American Cinema Editors (ACE) Awards 2012
The Descendants (Kevin Tent) and The Artist (Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius) were the two live-action narrative features to win the 2012 American Cinema Editor Awards at a ceremony held this evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. That shows ACE Award voters opted for more subdued film editing jobs this year: The Descendants’ competitors, for instance, included David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo; one of The Artist’s competitors was Paul Feig’s hectic comedy Bridesmaids.
Or perhaps ACE voters just wanted to reward someone new. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter were last year’s winner for Fincher’s The Social Network. Hugo’s Thelma Schoonmaker has already won four ACE Awards – a.k.a. Eddies – each for a Martin Scorsese-directed film: Raging Bull (1980), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), and The Departed (2006, tied with Babel’s Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise).
Tent had never won an ACE Award. Much like The Descendants, his previous nods were all for Alexander Payne-directed films: Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002), and Sideways (2004). Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius were first-time nominees.
So, what do those victories mean in Oscar terms? Well, both a lot and not much. The Descendants seems to be the odds-on favorite to take home the Best Film Editing Academy Award because nine of the last ten Oscar winners in that category had previously won the ACE Award for a dramatic feature (including co-ACE winner The Departed). However, dramatic features haven’t had strong competition in the comedy/musical category since 2002 – and Rob Marshall’s Chicago. In early 2003, Chicago went on to win both the ACE Award for a comedy/musical and the Oscar for film editing. In other words, The Artist – not The Descendants – is the film to beat for the Best Film Editing Oscar this year.
Now, The Artist was the Best Picture favorite before the ACE Awards, and it remains the Best Picture favorite after the ACE Awards. The Descendants could have been a real threat had it also won either the Producers Guild Award or the Directors Guild Award. The Artist won both.
Last year, for instance, The Social Network was the ACE Award winner in the dramatic feature category. But the Best Picture Oscar went to Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, winner of both the PGA and the DGA Awards.
In the last ten years, only five winners of the ACE Award for Best Edited Dramatic Feature have also taken home the Best Picture Oscar: Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Paul Haggis’ Crash (2005), Scorsese’s The Departed (2006, tied with Babel), Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (2009). Of those, only Crash failed to win either the PGA or the DGA Award – and Crash’s victory over Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain remains one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history. Chicago is the only Best Picture winner of the last ten years to have previously won the ACE Award for a comedy/musical feature.
Among this year’s other ACE Award winners were Gore Verbinski’s animated feature Rango (Craig Wood). Freedom Riders (Lewis Erskine, Aljernon Tunsil) was the Best Edited Documentary, while television winners were Cinema Verite, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, and Homeland.
Additionally, The Descendants’ Alexander Payne was given the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, while Clint Eastwood’s frequent collaborator Joel Cox (The Gauntlet, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, etc.) and television veteran Doug Ibold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Miami Vice, Magnum, P.I.) received, respectively, motion picture and television Lifetime Career Achievement awards.
Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic
* The Descendants – Kevin Tent
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball – Christopher Tellefsen
War Horse – Michael KahnBest Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical
* The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids – William Kerr & Michael L. Sale
Midnight in Paris – Alisa Lepselter
My Week with Marilyn – Adam Recht
Young Adult – Dana E. GlaubermanBest Edited Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin – Michael Kahn
Puss in Boots – Eric Dapkewicz
* Rango – Craig WoodBest Edited Half-Hour Series for Television
Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Mister Softee” – Roger Nygard
* Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Palestinian Chicken” – Steven Rasch
Modern Family: “Express Christmas” – Steven RaschBest Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television
Breaking Bad: “End Times” – Kelley Dixon
* Breaking Bad: “Face Off” – Skip MacDonald
Friday Night Lights: “Always” – Angela M. Catanzaro
The Good Wife: “Real Deal” – Hibah Frisina
The Walking Dead: “Save the Last One” – Hunter ViaBest Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television
Boardwalk Empire: “To the Lost” – Tim Streeto
Game of Thrones: “Baelor” – Frances Parker
* Homeland: “Pilot” – Jordan Goldman & David LathamBest Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television
* Cinema Verite – Sarah Flack & Robert Pulcini
Downton Abbey, Episode 1.1 – John Wilson
Mildred Pierce, Part 1 – Affonso Gonçalves & Camilla TonioloBest Edited Documentary
Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Joe Bini & Maya Hawke
* Freedom Riders – Lewis Erskine & Aljernon Tunsil
George Harrison: Living in the Material World – David Tedeschi
Art Directors Guild Awards 2012
‘Mildred Pierce, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ Win Art Directors Guild Awards
Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (period film), David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (fantasy film), and David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (contemporary film) were the feature-film winners at the Art Directors Guild’s 16th Excellence in Production Design Awards, held this evening at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The respective production design winners were Dante Ferretti (photo), Stuart Craig, and Donald Graham Burt. (See further below the full list of 2012 Art Directors Guild winners and nominees.)
