Elton John & Bernie Taupin

EXTRA EDITION

ANIMATION/ ARTISANS

ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Produced By BRADFORD LEWIS p.g.a. | BONNIE ARNOLD p.g.a. Written And Directed By DEAN DEBLOIS

“DEAN DEBLOIS BRINGS HIS WONDROUS DRAGON TRILOGY TO A SPECTACULAR FINISH. THE COURTSHIP BETWEEN TOOTHLESS AND LIGHT FURY IS A THING OF BALLETIC BEAUTY THAT BRINGS OUT THE DAZZLING ARTISTRY OF THE ANIMATION.”

WINNER BEST ANIMATED FEATURE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

JANUARY 31, 2020

0131 EE NBC UNI_CVR1.indd 1 1/28/20 12:45 PM Lovingly hand-made by , the st

“An Instant masterpiece. A stop-motion marvel. LAIKA surprised everyone by winning the Golden Globe this year for thel ygorgeous deserve and they certainly deserve Missing Link minally an Oscar for years of criminallyverdue.” overlooked work. It’s overdue.” -SCREENRANT

Untitled-3 1 1/28/20 12:40 PM udio that created AND

Go behind the scenes and explore a special interactive booklet celebrating the world class artists who brought Missing Link to life. insidemissinglink.com For more on this extraordinary film and a schedule of where you can see it go to missinglinkguilds.com. Also available to stream now on

Untitled-3 2 1/28/20 12:40 PM ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE BEST ORIGINAL SONG BEST ACTRESS “STAND UP” CYNTHIA ERIVO

WINNER BEST ORIGINAL SONG “STAND UP” Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell The Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards

“The song ‘Stand Up’ is a rousing civil rights anthem.” VARIETY, KATE ARTHUR “‘Stand Up’ is an empowering track about hope, overcoming obstacles and kindness for others.” BILLBOARD, RANIA ANIFTOS WINNER WINNER WINNER BEST ORIGINAL SONG BEST ORIGINAL SONG BEST ACTRESS “Stand Up” “Stand Up” Hollywood Breakout Actress Award Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell Cynthia Erivo Hollywood Music in Media Awards Las Vegas Film Critics Society Hollywood Film Awards

Untitled-2 1 1/28/20 12:39 PM YEARS

CONTENDERS Toon Titans

BO PEEP REJOINS BUZZ LIGHTYEAR AND WOODY IN ‘TOY STORY 4.’ TOP BILLING

New Voices FROM “JOKER’S” ELECTROACOUSTIC CELLO to the anachronistic ’80s synths of “Uncut Gems,” this year’s ﬁlms have offered surpris- ing, even startling, new sounds. Filmmakers Fuel Soundtracks are, maybe more than ever, open to taking musical risks. Within only the past few months, mov- MORE FILM SCORES TAKE MUSICAL RISKS iegoers were treated to sampled whistling AS FILMMAKERS SEEK AN EDGE for youthful Latin American revolutionaries (“Monos”), a ’60s-style rock ’n’ roll band for

By Jon Burlingame race-car drivers (“Ford v Ferrari”), experimental horn and choral techniques for 19th century balloonists (“The Aeronauts”), a faux German march with authentic Nazi-style lyrics (“Jojo Rabbit”) and more. Increasingly, say composers, directors are seeking new voices and fresh musical directions. “A lot of people are entering the music business [from different] media, and it’s really coloring up the landscape, with many different music styles represented,” says Tom Holkenborg (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) who as Junkie XL had a huge career in trance, elec- tronica and big beat music in the 1990s and early 2000s. He cites Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”) and Mica Levi (“Monos”) as examples of new voices on the film front, artists who had already honed their individual sounds and styles before applying them to scores. “A person from an artist background brings a very genuine quality, and that’s so welcome in this industry,” he says. A few years ago, the arrival of Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails (“The Social Network”), Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead (“There Will Be Blood”), Clint Mansell of Pop Will Eat Itself (“Requiem for a Dream”) and other artists from the pop and rock worlds shook up the status quo — as did such earlier arrivals as Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and Mark Mothersbaugh. Says Joseph Trapanese, who collaborated with Daft Punk on “Tron: Legacy” and M83 on “Oblivion”: “When you have a younger director who’s looking for a unique stamp to put on their movie and they’re told Trent Reznor or Colin Stetson or Jóhann Jóhannsson or Daft Punk want to contribute, that’s a very exciting proposition because it’s a certain immediate level of artistry that elevates the project.” Of course, that’s not always easy. The history of film is littered with well-inten- tioned artists who were unable to meet dead- lines or couldn’t supply music that met the FRESH AIR needs of the film. Composer Mica Levi, “Whenever an artist approaches the table, who scored an Oscar nom for “Jackie,” created especially on a $100 million-plus film, there’s the “Monos” score. a certain level of concern for the product,” he says. “Is this going to be delivered on time, (COVER) ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN LEE ; LAYOUT BY BOB PAULEY; (THIS PAGE) INVISION/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (THIS PAGE) BOB PAULEY; BY JOHN LEE ; LAYOUT BY ILLUSTRATION (COVER)

6 VARIETY.COM ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE

“(I’M GONNA) LOVE ME AGAIN” WRITTEN BY ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN

GOLDEN GLOBE ® AWARD CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD

BEST ORIGINAL SONG BEST SONG “(I’M GONNA) LOVE ME AGAIN” “(I’M GONNA) LOVE ME AGAIN”

WRITTEN BY ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN WRITTEN BY ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN

