Pierce Brosnan, Academy Award Winner Jamie Selkirk and Julianne Moore		Academy Award Winning Sound Editor Richard King

Academy of Arts and Sciences

The 76th Annual Academy Awards took place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, February 29th, nearly a full month earlier than in the past, with voting taking place amid a building controversy over Academy screeners.

This year’s show, carried by ABC-TV nationally, was governed by a five-second delay, prompted by the recent Janet Jackson/Super Bowl incident.

First time Academy Awards show producer Joe Roth kept the emphasis on top stars to present awards in all categories this year, including those awards of most interest to the Guild – film editor, sound editor and sound mixing.

This year, New Zealand filmmakers dominated the show with an unprecedented 11 for 11 Oscars, claiming a clean sweep for “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” which tied “Titanic” and “Ben Hur” with most wins ever in the Academy’s history. It was noted by the major national news media that Oscar voters had decided to reward the “Lord of the Rings” motion picture trilogy and not just one film. So, it was incredibly impressive that the Academy elected to present Oscar statuettes to “Lord of the Rings” in two categories of special note to the Editors Guild – in film editing and in sound mixing.

The winner in the film editing category, Jamie Selkirk, worked on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy for six grueling years. The best sound mixing crew included three-time Oscar winner and Editors Guild member Christopher Boyes, who worked with New Zealanders’ Hammond Peak, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges. The sound editing award went to Richard King for his work on “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”

It was a great year for the movies, thanks to those who continue to be committed to giving 110% to the creation of quality films.

A.C.E. Golden Eddie Flimaker of the Year Gary Marshall		A.C.E. Lifetime Achievement Award-winner John Martinelli

American Cinema Editors

The 54th Annual American Cinema Editors (A.C.E.) Eddie Awards took place February 15th in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The black-tie gala drew a sellout crowd of 1,000-plus to a formal sit down dinner.

A.C.E. president Tina Hirsch, now serving in her final term at the helm of the organization, introduced the awards and acknowledged the A.C.E. officers and board members for their support during the past four years of her tenure. “It was a warm, funny, heartfelt evening,” she said. “I’d like to congratulate all the editors who’ve been nominated…Your work has been judged exceptional by a vote of your peers and I’m sure we’d all agree…each one of you is a winner.” Hirsch also acknowledged the assistant editors, "who, at their best, are our equals in loyalty–and passion for excellence.”

The 2004 event was hosted by Larry Miller, an actor/comedian/writer. Garry Marshall received the A.C.E. Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year honor. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to John Martinelli. A.C.E. (see related story on page 58) and Donn Cambern. The ACE Robert Wise Award to Hollywood Reporter writer Sheigh Crabtree. A student film editing award was presented, as well.

This year, “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (edited by Jamie Selkirk) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (edited by Craig Wood, Stephen Rivkin, A.C.E. and Arthur Schmidt) took top film honors.

All award-winners received an impressive gift bag valued at $2,000. The event was a well-produced, top notch show that rivals any great awards show in town.

C.A.S. Winner Ron Bochar		C.A.S. President's Award -winners Tom Regal, Ned Price, Leon Vitali and Chris Jenkins

Cinema Audio Society

The Cinema Audio Society presented its 40th annual Awards Gala in the Crystal Ballroom in Los Angeles’ Biltmore Hotel on February 21st. Before an appreciative crowd of some 400 attendees, comedian and“Saturday Night Live” alumnus Gary Kroeger was the energetic emcee and C.A.S. President Richard Lightstone was the evening’s program host.
Awards for outstanding achievement in Sound Mixing, Feature Films and Television were presented, and for the 11th straight year, the C.A.S. Awards proved to be a good divining rod for the Oscars, with identical choices for the five nominees.

In addition, Chris Jenkins, Ned Price, Tom Regal and Leon Vitali shared the C.A.S. President’s Award for their work in the audio restoration of seven classic films that comprise the bulk of Warner’s “Stanley Kubrick Collection.”

The centerpiece of the evening was an elaborate tribute to Gary R. Rydstrom, this year’s winner of the C.A.S. Career Achievement Award. Rydstrom, who left Skywalker Sound in February to become a full-fledged director at Pixar, was paid tribute by co-workers and mentors, alike.

There were taped congratulations, as well, from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Sound Designer Ben Burt and John Lasseter.

Ron Judkins called Rydstrom, “The man whose work is responsible for that intangible but very important and real element that completely galvanizes our imagination.”

Accepting the award, Rydstrom bade farewell to Skywalker Sound, calling it “an inspiring place to work…with a spirit I love and which will always be a big part of me.” He also thanked his wife, Cindy, for putting up with the long hours. He advised the gathering, “Don’t tell directors, DPs and film editors how much fun this job is, or they’ll all want to do it.”

M.P.S.E. Winners Gloria D'Allessandro, MPSE, Victoria Rose Sampson, Jessica Gallavan, Teri Dorman, Ulrika Akander, Karen Spangenberg and Lisa J. Levine.

Motion Picture Sound Editors

The Motion Picture Sound Editors presented its 51st annual awards ceremony and banquet in the Los Angeles Ballroom of the Century Plaza Hotel on Saturday, February 28th.
Over 870 people gathered to party with entertainers “David Garfield and the Cats,” dine on Porcini-crusted Prime Rib Filet and Arctic Char, and oh yes, to celebrate the awarding of the annual Golden Reel Awards in a generally boisterous spirit of camaraderie.

The Golden Reel Awards recognize the contributions of the entire sound crew, and this year was no exception. Eighty-one statuettes were awarded in 19 categories, recognizing not only supervising sound editors, but also dialogue editors, ADR, Foley artists and music editors in a range of projects that included traditional television and feature categories, as well as animation, computer entertainment, and special venue films.

The feature film awards were handed out by three-time Oscar winner and MPSE Past President Charles L. Campbell, and by four-time Oscar winner Gary L. Rydstrom.

Multiple winners were Miramax and Disney. Miramax won for Sound Editing in a feature film for “City of God;” and Music Editing in a feature film for “Cold Mountain.” Disney took home an award for Dialogue Editing in a feature film for “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” and Music Editing in an animated feature for “Finding Nemo.”

HBO with three awards, and Nickelodeon with two, were the biggest television winners.
A pre-banquet event was a special student screening, held on February 27th of all five nominated films for the Verna Fields Award in Sound Editing for Student Filmmakers. Veteran director Arthur Hiller presented the MPSE’s Career Achievement Award to retired Editors Guild member Don Hall, whom he praised as “the Guru of sound editing” for dedication to his craft of over 100 film and television productions.