Best Cinematography: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Last year’s winner: 1917.
We’ve looked at the sound categories already, including both music groups. Now, we’re looking at the way these nominees look: the Best Cinematography selections. This category is almost never bad, especially with the evolution of cinematic photography that never slows down. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but the Academy usually does fairly well with recognizing the best (or some of the best) shot films of each year. We have five films, and we’re going to look at how they… well… look. Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: The Man Who Sold His Skin
I’m guessing that The Man Who Sold His Skin would have had a potential chance here, had the film been on the radar of the film going public. I actually think this film is one of the best shot of last year, bar none. The rich colours and incredible use of angles and focusing (especially all in relation to how these colours splash off of one another) is impossible to ignore. I adore how The Man Who Sold His Skin looks. It’s simply gorgeous.
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7
Phedon Papamichael
There usually isn’t a bad nomination in the Best Cinematography category, but there can be nods that are there to service the platform for Best Picture nominees that are well, but not brilliantly, shot. Such is the case for The Trial of the Chicago 7, which does have great photography (nice use of lighting, some extreme capturing of details), but it clearly doesn’t compete with the photography of the other four nominees. Still, I can’t pretend that this film is poorly shot, but the nomination here is obviously an effort to get The Trial of the Chicago 7 an extra reason to be considered for Best Picture.
4. News of the World
Dariusz Wolski
So News of the World is really well shot… at times. Otherwise, it’s standard photography done nicely. When it wants to flaunt its use of natural or warm lighting, then this film is stunning to look at (the dust sequence is particularly astonishing). There’s nothing wrong that News of the World does, especially because it’s wise to not overdo anything. However, the three higher nominees manage to pull off even more, and more often. Oh well. News of the World being recognized here makes perfect sense.
3. Judas and the Black Messiah
Sean Bobbitt
On paper, it seems like Judas and the Black Messiah would be a similar nomination here that The Trial of the Chicago 7 was, but that actually isn’t the case. The cinematography here goes the extra mile. Extensive uses of blurring to change focal points. Smooth dolly shots. The occasional flex with lighting and shadows. Judas could have been competently shot and all would be fine, but it’s actually shot so incredibly well. It deserves to be here, and actually could have won any other year.
2. Nomadland
Joshua James Richards
So much natural lighting is used in Nomadland, bringing you closer to the natural side of the United States. You see and experience everything: sunsets, geological landscapes, wildlife, campfires at night, and more. Nomadland had to be shot well, because of its minimalist, passive nature; if it was just okay to look at, many of the film’s more moving qualities may not have hit as often. Luckily, it’s stunning to look at, and could have easily been the frontrunner for this category, had a certain film not made its cinematography the majority of its own niche.
1. Mank
Erik Messerschmidt
Do I need to say more? Mank is almost completely driven by how it looks. The production, costumes, music, performances. It all is for nothing if the film doesn’t look the part of a Golden Age Hollywood classic, and it looks exactly like one. Even if that wasn’t the case, Mank’s experimentation with shadows and bright, focused lights is a clear callback to that era, specifically the visual look of Citizen Kane. It fulfills its M.O. perfectly, and is an absolute feast to watch at all times.
Who I want to win: Any of my top three picks (Mank, Nomadland, and Judas and the Black Messiah) would leave me joyful if they won.
Who I think will win: Normally, I would have said Mank would take this hands down (it has to win something of its many nominations, and it’s one of the few categories it’s not in clear competition with another film in). However, there has been some recent development, due to how Best Picture winners operate: usually (not always), a Best Picture winner is successful in two or more categories. Nomadland is slated for Best Picture, and Chloé Zhao for Director, but the film needs to win elsewhere; maybe screenplay or editing? Nonetheless, the recent burst of awards season triumph for Nomadland — and this near-necessity — leaves me thinking that Nomadland is going to overtake Mank in this category; other Oscar predictors feel the same way, presently. I’d pick either Mank or Nomadland, and I might flip back closer to Oscar day, but I currently think Nomadland is going to pull off the swap successfully.
Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.