Untitled-5 1 1/28/20 12:46 PM TOP BILLING

on budget and work for this medium, or is it just going to be some artsy thing that doesn’t NEW SOUNDS actually work?” Hildur Guðnadóttir In the case of “Tron: Legacy,” Daft Punk landed an Oscar nom for her “Joker” music. was originally approached for music for the club scenes. It turned out the famous French electronic-music duo wanted to score the entire film. “Daft Punk chose to become film composers for that window of time,” Trapa- nese says. “The most rewarding collabora- tions are when the artist takes the time to understand that it’s a dialogue, not just an artist going into a studio.” British composer Levi, a 2016 Oscar nominee for her in-your-face score for “Jackie,” sees the positive side of this trend: “It seems like there’s an openness of spirit, especially on the outskirts of Hollywood. There are always people who are interested in making something they haven’t seen, and therefore are open to taking risks.” Cutting-edge approaches, especially in the indie world, are often welcomed by filmmakers but not necessarily studio executives. “The Lighthouse” director Robert Eggers recalls an exec complaining that Mark Kor- ven’s grim, atonal score sounded like “a Yeti moaning in the wilderness.” “You have to question, when is the obscu- rity adding to the tension and when is it just strange?” Eggers says. “With any score, it’s about supporting the story. So long as it sup- ports the story, and isn’t distracting, people will go along for the ride.” Daniel Pemberton, whose unorthodox methods resulted in a Golden Globe-nomi- while also subtly heightening the drama. orchestral score should not be discounted. nated score for Edward Norton’s “Motherless Pemberton makes it a practice to try new “For any of these modern composers Brooklyn,” says: “Any great director doesn’t techniques on every film. to catch up with, for instance, the orches- want to do the same as everyone else. They “Sometimes I wish I did more scores that tral writing skills of John Williams,” he says, want to make something that is unique to were straightforward, as it can be unbeliev- would be virtually impossible. “But it’s the them — it’s just how long their nerves last. ably difficult to build every score from the job of every film composer to come up with A proper experimental score needs the full ground up, with no safety net. But the results a concept that is so incredibly strong that, support of a director.” can be very exciting, far more unique [than once you play that to the director or the stu- Although the film takes place in 1950s usual]. I do believe it’s an incredibly import- dio, they just totally forget about what the New York, Pemberton recorded London ant part in creating film music that feels new temp score [preexisting music, often used as saxophonist Tom Challenger playing offbeat and different.” a placeholder until the new score is recorded] riffs. “Show me what you can do that no one Holkenborg remembers when fresh was in the first place.” asks you to do,” Pemberton told him. Their voices arrived on the Hollywood scene Trapanese says he hasn’t yet met studio experiments resulted in sounds that decades ago, mentioning Lalo Schifrin (“Dirty directors who didn’t want “a unique sound” the composer digitally turned into loops, Harry”) and Vangelis (“Blade Runner”), both for their film. He has just finished a score altered pitches or the basis for other of whom had careers as recording artists for “Happily,” a comedy-thriller starring Joel tracks, hinting at the story’s jazz backdrop before embarking on film work. “What qualities McHale, where the director said, “Just read can a person who is not necessarily attached the script and make crazy sounds. You can’t to film but just makes music for the sake of be crazy enough.” making music, bring to a film score? There’s Those crazy sounds, with minor tweaks, just something different about that at its are all in the movie, the composer says. “ A PERSON FROM AN core,” he says. It’s an indie, so inevitably there was ARTIST BACKGROUND Holkenborg worked in heavy metal and more freedom because there was less money. punk music in the ’80s and with rap artists But, Trapanese adds, “there is great artistry BRINGS A VERY and electronic music in the ’90s. “So if I in finding a way to make unique music for GENUINE QUALITY, AND need really aggressive drums, or guitars,” mainstream movies too. There are very few which he used on both “300: Rise of an moments that I’m happier than when I get THAT’S SO WELCOME IN Empire” and “Mad Max,” “I know how to do to work on a large-scale movie where I get to THIS INDUSTRY.” that, because I’ve lived that life.” He is quick sneak in some really cool sounds and ideas to point out, however, that the traditional that I didn’t think would fly, but do.” Tom Holkenborg, composer MAGNUS SUNDHOLM/SHUTTERSTOCK MAGNUS

8 VARIETY.COM

TOP BILLING

“ GIVE IT YOUR ALL BECAUSE WHO KNOWS, THIS COULD BE THE LAST FILM YOU MAKE.”

— Martin Scorsese

Many people think there is no meaning. Well, if there isn’t, then you need to give it meaning.

“Irishman” is like a 50-year history of the U.S. and the world. Yes, and how those events affected us. That was one of most difficult aspects to express in the film. Steve Zaillian and I talked about it, and I said these things have to be part of the story, almost like music in the background that rises and then recedes. These momentous events are occurring and they seem to have no effect on the story, and yet the story and the characters’ behavior reflect them.

Al Pacino said that you provide a valuable safety net for actors. How do you do that? There is guidance on the set, but mostly it’s in preparing and in the casting. For example, I wanted Anna Paquin to play Peggy. She has maybe one line, but I knew she could make it work; with the look in her eyes and the body language, she tells so much. I do preparation with the actors, but part of the enjoyment is seeing what they bring. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great men and women.

I think nine women have been Oscar- Scorsese Dives Into nominated for your films. (Laughs) It’s 10 actually. If you look at the Academy as a yardstick, the number of women Risky Business who’ve gotten nominations in my ﬁlms is about equal to the men.

THE FILMMAKER PUSHED THE ENVELOPE IN ‘THE IRISHMAN’ What’s the most difficult part of filmmaking? IN TERMS OF THEMES AND NARRATIVE By Tim Gray The most torturous stage is shooting. It’s physically difﬁcult. I don’t like it when it’s too hot! As for cold, I don’t know where to begin, but heat is the worst — and mosquitos. They all come to me.

MARTIN SCORSESE talked with Variety making films for 45 years, so why not explore? Your New York Times editorial urged about “The Irishman,” its challenges and We kept pushing to see what we could learn studios to take more risks. rewards, and the responsibility of filmmakers about narrative, character, themes, the phil- The emphasis on one-dimensional charac- to “enrich” audiences — and about the mean- osophical aspects of the story. Give it your all ters limits the audience, limits them as peo- ing of life. “The Irishman” (starring Robert De because who knows, this could be the last film ple. I think it started when cable news channels Niro and scripted by Steven Zaillian) is nom- you make. began carrying little banners at the bottom inated for 10 Oscars, including best picture of the screen saying what film won the week- and Scorsese as director. The film addresses topics such as guilt, end; suddenly movies became about how much personal responsibility, our own mortality. money a film made at the box office. You need “The Irishman” may seem like familiar Were those tough to live with for so long? people to come to a movie theater, I totally get territory for you, but it’s radically different That was the main reason to do the film. We it. But somehow things shifted and I think we’re from your other movies about the mob. need to think of those things, as human beings shortchanging future generations. You have a Did you see it as risky? and as a society. In the 21st century, we shy responsibility to service the audience in a way Sure. Once I was given financial support from away from it. Why not embrace it? You engage that can engage them and enrich their lives. Netflix, there was no reason to restrict our- with mortality. And it’s not only death, but the When you take artistic risks, it elevates the soul selves in terms of experimenting. I’ve been question of whether there is meaning in life. of the viewer. NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX NIKO

10 VARIETY

Potent Minority Actress-Producers: VARIETY a projectonwhichsheandReese Plus.Apple Second,thiswas TV was anice validationing Show” for First, heraward Morn- for “The this anglemisses thebigger picture. winner’s circle. Woo-woo, hotstuff! her ex BradPitt were together inthe seized ononefact:Sheandmedia SAG Award 19,themainstream Jan. 12 WHEN JENNIFERANISTON THE BIRTH OFTHEENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS WEREINTEGRALTHESPS DOINGDOUBLEDUTY TO

For gossip rags, that’s but fun, By TimGray VAULT VREY VARIETY won a won a will tellyou otherwise.) but any aspiringfemale producer isclosetoequality,that Hollywood you mightlead tobelieve (This 10arewomen. 15aremen, cited, producer. Ofthe25individuals ﬁlms have at onewoman least there. Eightof theninenominated better —not50-50yet, butgetting picture rankaretallies inthebest diversity amongdirectors, the protests forinspired lackof gender gold standard). are exec producers, remainsa on whichsheandWitherspoon Kidman (HBO’s “BigLittle Lies,” Hayek, Eva Longoria andNicole Davis, Jennifer Salma Lopez, Violalist includesSandraBullock, companies.ful production That sharp riseinactorswithsuccess- for called performers. be productions,” to used assuchdeals moved beyond of “vanity therealm actress-producersmeaning have areexecWitherspoon producers, Though 2019Oscarnominations hasseena The 21st century the titular11-year-old Katherine Griffithas in “Pollyanna,”with Mary Pickfordplayed GROWING PAINS her aunt.

