Academy Award for Best Sound Editing
CountryUnited States
Presented byAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
First awarded1963
Last awarded2019
Most recent winnerDonald Sylvester
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Websiteoscars.org

The Academy Award for Best Sound Editing was an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound design or sound editing. Sound editing is the creation of sound effects (such as foley). The award was usually received by the Supervising Sound Editors of the film, sometimes accompanied by the Sound Designers. Beginning with the 93rd Academy Awards, Best Sound Editing was combined with Best Sound Mixing into a single award for Best Sound.[1]

The nominations process previously took place in two phases. The sound branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shortlisted seven films during the early 1980s until 2006. Clips were screened at a "bake-off" and branch members voted using a weighted ballot to select up to three nominees. In a rule change on June 30, 2006, the bake-off for the Sound Branch was eliminated. The usual process of a "preferential ballot" submission was instituted resulting in five nominees each year.[2]

This is a list of films that have won or been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects (1963–1967, 1975), Sound Effects Editing (1977, 1981–1999), or Sound Editing (1979, 2000–2019). See Academy Award for Best Sound for a combined list of winners and nominees for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Winners and nominees

  indicates the winner

1960s

Year Film Nominees
1963
(36th)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Walter Elliott
A Gathering of Eagles Robert Bratton
1964
(37th)
Goldfinger Norman Wanstall
The Lively Set Robert Bratton
1965
(38th)
The Great Race Treg Brown
Von Ryan's Express Walter Rossi
1966
(39th)
Grand Prix Gordon Daniel
Fantastic Voyage Walter Rossi
1967
(40th)
The Dirty Dozen John Poyner
In the Heat of the Night James Richard
1968
(41st)
No award given
1969
(42nd)
No award given

1970s

Year Film Nominees
1970
(43rd)
No award given
1971
(44th)
No award given
1972
(45th)
No award given
1973
(46th)
No award given
1974
(47th)
No award given
1975
(48th)
The Hindenburg [note 1] Peter Berkos
1976
(49th)
No award given
1977
(50th)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [note 1] Frank Warner
1978
(51st)
No award given
1979
(52nd)
The Black Stallion [note 1] Alan Splet

1980s

Year Film Nominees
1980
(53rd)
No award given
1981
(54th)
Raiders of the Lost Ark [note 1] Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson
1982
(55th)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Charles L. Campbell and Ben Burtt
Das Boot Mike Le Mare
Poltergeist Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard L. Anderson
1983
(56th)
The Right Stuff Jay Boekelheide
Return of the Jedi Ben Burtt
1984
(57th)
The River [note 1] Kay Rose
1985
(58th)
Back to the Future Charles L. Campbell and Robert Rutledge
Ladyhawke Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray
Rambo: First Blood Part II Frederick Brown
1986
(59th)
Aliens Don Sharpe
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Mark Mangini
Top Gun Cecelia Hall and George Watters II
1987
(60th)
RoboCop [note 1] Stephen Hunter Flick and John Pospisil
1988
(61st)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Charles L. Campbell and Louis Edemann
Die Hard Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard Shorr
Willow Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns
1989
(62nd)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns
Black Rain Milton Burrow and William Manger
Lethal Weapon 2 Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray

1990s

Year Film Nominees
1990
(63rd)
The Hunt for Red October Cecelia Hall and George Watters II
Flatliners Charles L. Campbell and Richard C. Franklin
Total Recall Stephen Hunter Flick
1991
(64th)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Gary Rydstrom and Gloria Borders
Backdraft Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country George Watters II and F. Hudson Miller
1992
(65th)
Bram Stoker's Dracula Tom McCarthy and David Stone
Aladdin Mark Mangini
Under Siege John Leveque and Bruce Stambler
1993
(66th)
Jurassic Park Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns
Cliffhanger Wylie Stateman and Gregg Baxter
The Fugitive John Leveque and Bruce Stambler
1994
(67th)
Speed Stephen Hunter Flick
Clear and Present Danger Bruce Stambler and John Leveque
Forrest Gump Gloria Borders and Randy Thom
1995
(68th)
Braveheart Lon Bender and Per Hallberg
Batman Forever John Leveque and Bruce Stambler
Crimson Tide George Watters II
1996
(69th)
The Ghost and the Darkness Bruce Stambler
Daylight Richard Anderson and David A. Whittaker
Eraser Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
1997
(70th)
Titanic Tom Bellfort and Christopher Boyes
Face/Off Mark Stoeckinger and Per Hallberg
The Fifth Element Mark Mangini
1998
(71st)
Saving Private Ryan Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns
Armageddon George Watters II
The Mask of Zorro David McMoyler
1999
(72nd)
The Matrix Dane Davis
Fight Club Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort

2000s

Year Film Nominees
2000
(73rd)
U-571 Jon Johnson
Space Cowboys Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray
2001
(74th)
Pearl Harbor George Watters II and Christopher Boyes
Monsters, Inc. Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers
2002
(75th)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
Minority Report Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Road to Perdition Scott Hecker
2003
(76th)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Richard King
Finding Nemo Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
2004
(77th)
The Incredibles Michael Silvers and Randy Thom
The Polar Express Randy Thom and Dennis Leonard
Spider-Man 2 Paul N. J. Ottosson
2005
(78th)
King Kong Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
Memoirs of a Geisha Wylie Stateman
War of the Worlds Richard King
2006
(79th)
Letters from Iwo Jima Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray
Apocalypto Kami Asgar and Sean McCormack
Blood Diamond Lon Bender
Flags of Our Fathers Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
2007
(80th)
The Bourne Ultimatum Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
No Country for Old Men Skip Lievsay
Ratatouille Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
There Will Be Blood Christopher Scarabosio and Matthew Wood
Transformers Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins
2008
(81st)
The Dark Knight Richard King
Iron Man Frank E. Eulner and Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire Tom Sayers and Glenn Freemantle
WALL-E Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
Wanted Wylie Stateman
2009
(82nd)
The Hurt Locker Paul N. J. Ottosson
Avatar Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Inglourious Basterds Wylie Stateman
Star Trek Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Up Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