Both Ferretti (with frequent collaborator/set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo) and Craig (with set decorator Stephenie McMillan ) are in the running for the Best Art Direction Academy Award. Their competitors are Laurence Bennett and set decorator Robert Gould for Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, Anne Seibel and set decorator Hélène Dubreuil for Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, and Rick Carter and set decorator Lee Sandales for Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.
Among the evening’s other award winners were Mark Friedberg for Todd Haynes’ Mildred Pierce, Richard Bird for Modern Family, Bill Groom for Boardwalk Empire, and Steve Bass for the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony. Veteran production designer, former husband of Julie Andrews, and frequent Sidney Lumet collaborator Tony Walton (The Boy Friend, Murder on the Orient Express) received the ADG’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Additionally, the already-deceased trio of Robert Boyle (North by Northwest, Fiddler on the Roof), William S. Darling (In Old Chicago, The Song of Bernadette), and Alfred Junge (Piccadilly, Black Narcissus) were this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.
And finally, an award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery was given to the behind-the-scenes team from the Harry Potter movies, including executive producer David Heyman, producer David Barron; directors Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates; author J.K. Rowling; screenwriters Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan.
Art Directors Guild president Thomas A. Walsh presided over the awards ceremony, while Paula Poundstone served as host for the third consecutive year and Ben Vereen performed as a “special musical guest.” Presenters included veteran Edward Asner, Alexandra Breckenridge, Miranda Cosgrove, James Cromwell, Melanie Lynskey, Penelope Ann Miller, Kevin McHale, Gary Oldman, Vinessa Shaw, and Max Greenfield.
At the start of the awards ceremony, two short films by Cindy Peters had their public premiere. As per the ADG’s press release, the first film “provided a rare behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 16th annual awards show.” The second short, “75 Years of Inspirational Design: A Personal Reflection in Eight Chapters,” featured production designers Rick Carter, Albert Brenner, Terry Marsh, James D. Bissell, Jeannine Oppewall, Rick Heinrichs, Roy Christopher, and Guy Hendrix Dyas.
The ADG release adds that “ADG awards recognition always goes to the Production Designer, Art Director, Assistant Art Director and their team of each nominated and winning project.”
The U.S. remake of Niels Arden Oplev’s Swedish-made international blockbuster has far outperformed the original in the North American market; nonetheless, the David Fincher-directed thriller is an undeniable commercial disappointment in relation to its reported $90 million price tag (not including marketing and distribution expenses).
Art Directors Guild Awards
Veteran television and film actor Edward Asner was one of the presenters at the 2012 Art Directors Guild Awards held last Saturday, Feb. 5, at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Winners for “excellence in production design” included Martin Scorsese’s period drama Hugo (Dante Ferretti), David Yates’ fantasy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Stuart Craig), and David Fincher’s contemporary drama The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Donald Graham Burt).