the game-changing United Artists. United the game-changing DouglasFairbanks,band, tocreate D.W.Chaplin, Griffithandherhus- few years later, Charlie shejoined Pickford PicturesCorp.Mary A startup company of production of “Monster,” for whichshewon. producer. Shealsowas a producer “Bombshell,” onwhichshewas a got anOscarnomfor Lionsgate’s Oscar-nominated. Prince of Tides,” allof whichwere and producer of “Yentl” and“The ducer of the1976“A StarIsBorn,” Streisandwas execmusical. pro- Tony-nominated “Sister stage Act” onMomsMabley, doc nated andthe the2013Emmy-nomi-episodes), time series“Strong (132 Medicine” andstage,TV includingtheLife- work She hasproduced infilm, 1990 (theyear shewon for “Ghost”). multipleprojectssince producing “9 to5”and“Rollover.” won. Thecompany alsoproduced and “Coming Home,” for whichshe her Academy Award nominations, “On GoldenPondç,” whichearned ChinaSyndrome” and nies) “The or intandemwithothercompa- IPC Films, (alone whichproduced Fonda formed Gilbert andBruce Inthe1970s,Barbra Streisand. Jane Fonda, and Goldberg Whoopi roll of actor-producers by is led pace. Andshewas aproducer. heartbreaker,married achange of “Coquette,” inwhichsheplayed a the second actress best Oscarfor “Little LordFauntleroy.” Shewon alittle andhismotherin boy both The following year, as shestarred one of herhighest-grossing films. lic didn’t herage; careabout itwas Twitter wasn’t Thepub- around.) 11-year-old Pollyanna. God (Thank was 28whensheplayed the though shewas inCanada, born aka “America’s even Sweetheart” her first filmfor UA. Pickford, Pickford would star in“Pollyanna,” among them. Pickford, Lillian GishandMary Norma Talmadge, GloriaSwanson, andstarsand Bess Meredyth, Loos, Frances June Mathis Marion, ing execs andwriterssuchasAnita daysearly includ- of filmmaking, Hollyw arefightingfor theirplace in tury In 1920, This year, Charlize Theron remainsapowerhouse,Goldberg After Pickford, theOscarhonor In 1916 Though women inthe21st cen- ood, they w Variety Variety wroteabout the wrotethat ere crucial inthe ere crucial

UNITED ARTISTS/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK Untitled-20 1 1/23/20 12:41 PM TALK/SHOW

Brittney Lee ‘I love looking at everything.’ By Thomas J. McLean

BRITTNEY LEE HAS BECOME something of a rock star artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Joining the studio 10 years ago on the strength of a design portfolio she put together in her off time while working as an animator on an online multiplayer game, she’s worked on most of the studio’s features and shorts since 2011’s “Wreck-It Ralph.” “Frozen,” however, holds a special place in her heart. In addition to her work on the 2013 Oscar winner, she brought a mix of midcentury art influences as well as an interest in paper- cut art, aka quilling, to the first feature, a “Frozen” children’s book she illustrated, and to “Frozen 2.” The visual development artist and production designer also jumped into the unknown waters of VR as production designer on the VES Award-nominated “Myth: A Frozen Tale.”

What are your artistic maintain a silhouette that influences? feels familiar with her? We INTO THE UNKNOWN Artist Brittney Lee moved Oh, it’s all over the place. would reintroduce elements into VR with “Myth: A I love looking at everything. like sheer capes and material Frozen Tale.” About the same time that I details that still felt like her applied here, I started to fall while lifting her hemline off in love with paper-cut artwork the ground. and quilling, and so I was looking at artists like Megan How did you come to work Brain and Kevin Kidney, with director Jeff Gipson on who work in and around “Myth: A Frozen Tale”? the animation industry and He had already cemented the do mixed-media pieces, idea that he wanted it to feel as well as an artist named like a storybook and almost Yulia Brodskaya. She does like a silhouetted pop-up amazing quilling work. And I book. And that’s something was always a fan of — without that, for me, especially in even knowing it — [Disney my personal work, really legends] Mary Blair and resonates. I am interested in Eyvind Earle, who both have a this, even though it’s scary very graphic style and worked because I’d never really seen in the animation industry anything in VR. as well. But my first love in animation was the art of Glen What were some of the Keane and Mark Henn and goals for the production Eric Goldberg. design on “Myth”? In Jeff’s initial pitch he had What were you trying to really clearly set forth that achieve with the costumes he wanted to be playful and for Elsa in “Frozen 2”? he wanted to clearly estab- We didn’t necessarily know as lish one setting, which is we started designing the cos- the bookend of “Myth,” tumes exactly where or what where you’re sort of in the she would be put through. “Frozen“ world and you We knew that there was wanted that to look as much going to be a higher level [of like the “Frozen“ world as it action] and moving through could. … I was hoping that the woods or moving through we could push the stylized the elements than there was world into feeling somewhat on the first film for her. And hand-crafted, like something so one of the first directions that when you were in there that was given was to pull her someone had made rather than hemline up off of the ground. a vast realistic space. … And She had always been in these that’s a different problem floor-length gowns with huge to solve than what it would trains before this. Well, if we be if you were looking at it on lift her hemline, how do we a screen.

14 VARIETY.COM FASHION OCT. 27 about it.” think that’swhatsheliked cool andeffortless,I the TomFordshow.“Itwas Governors Awardslookfrom pulled theblack-and-white with theoutfits.”She been drivingtheinspiration style, soIthinkthat’s a platinum,reallyshort into abowlandnow lighter hair,cuttingit from havingreallydarkto different roles.Shewent been changingalotfor evolving hairthatshe’s “She hasthisreally on thestylefront,too. press tour,shetransformed she reallyis.”Throughthe with justhowtransformative Theron. “Iwasimpressed “Bombshell” starCharlize stylist LeslieFremarof watching MegynKelly,”says “I REALLYTHOUGHT STYLIST LESLIEFREMARKEPTLOOKS FRESHFOR STRONG POINT OF VIEW VIEW OF POINT STRONG ‘THECLOTHES HER, DON’TWEAR SHEREALLY WEARS THECLOTHES WELL.’ Iwas DEC. 10 playing thatup.” short hair,sowe’vebeen asymmetrical ideawithher you nameit.Shelikesthis jewelry, costume her,” shesays.“Fine loves jewelryasmuch I’ve nevermetanyonewho “Charlize lovesjewelry— length Diorearrings. Theron addedtwodifferent- shortened theskirt.” just loweredtheVand body,” Fremarsays.“We changing tosuitCharlize’s we lovedandendedup one lookinparticularthat embroideries, andtherewas incredible blacklacesand Chiuri] didallthese premiere. “[MariaGrazia the “Bombshell”L.A. Theron’s dramaticlookfor The Diorshowinspired

