, too. So my next question for you is, what, if anything, do you think are the absolute locks for an Editing nomination?

If "West Side Story" gets a nomination for Best Film Editing, it will be the 1st for Sarah Broshar and 9th for Michael Kahn. Seven of his eight previous nominations came from Steven Spielberg filmsChris James: In the Heights is such a great example of a movie that should’ve been a contender. As much as I would love to see it sneak in here (it would make my ballot), there will likely be only room for one musical this year. I was surprised to see West Side Story miss a nomination at the ACE Eddie Awards yesterday. The musical they decided to go with was tick, tick… Boom! I still think West Side Story has the advantage at the Oscars, but it does give me pause on predicting it. Since 2010 only four movies have earned Best Film Editing nominations without an ACE nod first: The Father (2020), Spotlight (2015), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and 127 Hours (2010). All of those movies were Best Picture nominees which West Side Story most definitely will be. 

Outside of the two editing locks we've already discussed, I would be shocked if Joe Walker’s work for Dune doesn’t earn a nod. Action tends to earn nominations (and even wins) in editing and the fact that the movie will show up across all tech categories plus Best Picture is obviously of great help. On top of that, the editing is integral in drawing the audience into the world of Arrakis. The action scenes are incredibly kinetic and clear. We’re constantly moving with the characters, rather than being consumed by quick cuts that obfuscate the incredible stunt work being done. Editing is also central in demonstrating the relationships between characters that are not in the same space. Paul and Chani’s connection is made real solely through the art of editing. In the final act (of the first half of this story), Walker threads Duke Leto’s capture by House Harkonnen with Paul and Lady Jessica’s adventures in the spice desert. While separated, they remain connected.

So, if those three are locks, who gets the final two slots? I agree that West Side Story still feels like a good bet but this year doesn’t feel particularly ripe for a movie outside of Best Picture. That means the fifth slot is likely to come from another nominee. There’s a habit with the Oscars of going with a smaller movie that they just love across the board (see The Descendants or Silver Linings Playbook). That makes me want to predict something like King Richard which did receive an ACE nomination. If Phantom Thread wasn’t able to make it into Best Film Editing, I struggle to see the more (purposefully) meandering Licorice Pizza cracking the lineup. Since Vice made it into this category, I could also see Don’t Look Up easily earning that same nomination. Missing at ACE makes me feel we should count out Nightmare Alley. 

Predictions:

1. Power of the Dog
2. Belfast
3. Dune
4. West Side Story
5. Don't Look Up

Gun to head, I’m predicting Don’t Look Up but I’m not confident. Who do you think will receive that final slot?

To date, "There Will Be Blood" has been the only Paul Thomas Anderson movie to earn a nomination for Best Film Editing. Will "Licorice Pizza" be the second?

Tim Brayton: To be honest, even after all the nice things I just said about the editing in The Power of the Dog, I'm going to be rooting for Dune to win. Maybe I'm just being willfully blind, but I'd be even more surprised by a Dune snub than a Belfast snub. And I greatly admired it, especially those perfectly clear action sequences you mentioned - weirdly rare in contemporary blockbuster filmmaking! Which is to say: I have the same top four as you, and then we come up with that question of what rounds things out?  

Don't Look Up is tough to argue against, but let's play it out a bit. I've been a bit more bullish on Licorice Pizza's chances than you, but now that you've reminded me about Phantom Thread missing out, it gives me pause. If there's a difference between the two Paul Thomas Anderson films that favors Pizza, it's that I think it has a great shot at a writing nomination, which to me feels like the sign of a warmer affection towards the film. So I'm not ready to write it off here either.

And maybe there's a complete curveball: we talked about No Time to Die, but what about Spider-Man: No Way Home? Major, major hit, a whole lot of moving parts to keep track of including three versions of the same costume, and for better or worse, it's one of the only proper large-scale action movies that made any sort of impact this year. But pragmatically, I think you're probably right; I think I still have Licorice Pizza as #5 in my predictions, but it's falling and Don't Look Up is rising.

Predictions:

1. Dune
2. Power of the Dog
3. Belfast
4. West Side Story
5. Licorice Pizza

My last question for you: what do you want to get nominated that you think will miss out? That is, do you have any passionate FYCs for all the voters out there? I've already offered my big one: The Tragedy of Macbeth. But if they somehow found it within themselves to recognize the sharp comic timing and brisk pacing of The French Dispatch, which scored an ACE nomination for Comedy editing, I would surely not mind that.

Chris James: Unfortunately, I also feel like I am counting out The Tragedy of Macbeth as well. Though it is definitely in the Oscar conversation in other categories, this doesn't feel like the place it would get in. I think you have a point that CODA could be another possibility in this category if they really adore it. King Richard doesn't necessarily come alive in its tennis scenes enough to be a real force in this category. Still, coattails are a real factor to consider. Which movie will bring more categories? Seeing Spider-Man: No Way Home break into this category would be a complete surprise. So much about the film's trajectory reminds me of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which managed a Film Editing nomination. It's a huge hit that some thought could make it into Best Picture just because of its box office success. While Black Panther was able to make it into many categories, the Star Wars franchise tends to have more Oscar success than the MCU. 

My back-up option outside of my predicted five would actually be No Time To Die rather than Licorice Pizza. In terms of what I want to get nominated, I would personally vote for In the Heights. The entire film was so incredibly well constructed, with sequences like "96,000" in particular standing out. Other than that, I really loved Titane's editing. Especially in the first act, the editing really plays up an impending dread that precedes shocking moments of violence.

Thank you so much for this wonderful conversation, Tim. 

Dear reader, what do you think will be nominated for Best Film Editing at the Oscars? 

More Oscar Volleys

• Best Animated Feature
• Best Makeup and Hair
• Best Original Song

See also: Nathaniel's Updated Best Editing Oscar Chart