The Cinema Audio Society correlates with the Sound Mixing award at the Oscars. We’ll look to them to tell us just how strong the love for La La Land is.

CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY AWARDS

Best Sound Mixing – Live Action

Doctor Strange
Hacksaw Ridge (Peter, RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp)
La La Land (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)
Rogue One (RU:Thomas)
Sully (RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: They only have one category with any potential of predicting the Oscars. This is it. Three of the Oscar nominees are here. Missing are Arrival and 13 Hours. They are replaced by Doctor Strange and Sully. The winner is likely to be an Oscar nominee and La La Land is the prohibitive frontrunner. Since this is voted on by the entire membership at the Oscars, La La Land is sure to win there. However, I’ve heard from a friend who works in sound and he was not impressed with the work done on the film. That doesn’t mean this group won’t go for it, but I do consider it a less-than-safe selection with Hacksaw Ridge a very likely spoiler.
Peter J. Patrick: It’s probably foolish to bet against La La Land, but it can’t win everything, right? Hacksaw Ridge would be a more conventional choice, as would Sully.
Tripp Burton: Three of these nominees got Oscar nominations, and they would appear to be the frontrunners. My hunch is with La La Land, with a blend of music that seems tailor-made for a victory here.
Thomas LaTourette: Being a musical, La La Land should have the edge on the competition in this category.

Best Sound Mixing – Animated

Finding Dory (RU:Thomas)
Kubo and the Two Strings (Wesley, Peter, Tripp)
Moana (Thomas, RU:Wesley)
The Secret Life of Pets
Zootopia (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: Mixing music, dialogue, and effects together into one seemless soundscape is a challenge and Kubo and the Two Strings has the most sound of them all and considering how much a part of it the music is, it’s likely the winner. The same could be said about Moana, the most likely runner-up. If they prefer musicals to action adventures, Disney could surprise.
Peter J. Patrick: Once again, I’m predicting a win for the superior Kubo and the Two Strings over the Disney powerhouse Zootopia.
Tripp Burton: Yet again, we have a horse race between Kubo and the Two Strings and Zootopia. I’m leaning towards the impressive technical achievements of the Laika production here.
Thomas LaTourette: The musical also seems more likely to win this, though either film with lots of water sounds could win.

Best Sound Mixing – Documentary

13th (RU:Peter)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Gleason
O.J.: Made in America (Peter, Tripp, Thomas, RU:Wesley)
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (Wesley, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: I’m going to buck the trend and give the edge to the music documentary in the bunch, The Music of Strangers. I’m not confident about that, but any of the others could also be a winner fairly easily.
Peter J. Patrick: The 8-hour O.J.: Made in America should triumph once again, with 13th its toughest competition.
Tripp Burton: This award doesn’t always go to the most popular nominee, which is why something like The Music of Strangers could be a dark-horse, but the bulk and breadth of O.J. Made in America should benefit it well here.
Thomas LaTourette: Once again, it seems like the longest film might win. Otherwise I could see it going to one of the music documentaries, with Yo-Yo Ma having the better chance of winning.