By Jasmin Rosemberg Jasmin JAN. 5 seen before.” something youhaven’t risks andtryingtocreate I thinkpeoplearetaking gram andsocialmedia,so everything beingonInsta– hard tobeoriginalwith a difficultfeat:“It’s often.” Uniquenessnowis don’t reallyseethat and sapphires—“whichyou emerald” wassetindiamonds Co. necklacewitha“huge try it.’”HerTiffany& see, sowethought,‘Let’s are thetypicalcolorsyou White, black,red—those vibrant anditfeltfresh. special. Wewantedsomething felt reallyoriginaland green swatchthatwethought came backwiththiskelly- the ideatoDior.“They says Fremar,whorelayed that shewaslovinggreen,” “She hadmentionedtome CHARLIZE THERON ’S ‘BOMBSHELL’ TOUR: JAN. 12 her clothes.” so Ithinkittranslatesin just isthattypeofperson, character sheportrays:“She and empoweringasthe Theron’s looksareasstrong good istheultimategoal.” moving, andmakingherfeel trying tokeepitfreshand “Bombshell.” “Sowe’rejust 65th presslookfor silver.” Fremarisonher — they’rehalfblack, She lovedtheshoes,too more likeaneveningtuxedo. little bit,andmadeitfeel like ittoughenedupa jacket lastminute—wefelt decided towearthetuxedo amazing,” shesays.“We hand-embroidered, really Awards. “It’sveryheavyand to theCritics’Choice the silverdressTheronwore Celine’s HediSlimanemade VARIETY 15

OCT. 27: ROB LATOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK; DEC. 10, JAN. 12: MATT BARON/SHUTTERSTOCK (2); JAN. 5: SHUTTERSTOCK ACADEMY AWARD ® NOMINEE BEST ORIGINAL SONG “I’M STANDING WITH YOU”

FROM THE FILM KWAKU ALSTON FOR foureleven.agency KWAKU

BEST ORIGINAL SONG “I’M STANDING WITH YOU” Music and Lyric by DIANE WARREN

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Untitled-2 1 1/28/20 12:38 PM CONTENDERSCONTENDERS

ACADEMY AWARDS

Animation

Music

The Cinematographer

Production & Costume Design

Hair & Makeup

VFX, Sound & Editing

VARIETY 17

CONTENDERS | ANIMATION

But those animated films are also vehi- cles for filmmakers to tell diverse, chal- lenging and unexpected stories of all kinds throughout the world. Whether their films are fantasy or even historical fiction, the sto- rytellers are drawn to the medium. “Animation makes it easier for the audience to believe in the world we created, they might think was a fantasy world but we show them that it is not,” writes Salvador Simo in an email with Variety about his film “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.” The animated feature takes us through the life of artist Luis Buñuel in the 1930s when he’s fallen on hard times. Despondent and broke, Buñuel gets another chance to make a movie when a friend wins a lottery and gives him money for his next project. “It’s a constant dance between reality and fantasy, what allows us to take the audience to the head of Luís [Buñuel], to show the character, to places and feelings that construct the story. Each story demands its own way to be told and animation and mixing some parts of the actual footage that [Buñuel] filmed in 1932 was the way for this one.” “If [audiences] feel some curiosity of who Luís Buñuel [was] and see some of his films, [the film] will be a great success,” writes DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Simo. “I hope that this film put some ques- Animation was the perfect tions in the head of the audience, is a small medium for Jérémy Clapin‘s story of a hand wandering way to change the world, making people Paris in “I Lost My Body.” think, questioning everything.” “The Swallows of Kabul,” based on Yas- mina Khadra’s novel, was a story that French helmers Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gob- bé-Mévellec were inspired to tell. The 2D watercolor-style animation takes viewers Diverse Stories into the daily lives of characters that live in Afghanistan under Taliban control. Here, animation and the style of the animation played a crucial role. Flourish in “There are things that you see in this story that would have been too much to show in live action,” Breitman says. “But Animation animation makes it possible to show this life where the characters are not free and they’re afraid without taking away anything TOONS ARE FOR MORE THAN KIDS, AS FILMMAKERS ALL from the meaning of the story. This is a moral story and you want to use your OVER THE WORLD USE THE GENRE FOR SPECIAL EFFECT chance to do something with meaning, By Karen Idelson something with humanity.” Helmer Jérémy Clapin’s Oscar-nominee “I Lost My Body” takes audiences on a tour of Paris with a severed hand that’s trying to get back to its body. Through traveling in the city, the hand remembers the life it once had. Clapin avoided certain angles of the hand BY ANY MEASURE, it’s been a great year for animation. From “Frozen 2” and kept the camera close to it to keep it and “Toy Story 4” bringing in huge box-office numbers in the U.S. to from looking odd or aggressive, so the hand “Ne Zha” becoming the top-grossing Chinese animated film with more would look sympathetic and almost fragile. He also decided against CG or a type of ani- than $700 million gross to 32 official entries in the best animated feature mation that would be too smooth. category for the 2020 Oscars, animated stories flexed their muscles. “The style of the animation is realistic, NETFLIX

18 VARIETY “THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU SEE IN THIS STORY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH TO SHOW IN LIVE ACTION.”