2010s

Year Film Nominees
2010
(83rd)
Inception Richard King
Toy Story 3 Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
Tron: Legacy Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable Mark P. Stoeckinger
2011
(84th)
Hugo Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Drive Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Ren Klyce
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
War Horse Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
2012
(85th)
[note 2]
Skyfall (TIE) Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Dark Thirty (TIE) Paul N. J. Ottosson
Argo Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
2013
(86th)
Gravity Glenn Freemantle
All Is Lost Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
Captain Phillips Oliver Tarney
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Brent Burge and Chris Ward
Lone Survivor Wylie Stateman
2014
(87th)
American Sniper Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar Richard King
Unbroken Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
2015
(88th)
Mad Max: Fury Road Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian Oliver Tarney
The Revenant Martin Hernández and Lon Bender
Sicario Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Matthew Wood and David Acord
2016
(89th)
[3]
Arrival Sylvain Bellemare
Deepwater Horizon Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli
Hacksaw Ridge Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright
La La Land Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
Sully Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
2017
(90th)
Dunkirk Richard King and Alex Gibson
Baby Driver Julian Slater
Blade Runner 2049 Mark Mangini and Theo Green
The Shape of Water Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce
2018
(91st)
Bohemian Rhapsody John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
Black Panther Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
First Man Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
A Quiet Place Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
Roma Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay
2019
(92nd)
Ford v Ferrari Donald Sylvester
Joker Alan Robert Murray
1917 Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Wylie Stateman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Matthew Wood and David Acord

Shortlisted finalists

Finalists for Best Sound Editing were selected by the Sound Branch from 1981 to 2005. The full membership of the Sound Branch was invited to view excerpts and was provided with supporting information at a "bake-off" where balloting determined the three nominees.[4] These are the additional films that presented at the bake-off.

Year Finalists
1981 Dragonslayer, Heaven's Gate, Reds, Sharky's Machine, Sphinx, Stripes, Superman II, Time Bandits, Wolfen[5]
1982 The Dark Crystal[5]
1983 Blue Thunder, The Golden Seal, Never Cry Wolf, Sudden Impact, WarGames[5]
1984 Dune, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 2010[5]
1985 American Flyers, The Emerald Forest, Runaway Train, Year of the Dragon[5]
1986 The Color of Money, Platoon, Tai-Pan[5]
1987 Batteries Not Included, Cry Freedom, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon, Predator, The Witches of Eastwick[5]
1988 Beetlejuice, Mississippi Burning[5]
1989 Born on the Fourth of July, Glory, The Winter War[5]
1990 Dances with Wolves, Goodfellas[5]
1991 Beauty and the Beast, For the Boys, Hook, The Last Boy Scout[5]
1992 The Last of the Mohicans, Lethal Weapon 3, Patriot Games, Unforgiven[5]
1993 Geronimo: An American Legend[5]
1994 The Shawshank Redemption, True Lies[5]
1995 Apollo 13, Heat, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Waterworld[5]
1996 Independence Day, The Rock, Star Trek: First Contact, Twister[5]
1997 Con Air, L.A. Confidential, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men in Black[5]
1998 Godzilla, Lethal Weapon 4, Ronin, The Thin Red Line[6]
1999 Any Given Sunday, The Green Mile, The Mummy, Three Kings[7]
2000 Cast Away, Gladiator, Mission: Impossible 2, The Perfect Storm, Unbreakable[8]
2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Amélie, Black Hawk Down, The Fast and the Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring[9]
2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Spider-Man, We Were Soldiers, xXx
2003 Kill Bill: Volume 1, The Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Seabiscuit[10]
2004 The Aviator, Collateral, The Day After Tomorrow, Ray[11]
2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Walk the Line[12]

Superlatives

Multiple awards and nominations

Note: Ben Burtt and Stephen Hunter Flick both have Special Achievement Awards in addition to their competitive awards. These have been included with their award and nomination count. The only sound editor to date who has a Special Achievement Award and has an Oscar nomination but not a competitive award is Richard L. Anderson.

Multiple awards

Multiple nominations

† = includes special achievement awards

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f This was presented as a Special Achievement Award, not competitively.
  2. ^ A tie in voting resulted in two winners.

References

  1. ^ Hammond, Pete (April 28, 2020). "Oscars Keeping Show Date But Make Big News As Academy Lightens Eligibility Rules, Combines Sound Categories, Ends DVD Screeners and More". Deadline Hollywood.
  2. ^ "79th Oscar Rules, Approved by Academy" (Press release). AMPAS. 2006-06-30. Archived from the original on 2008-02-20.
  3. ^ "Academy Awards 2017: Complete list of Oscar winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. February 26, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "79th Oscar Rules Approved by Academy". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. April 17, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Mavity, Will (May 13, 2020). "A Tribute to the Oscar for Best Sound Editing". Next Best Picture. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Academy Announces Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 8, 1999. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "Academy Announces Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 14, 2000. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  8. ^ "Academy Announces Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 11, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 10, 2002. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  10. ^ "Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 5, 2004. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  11. ^ "Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 4, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "Seven Films Sound Off for 2005 Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 6, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
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