Host Paula Poundstone
Art Directors Guild president Thomas A. Walsh presided over the awards ceremony, while comedian Paula Poundstone served as host for the third consecutive year. In addition to Edward Asner, Art Directors Guild Awards presenters included:
- Alexandra Breckenridge
- Miranda Cosgrove
- James Cromwell
- Melanie Lynskey
- Penelope Ann Miller
- Kevin McHale
- Gary Oldman
- Vinessa Shaw
- Max Greenfield
Additionally, Ben Vereen (All That Jazz) performed as a “special musical guest.”
More ADG Award winners
Among the other winners at the 2012 Art Directors Guild Awards were:
- Mark Friedberg for Todd Haynes’ TV movie Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet in the old Joan Crawford role.
- Veteran production designer, former husband of Julie Andrews, and frequent Sidney Lumet collaborator Tony Walton, who was handed the ADG’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tony Walton’s film credits include Petulia, The Boy Friend, Murder on the Orient Express, Prince of the City, Heartburn, and The Glass Menagerie.
Art Directors Guild website.
The titles below are followed by the name of the production designer(s) or, in several instances, the art director(s). Partial list of winners and nominees.
MOTION PICTURES
Period Film
Anonymous – Sebastian Krawinkel
The Artist – Laurence Bennett
The Help – Mark Ricker
* Hugo – Dante Ferretti
Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy – Maria DjurkovicFantasy Film
The Adventures of Tintin – Kim Sinclair & Jeff Wisniewski
Captain America: The First Avenger – Rick Heinrichs
Cowboys & Aliens – Scott Chambliss
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Stuart Craig
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – John MyhreContemporary Film
Bridesmaids – Jefferson Sage
The Descendants – Jane Anne Stewart
Drive – Beth Mickle
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – K.K. Barrett
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Donald Graham BurtTELEVISION
Television Movie or Miniseries
Bling Ring – Robb Wilson King
Cinema Verite – Patti Podesta
The Hour – Eve Stewart
* Mildred Pierce – Mark Friedberg
Too Big to Fail – Bob ShawOne-Hour Single Camera Television Series
* Boardwalk Empire – Episode: “21,” Bill Groom
Game of Thrones – Episode: “A Golden Crown,” Gemma Jackson
American Horror Story – Episode: “Murder House,” Mark Worthington
The Playboy Club – Episode: “The Scarlet Bunny,” Scott P. Murphy
Pan Am – Episode: “Pilot,” Bob ShawEpisode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series
Californication – Episode: “Monkey Business,” Michael Wylie
* Modern Family – Episode: “Express Christmas,” Richard Berg
New Girl – Episode: “Pilot,” Jefferson D. Sage
30 Rock – Episode: “Double-Edged Sword,” Keith Ian Raywood & Teresa Mastropierro
Weeds – Episode: “Game-Played,” Joseph P. LuckyPrevious post: The Art Directors Guild (ADG) 2011 nominations included a few surprises. A notable exception: Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, a 3D motion-capture animated feature, was included in the Fantasy Film category. (See below a partial list of this year’s Art Directors Guild nominees.)
Last year, all five films nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Art Direction category had been previously shortlisted by the Art Directors Guild. Two of these were in the Period Film category (The King’s Speech, True Grit) and three in the Fantasy Film category (Inception, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and eventual winner Alice in Wonderland).
This year’s notable omissions at the ADG Awards include Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Francis Lawrence’s Water for Elephants in the Period Film category; Kenneth Branagh’s Thor in the Fantasy Film category; and Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and George Clooney’s The Ides of March in the Contemporary Film category.
The omission of War Horse is particularly glaring because Spielberg’s period drama is considered one of the front-runners for the 2012 Best Picture Academy Award. Two years ago, the film’s production designer, Rick Carter, shared an Academy Award and an ADG Award for James Cameron’s Avatar.
The Art Directors Guild Awards ceremony will take place Saturday, Feb. 4, at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Paula Poundstone will serve as host for the third consecutive year.