Zabou Breitman

but with the distance of the drawings it brings something unique,” says Clapin. “With the drawing of the lines I wanted something very sketchy, not clean. You can be very precise (with this style of animation) if you have to add some details but if you want to have some- POWER COUPLE thing more abstract you can have that too. I wanted to tell the story Woody and Bo Peep in of this tiny piece of you struggling with the whole world around it, “Toy Story 4.” which is destiny.” “Sister,” Oscar-nommed for animated short film, was a kind of personal quest for helmer and animator Siqi Song. This stop- motion short was developed from Song’s own experiences as a little sister and second child to an older brother during China’s one-child Strong Women Star policy. It tells the story of a boy who imagines what his life might have been like if things had gone differently. in Animated Fare Song herself didn’t feel fully accepted by her country because of all the restrictions surrounding her birth, a common feeling among FULLY REALIZED FEMALE CHARACTERS children who were born and survived despite the country’s one-child DOMINATED MOVIE SCREENS IN 2019 policy. Many second children she knew were sent to live with aunts or other relatives because the policy was so oppressive. In the last By Karen Idelson couple of years, China has reversed that policy. “It’s kind of a turning point where China is encouraging people to have more children, but my generation has grown up as only chil- THIS YEAR’S LEADING character who had the ability dren and now we have more options,” says Song. “People may not animated films take us from a to make Woody listen when no want to have two children because it’s expensive and you may be tak- county fair to far off lands where one else could. ing care of your parents and your children at the same time. You are dragons roam. Though their “I thought of how my thinking of your future. My father made sacrifices when they had storytelling and locations couldn’t wife could tell me things and me, and it was not good for his career because it was against the law be more different, many share a influence me in so many ways,” of the Chinese government. But my story in this is not political. It’s common attribute: the emergence says Cooley. “And Woody something from my heart, about what life was like for my generation of a powerful female character, or needed someone like that growing up with the one-child policy.” two, that’s crucial to the story. because he’s really lost when With “Klaus,” Oscar-nommed for animated feature, helmer “They want to feel that they his old way of life starts to Sergio Pablos wanted to create a new origin story for Santa Claus are being spoken to and that they disappear. Bo Peep has always that didn’t lean into all the trappings of the legend. It’s an ambitious are being heard,” says Jennifer Lee, been smarter and more able to undertaking when there are so many animated and live-action films director of “Frozen 2,” of the kids change than he has, so she that have tried to do the same. who flocked to see this film. “I has to be the one to lead him The 2D animated feature uses things like volumetric lighting to think this generation of girls, and away from his old life.” give it a storybook feeling. boys, expects to see themselves Astrid from “How to Train “We wanted all the characters and the elements to look like they in these characters. It’s not just Your Dragon: The Hidden were painted by the same hand,” says Pablos. “And I loved that this boys that drive box office — it’s World” also finds a way to move story. There was a cynical element to it, maybe Santa isn’t who you everyone. That’s an opportunity for Hiccup in the right direction expect him to be, but there’s still this magic about Christmas where us to tell stories that will move a when Toothless starts to seek everyone is kinder to each other somehow, and maybe people are larger audience.” out the companionship of more open, and if they see someone who is carrying a lot of packages, These recent fully rendered another dragon. “Astrid was they’ll stop to help that person but normally they wouldn’t. It was a females aren’t new, even if the not in the original book, so she perfect story for this kind of 2D animation, which would push things number of them is. Animation was an invention for our forward but also have this feeling of a story about Santa.” legend Hayao Miyazaki is known stories,” says helmer Dean While all these filmmakers chose animation for their stories, for creating powerful women in his DeBlois. “We wanted a char- there was a time where animation wasn’t necessarily seen as a seri- stories, such as “Spirited Away.” acter who represented the ous choice for more political themes like the ones in “The Swallows For that film, he told Roger Ebert in next generation, someone who of Kabul” or historical takes like “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Tur- 2002, he was inspired by his desire just had pure, natural Viking tles.” But with the number of developed animation industries world- to make a film for the daughters leadership skills and who was wide — especially in countries with highly developed film businesses of his friends. athletic and strong-willed and such as Japan, China, France and Spain — that may have changed. “Toy Story 4” helmer Josh Cooley was just a contrast to Hiccup. “The Spanish film industry is of an extreme quality, with great was also inspired by an influential So Astrid is always smarter films and great directors that traditionally were not interested or woman in his life — his wife. When and tougher but she was also considering animation as actual cinema, but this is changing. The he set out to make the film, he someone that Hiccup would quality of the storytelling in animation is showing that actually you realized Bo Peep over the course of have to convince that dragons can tell amazing stories in this technique,” writes Simo. the three previous “Toy Story” films weren’t all bad and that they had always been this kind of wise could be trusted.” PIXAR/DISNEY

VARIETY 19 CONTENDERS | ANIMATION

Rae — the team behind “Monsters University” — FAMILY FUN “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers on a “A Shaun the Sheep magical quest to spend a day with their deceased Movie: Farmageddon” father. “I don’t remember my Dad at all,” says (top) and “Onward” are animated films Scanlon. “I’ve always wanted to know who he was that may bid for an and how I was like him. This film is about how far Oscar in 2021. we’d go for one more day with someone we’ve lost.” Two-time Oscar winner Pete Docter (“Up,” “Inside Out”) is helming “Soul,” which follows a middle-school band teacher who yearns to play jazz clubs but instead lands in the Great Before. “‘Soul’ is very much like our other films in that we’re trying to create a character that has a strong goal we all get behind,” says Docter. “If we can get you to feel for our characters, that connection allows us to get into some potentially deep stuff.” Meanwhile, Netflix — which scooped two of this year’s Oscar nominations for its first two animated features, “Klaus” and “I Lost My Body” — has “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2” director Kris Pearn’s “The Willoughbys” set for spring, followed by this fall’s highly anticipated “Over the Moon,” directed by legendary Disney animator and Oscar-winner Glen Keane (“Dear Basketball”). “I have a gut feeling that our Fei Fei, a 13-year- old powerhouse of a girl, will capture the hearts of audiences worldwide,” Keane says of the film’s main character. “Although she may be from a small water town in China, her struggles are universal and her crazy determination to overcome them is breathtaking.” “I hope ‘The Willoughbys’ makes people happy,” says Pearn. “It’s a quirky comedy about an odd family for anybody who did not come from a perfect home. I hope the audience relates to this Willoughby adventure, as they journey from the family they were born into, to the family they choose.” Sony’s sci-fi comedy “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Sept. 18), envisions a world in which technology suddenly turns on humanity, interrupting a dysfunctional family’s road trip. “The setting of the movie is the modern world, which is filled with technology, but the movie is really about fighting to stay close to the people that mean the most to us,” says director Michael Rianda. The 2020 Oscar race for best animated With three Oscar-nominated features, including Studios Tooned feature was predicted to be a studio CG sequel 2017’s “The Breadwinner” under its belt, Kilkenny, showdown, but Academy voters demonstrated an Ireland, based Cartoon Saloon is prepping Up for 2020 appetite for more original fare with this year’s “Wolfwalkers,” which follows a young apprentice nominations. Looking ahead to the 93rd Oscars, hunter who comes to Ireland with her father to there are plenty of sequel contenders on the exterminate the last pack of wolves. Directed by FROM BLOCKBUSTER SEQUELS TO horizon: Aardman’s “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Tomm Moore (“The Secret of Kells,” “Song of the ORIGINAL STORIES, THE LIST OF Farmageddon,” available from Netflix Feb. 14; Sea”) and Ross Stewart, the 2D feature will launch UPCOMING ANIMATED FEATURES LOOKS Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a in November on the new Apple TV Plus service. Wonderful Sponge” (May 22); and, from Universal, Disney Animation’s first original feature since PROMISING By Jennifer Wolfe Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (July 3); 2016’s “Moana,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Nov. and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Croods 2” 25), follows a lone warrior on a quest alongside (Dec. 23). But this early in the game, original films a crew of misfits. are generating the biggest awards-season buzz. “Having worked on both films, I see some of Following back-to-back sequels, Oscar the same wonderful qualities in Raya that Moana mainstay Pixar has two original films slated for possesses,” says producer Osnat Shurer. “She’s 2020: “Onward” (March 6) and “Soul” (June 19). strong, determined, and finds herself in a position Directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori where she must save the world.” SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE FARMAGEDDON: NETFLIX; ONWARD: PIXAR/DISNEY ONWARD: NETFLIX; FARMAGEDDON: THE SHEEP MOVIE SHAUN

20 VARIETY Untitled-2 1 1/28/20 12:38 PM CONTENDERS | SONG Veterans Vie for Another Trophy

SONG NOMINEES RETURN TO THE

OSCAR DANCE By Jon Burlingame

FOUR OF FIVE OF THIS YEAR’S song nominees were written by veteran movie tunesmiths, and four of them already have Oscars. But Academy members rarely consider that when voting, especially in recent years — they tend to choose what strikes them emotionally, or what stuck with them as they left the theater. Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” ranks high on many prognosti- cators’ lists, as the John biopic “Rocketman” was THEIR SONG well-liked and its sign-off song is the latest col- Elton John and Bernie laboration by a songwriting team that has been Taupin are faves for together for 52 years (and never won a major “Rocketman.” award together until this year’s Golden Globe). John won a 1994 Oscar for “The Lion King,” but this is Taupin’s first nomination. “Stand Up” from a more serious biopic, about Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman, may be Breaking It Down Performed by Idina Menzel its chief competitor. Star Cynthia Erivo wrote (with Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Campbell are newbies to the Songwriter's POV: (Robert) "Elsa category while Diane Warren returns with her 11th nomination Joshuah Campbell) and sings the gospel- and spiri- has this unfulfilled longing. She tual-inflected song, and if Erivo — also nominated as begins the song resisting the call, lead actress — is passed over for that honor, Acad- "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself reflective, but it's also about going protesting that she's happy enough. emy voters may choose to reward her for the song. Away" from “Toy Story 4” forward and being positive. And When she responds to it, that's “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen 2” is also a con- Music and lyrics by Randy Newman the cinematic Elton and the real-life the event that sets off the entire tender. Two-time Oscar-winning songwriters Robert Performed by Randy Newman Elton performing together also adventure." (Kristen) "Idina is our Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, whose empow- Songwriter's POV: "I have great made perfect sense." muse. She's really vulnerable; it's a erment anthem “Let It Go” from the original “Frozen” affection for these characters, and side of Elsa you haven't heard yet, became a global phenomenon, return with another it was good to be back in that world "I'm Standing With You" more mature, questioning. It was so Idina Menzel-sung showstopper for the sequel. again. [In the song, Bonnie's new from “Breakthrough” fun to explore with her." Also a two-time winner: revered pop songwriter toy] Forky gets it in his head that he's Music and lyrics by Randy Newman, who’s back with another song from disposable, so he keeps trying to Diane Warren "Stand Up" from “Harriet” a Pixar film, “Toy Story 4.” “I Can’t Let You Throw throw himself in the trash can, and Performed by Chrissy Metz Music and lyrics by Joshuah Brian Yourself Away” is his amusing tune for Forky, the Woody has put himself in charge of Songwriter's POV: “One scene really Campbell and Cynthia Erivo new toy who keeps trying to end it all. Both of New- keeping Forky from doing so." inspired me, when they all stand Performed by Erivo man’s prior Oscars are also for Pixar movie songs up in church. It fit the movie, but Songwriter's POV: (Erivo) "After (in “Monsters Inc.” and “Toy Story 3”). "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" then it becomes bigger. It can be spending so much time with Harriet The dark horse is veteran songwriter Diane from “Rocketman” about whatever you want it to be and her story, I felt it was necessary Warren, now on her 11th nomination without Music by Elton John, Lyric by —‘whatever you go through, I’m to have a song about the work a win (despite such hits as “I Don’t Want to Miss Bernie Taupin standing with you.’ I don’t really say that she had done. We wanted it a Thing” and socially significant songs as “Til It Performed by Elton John what the ‘whatever’ is. I didn’t want to have a call to gospel music and Happens to You”). Her “I’m Standing With You” and Taron Egerton to write anything corny. I came up traditional Negro spirituals, but still was penned for the fact-based but little seen Songwriter's POV: (Taupin) "It really with that chorus and started crying. have a really cool R&B feel to it, “Breakthrough,” about a mom determined to made sense to write something It’s simple but it says a lot.” something that felt modern, more keep her son alive after a terrible accident. But that was wholly original, that now. We pulled together many Warren has been everywhere during awards encompasses what the film was "Into the Unknown" from “Frozen 2” instrumentalists and a choir to season and her efforts might just pay off. about, which was redemption. It's Music and lyrics by Kristen create the right sound for it." DAVID APPLEBY/PARAMOUNT PICTURES APPLEBY/PARAMOUNT DAVID

22 VARIETY AND CONGRATULATE OUR 2020 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

CYNTHIA ERIVO “Stand Up” from Harriet

DIANE WARREN “I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough

BERNIE TAUPIN “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman

Untitled-12 1 1/23/20 5:42 PM CONTENDERS | SCORE Movie Music Momentum

SCORE CATEGORY GIVES VOTERS LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM

THE LONE WOMAN IN THE CATEGORY TO ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ ART OF WAR Thomas Newman’s “1917” score stood out.

Score Stats ACADEMY VOTERS TRYING TO MAKE UP their competition, with nominations in both song minds about how to vote in the original score and score categories; his two previous Oscars 1917 — Thomas Newman category have a plethora of great choices, and are for Pixar movie songs. His “Marriage Oscar record: 15th nomination without a win not just the much-talked-about music for a Story” score, for chamber ensemble, conveys Style: Combines ambient sounds with large orchestra Composer's POV: certain DC Comics villain. the complex feelings of a New York couple “The movie is in present tense and because of that, music cannot comment because that Four of the ﬁve nominees are veterans, negotiating the troubled waters of divorce. puts you a couple of seconds behind. It's there to help, three of them already with Oscars. John In sharp contrast is French composer Alex- but must be fundamental and visceral as opposed to Williams set a new record with his 52nd andre Desplat’s charming and lyrical score for intellectual and reflective. Certain musical elements music nomination, for “Star Wars: The Rise “Little Women,” which borrows a page from repeat [but] it lives in a kind of neutrality.” of Skywalker.” He has ﬁve Oscars already Mozart in its musical colors: strings, two pia-

(for such classics as “Jaws” and “E.T.”), nos, harp, flute and clarinet. Desplat already JOKER — Hildur Guðnadóttir but Williams partisans are calling his nine has two score Oscars . Oscar record: first nomination symphonic “Star Wars” scores “the greatest All face off against the sole woman in Style: electro-acoustic cello plus 72-piece orchestra achievement in the history of film music” the category, and one of only five ever to be Composer's POV: "As the film develops, the orchestra and believe he should be rewarded for the nominated for composing an original score: steps more in front and, in the end, kind of suffocates last in the 42-year-long saga. Iceland-born, Berlin-based Hildur Guðnadót- the cello — what I felt was happening with his personal Thomas Newman is another strong con- tir, for her dark and disturbing music for transformation. This poor guy gets so angry, and the tender with his score for Sam Mendes’ World “Joker.” She composed a theme for the char- orchestra gets angry with him, and everything gets louder and more aggressive, punches you in the face." War I epic “1917.” Should Newman win for acter based on a reading of the script, and this music, which ranges from quiet ambient when director Todd Phillips played it on the LITTLE WOMEN — Alexandre Desplat sounds to huge orchestral cues, it will mark his set, star Joaquin Phoenix danced to it: her Oscar record: two wins, eight other nominations first victory in 15 nominations over 25 years. unique electro-acoustic cello became the Style: strings, two pianos, harp, woodwinds Newman’s cousin Randy is also back in the voice of the mad Joker. Composer's POV: "Greta [Gerwig] asked for ‘Mozart meets David Bowie.' When I saw the film I understood what she meant. There is something pop in the way she STAR POWER has directed the actors. The art direction has a modernity John Williams scores his to it; also the hair, the costumes. It doesn’t play perfectly 52nd music nom for “The period, classical or tedious or restrained references to Rise of Skywalker.” the past. The movie is not polite: It’s the extravagance of Bowie, the bigger-than-life attitude of Mozart.”