At the ceremony, production designer Tony Walton will receive the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, while many of those involved in the making of the Harry Potter movies – including director David Yates, creator and author J.K. Rowling, screenwriter Steve Kloves, and production designer Stuart Craig – will be handed the Cinematic Imagery Award.
Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards 2012
Following a series of disappointments this awards season, Steven Spielberg has finally had his two 2011 releases come out on top – at the Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards earlier this evening. War Horse won the Golden Reel for sound editing: sound effects and foley in a feature film, while The Adventures of Tintin won for sound editing: sound effects, foley, dialogue and ADR in an animation film.
Martin Scorsese also had two of his films winning sound editing awards. George Harrison: Living in the Material World took the Golden Reel for sound editing: sound effects, foley, dialogue, ADR and music in a feature documentary, while Hugo won for sound editing: music in a feature film.
The other motion picture winners were Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War for sound editing: sound effects, foley, dialogue, and ADR in a feature foreign language film; James Bobin’s The Muppets for sound editing: music in a musical feature; and J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 for sound editing: dialogue and ADR in a feature film.
Additionally, producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, The Abyss, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, The Walking Dead), received the 2012 MPSE Filmmaker Award, and sound designer and editor George Watters II (Mommie Dearest, Flashdance, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) was given the Career Achievement Award.
Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards 2012
Martin Scorsese’s period fantasy Hugo was the winner at the Cinema Audio Society Awards, which took place Saturday night at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The CAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture went to Hugo’s production mixer John Midgley, re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman, and scoring mixer Simon Rhodes.
Also at the ceremony, four-time CAS Award winner Scott Millan (Captain America: The First Avenger, Red Dawn, Skyfall) was given the CAS Career Achievement Award, presented by sound department veteran Walter Murch and composer Thomas Newman. Additionally, Chicago/Nine/Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ Rob Marshall was handed the CAS Filmmaker Award, presented by, among others, Nine/On Stranger Tides’ Penélope Cruz.
Visual Effects Society Nominations
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Captain America: The First Avenger
Charlie Noble
Mark Soper
Christopher Townsend
Edson Williams
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Tim Burke
Emma Norton
John Richardson
David Vickery
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Gary Brozenich
David Conley
Charlie Gibson
Ben Snow
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dan Lemmon
Joe Letteri
Cyndi Ochs
Kurt Williams
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Scott Benza
Wayne Billheimer
Matthew Butler
Scott Farrar
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Anonymous – Andre Cantarel, Volker Engel, Rony Soussan & Marc Weigert
Hugo – Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, Rob Legato & Karen Murphy
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – Laya Armian, Chas Jarrett, Seth Maury & Sirio Quintavalle
Source Code – Annie Godin & Louis Morin
War Horse – Duncan Burbidge, Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland & Chris Zeh
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Arthur Christmas – Doug Ikeler, Chris Juen, Alan Short & Mandy Tankenson
Kung Fu Panda 2 – Melissa Cobb, Alex Parkinson, Jennifer Yuh Nelson & Raymond Zibach
Puss in Boots – Joe Aguilar, Guillaume Aretos, Ken Bielenberg & Chris Miller
Rango – Tim Alexander, Hal Hickel, Jacqui Lopez & Katie Lynch
The Adventures of Tintin – Jamie Beard, Joe Letteri, Meredith Meyer-Nichols & Eileen Moran
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie, or Special
Finding Life Beyond Earth – Simon Clarke, Hasraf Dulull, Vikas Gandhi & Francisco Lima
Gettysburg – J. David Everhart, Kent Johnson, Jon Rhinehardt & Jon Rosenthal
Inside the Human Body – Phil Dobree, Sophie Orde & Dan Upton
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Kevin Deters, Dorothy McKim, John Murrah & Stevie Wermers
The Bomber – Dmitriy Kolesnik, Dmitriy Ovcharenko, Egor Olesov & Igor Gotsulyak
notes
Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo The Artist image: The Weinstein Company.
*last modified in May 2025.