MARRIAGE STORY — Randy Newman Oscar record: two wins, 18 other nominations Style: orchestral Americana Composer's POV: "Before starting, I thought, is it important what kind of music these people would be listening to? Is it going to sound old-fashioned? Are people going to wait for the bass drum to come in, and it never does? This kind of score fit the emotional journey that these people are on. This was a small orchestra, but it felt like a chamber kind of piece."

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER — John Williams Oscar record: five wins, 46 other nominations Style: Swashbuckling symphonic and choral score Composer's POV: “Forty years ago, if you said to me, ‘Here’s a project, John, and I want you to write 25 hours of music,’ I would have said, ‘It’s impossible. No one can do that!’ It was a wonderful way to spend six or eight months. Each day I got up to work hard on difficult music. Yes, it was long, but I always had a sense of being grateful – having the energy to do it and to work with the orchestra, which was especially lovely.” 1917: FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; STAR WARS: DISNEY/LUCASFILM LTD./ILM DISNEY/LUCASFILM WARS: STAR PICTURES; FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL 1917:

24 VARIETY CONTENDERS | CINEMATOGRAPHY

crossing the front lines in order to deliver a STARK LIGHTING message that could potentially save 1,600 lives. Black-and-white “It was Sam’s idea to attempt the seamless cinematography made “The Lighthouse” shot approach, and at first I wondered if stand out. the style was appropriate. But I quickly realized how the form would complement the narrative,” he says. Deakins, whose partial list of Oscar-nommed credits include “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Kundun,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “Fargo,” is certainly no stranger to year-end kudos. For his groundbreaking work on “1917,” Deakins has snagged the cinematography award from the Online Film Critics Society and nominations from the ASC and BAFTA. “The end result came out pretty close to how we imagined it. We got very lucky with all of the elements.”

Rodrigo Prieto — “The Irishman” Those who were looking for ﬂashy visuals, whiplash camera moves and explosive widescreen lensing from a Martin Scorsese gangster epic had their expectations upended by Prieto’s austere, measured and patient aesthetic approach in “The Irishman,” which serves as the cinematographer’s third Five Masters Comment motion picture with Scorsese, after shooting the raucous black comedy “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and then landing an Oscar nomina- on Their Craft tion for his painterly work on religious epic “Silence.” Prieto was also Oscar-nominated in

By Nick Clement 2006 for his highly praised work on “Brokeback Mountain” and is a four-time ASC nominee, with the group most recently calling attention to his efforts on “The Irishman.” Because “The Irishman” centers on themes of tragedy, regret and grief, Prieto needed to Jarin Blaschke — “The Lighthouse” “Consistent with my desire to eliminate the ground the film in a somber atmosphere and The startling black-and-white cinematogra- superfluous, I find shooting black-and-white tone. “Scorsese is a master of camera language, phy of “The Lighthouse” struck a chord with the very rewarding. I haven’t shot enough black and from the very beginning, he told me he Academy, resulting in Blaschke’s first nom after and white movies to decide that I favor it uni- wanted an almost home-movie approach to the 20 years of work in the independent film scene. versally, but I could certainly do it a few more entire film, as the narrative was primarily built Having previously collaborated with direc- times,” says Blaschke. upon a series of memories,” says Prieto. tor Robert Eggers on their acclaimed horror The American Society of Cinematographers He notes that the ambitious project was shot film “The Witch,” the duo went to new lengths also took notice, giving Blaschke a Spotlight on a 50/50 split between digital and 35mm film in psychological terror with “The Lighthouse,” Award nomination. in order to accommodate for its extensive CGI/ with Blaschke relying on off-kilter angles to de-aging process. induce viewer anxiety. Roger Deakins —“1917” “The entire film was inspired by the look of “Fritz Lang and Group f/64 [a photography Crafting a war film in what appears to be one still photography from the past, and we used a collective founded by Ansel Adams] are my continuous shot might have seemed daunting Kodachrome color palette for the scenes in the most obvious references,” he says. “The light- for some, but for Deakins, who finally received ’50s, and went with an Ektachrome look for the ing is stark, but that’s my natural tendency — his first Oscar for 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” stuff in the ’60s,” Prieto says. “I also used the to simplify and purify ideas rather than evoke after 13 previous nominations, it was just ENR printing process to create an image with a type of film, at least consciously. It’s been so another day on the battlefield of moviemaking. less color saturation and higher amounts of many years digesting and then executing this “We had a much longer pre-production pro- contrast and grain.” film that I’ve forgotten a lot of references. My cess with an extensive rehearsal schedule brain soaked them up.” where we fully worked out all of the logistics Robert Richardson — “Once Upon Shot in ultra-boxy 1.19:1 aspect ratio, which before it came time for shooting,” he says. a Time in Hollywood” ratchets up the level of visual claustrophobia Reteaming with director Sam Mendes after Three-time Oscar winner Richardson (“JFK,” for the audience by creating an almost-perfect previously collaborating on “Jarhead,” “Revo- “The Aviator,” “Hugo”) delivered one of his most square for the image, Blaschke opted for the lutionary Road” and “Skyfall,” Deakins brought visually laid-back films in years with “Once monochromatic presentation, utilizing flashes his signature sense of visual clarity to the World Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which served as of lightning as primary lighting sources. War I story of two British soldiers tasked with his sixth team-up with filmmaker Quentin A24

VARIETY 25 CONTENDERS | CINEMATOGRAPHY

Tarantino. Re-creating the cultural atmosphere and visual ambiance of the late ’60s and early ’70s in Los Angeles required a loose yet dynamic shooting style. The way that Richard- son captured light and texture is a reminder of how velvety and rich things appear when shot on 35mm ﬁlm stock. Richardson says he wanted to visually convey “a period of time that could be captured without resorting to tricks and that felt both contemporary and had a history sewn into its fabric.” It’s clear while watching “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” that there’s a strong kinship between director and cinematographer, with Richardson reserving high praise for Taranti- no’s cinematic instincts. “His scripts are akin to reading a novel. They are dense and highly inspirational. The translation is often written into the script. Shots or an overall feel is within the description of many of his scenes. I also deeply respect Quentin’s passion for ﬁlm. It is his life. Film is also my life.” Also nominated for “Hollywood” by the ASC for achievement in cinematography, Richard- son has taken home top lensing honors from the Boston Online Film Critics Assn., the Okla- homa Film Critics Circle and was nominated by over a dozen more organizations for his work on the movie.

Lawrence Sher — “Joker” Celebrating his first Oscar nomination for DP AND HELMER his striking and gritty work on the mega- Roger Deakins and Sam Mendes on “1917” set (above), Martin Scorsese and Rodrigo Prieto “The Irishman.” blockbuster “Joker,” Sher says his love for the Academy Awards had been instilled in him from an early age. “This has always been my Super Bowl, and over the years I’ve made it a point to throw a party with friends and family and have a great time watching the show,” Sher says. “It’ll be a true honor to attend this year.” The film marks Sher’s fifth collaboration with writer-director Todd Phillips, with the two of them forging a distinct aesthetic bond that has evolved from project to project. “We really wanted to take a big swing with ‘Joker,’ and we always said from the beginning that the project needed to be unique and uncompromising. Warner Bros. really gave us the creative latitude to do something special.” Sher will forever be associated with one of the key barrier-busting genre entries in terms of overall Academy acceptance, as the dark, pseudo-superhero film received 11 Oscar nominations in total, further cementing its place in pop-culture history after a billion dollars in worldwide box office. “People have been chipping away at the genre and trying to elevate it, with films like ‘Logan’ and ‘The Dark Knight,’ so it’s exciting to follow in those footsteps,” says Sher. He has also been cited with first-time nominations from the ASC and BAFTA. He recently took home the Golden Frog, the top prize at the Camerimage festival in Poland. 1917: FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL; IRISHMEN: NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX IRISHMEN: NIKO FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL; 1917:

26 VARIETY K

WATCH NOW ON VARIETY.COM #ACTORSONACTORS AND ON PBS STATIONS NATIONALLY — CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS CONTENDERS | PRODUCTION DESIGN AND COSTUME DESIGN

BACK IN TIME

”Once Upon a Time in TRANSFORMATION AND SPACE. Those Hollywood” reimagined are the themes in the production design famous landmarks in Westwood, as well as nominations this year. From the vast space Hollywood. of the Park family home in “Parasite” to the re-creation of Spahn Ranch, the Manson family compound in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the production design noms serve a visual feast.

1917 Dennis Gassner (production design); Lee Sandales (set decoration) Gassner worked with location manager Emma Pill to ﬁnd the perfect spot before building a set such as the collapsed bridge that Schoﬁeld (George MacKay) has to climb over to get to the village of Ecoust. He has one Oscar for art direction and six nominations in all.

THE IRISHMAN Bob Shaw (production design); Regina Graves (set decoration) Shaw was able to use such diverse locations as the Bronx County Courthouse, an abandoned hotel with a pool that was reﬁtted to look like a Howard Johnson’s and a lake in Putnam County, N.Y., that would stand-in for Michigan’s Lake Orion. Shaw also received the Art Directors Guild nomination and BAFTA nomination. This is his first Oscar nomination.

JOJO RABBIT Thelma Ra Vincent (production design); Nora Sopková (set decoration) Vincent created sets that were stylish and inﬂuenced by arts and culture, particularly when it came to Jojo’s home, which was built out on a soundstage. Vincent also received noms from the Art Directors Guild and BAFTA. This is her second Oscar nomination.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Barbara Ling (production design); Nancy Haigh (set decoration) Ling transformed and re-created 1960s- era Hollywood, the Spahn Ranch where the Manson family lived, as well as Westwood and other parts of Los Angeles. Ling received BAFTA and Art Directors Guild Storytelling nominations and won the Critics’ Choice. This is her first Oscar nom.

PARASITE Through Lee Ha Jun (production design); Cho Won Woo (set decoration) Lee and director Bong Joon Ho collabo- Environment rated on the Park house design — it’s built entirely from scratch. Lee also scored noms from the Art Directors TRANSFORMATION IS KEY TO THE PRODUCTION Guild and the Critics’ Choice Awards. DESIGN OSCAR NOMINEES By Jazz Tangcay This is Lee’s first Oscar nomination. SONY PICTURES SONY PICTURES

28 VARIETY.COM The Turn of the Shoe

COSTUME DESIGNER MAYES C. RUBEO, THE FIRST LATINA TO BE NOMINATED,

DISCUSSES HER CHOICES FOR ‘JOJO RABBIT’ By Jazz Tangcay

THIS YEAR, MARK BRIDGES (“Joker”), “Once when the Gestapo shows up, and and Germany is losing, Yorki is fighting on the Jacqueline Durran (“Little Women”) Arianne the other when she’s leaving and is free.” streets in a paper uniform. Rubeo made the Phillips (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), For the most part, Elsa is confined to costume out of paper and cardboard, but she Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell (“The her hiding space so her clothes are mono- also used cotton on the outfit. She made six Irishman”) were all recognized for their work chromatic. When it came to creating the cos- different versions. in costume design when the nominations for tume that Yorki (Archie Yates) wears, that, “We had to age that outfit. Each time we see the 92nd Academy Awards were announced. too, evolved. At first, the Hitler Youth is wear- him, he’s got battle damage to his armor, and by The name Mayes C. Rubeo was also ing a proper uniform, looking sharp. But by the end, when we find him again, he’s got noth- announced that morning — making history the end of the film, as the war is concluding ing left, it’s just his vest,” Rubeo says. as the first Latina to be recognized in that field. It was “a humbling moment,” she says, “but a proud one for Rubeo. Over the years, she has worked on such diverse films as “Avatar,” “Apocalypto” and “World War Z,” collaborating with directors including James Cameron, Mel Gibson and Marc Forster, respectively, helping to create the characters the directors envisioned. But “Jojo Rabbit” is a world away from the computer-designed costumes of the Navi in “Avatar,” or even “Thor: Ragnarok,” in which she put Cate Blanchett’s villain Hela in killer heels and used motion-capture technology for her headpiece. “Jojo Rabbit” is a world seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Adolf Hitler fanatic Jojo toward the end of WWII. His imaginary best friend is Adolf Hitler, played by director Taika Waititi. The film marks the second collaboration between Waititi and Rubeo; they previously worked together on “Thor: Ragnarok.” Rubeo opted to dress the characters in vibrant colors, since the film is seen through the boy’s eyes, using color to symbolize the evolution of Jojo’s world view. One significant piece of wardrobe in the WARTORN film are the shoes worn by Rosie, Jojo’s mother, Mayes C. Rubeo (right) aged the played by Scarlett Johansson. The two-tone outfits of her stars brown-and-white shoes are at first a symbol of as they progressed the beauty Jojo sees in his mother, the playful- through the war. ness, but then they telegraph a tragedy. Waititi Archie Yates’ paper often lingers on the shoes in shots, or frames uniform gets more ragged (above). shots with them in view. Rosie was someone who was inspired by artists and was “eclectic,” says Rubeo. Once she had sketched the shoes, Rubeo had them custom-made for the movie. “They serve this duality, the shoes represent this happy time, but they’re also the bearer of bad news,” Rubeo says. In contrast, Elsa (Tomasin McKenzie), the Jewish girl hidden by Rosie in a crawl space in her house, doesn’t wear shoes. Rubeo points out that Elsa only wears shoes twice during the movie. SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES (2) PICTURES SEARCHLIGHT

VARIETY.COM 29 Transformations Makeup and Hair 30 CONTENDERS |HAIR&MAKEUPANDVFX Mistress of Evil.” in “Maleﬁcent:sharper-than-sharp cheekbones Paul Gooch’s outAngelina Jolie’s skillincarving work turningRenée Zellweger into“Judy” and “Joker” transformation, Jeremy Woodhead’s challengers, recognizing NickiLedermann’s in themakeup arestrong andhaircategory the Academy Awards, andtheothernominees for hairandmakeup gold. Kazu like Hiroseemed theOscarfront-runner Charlize Kelly TheronasMegyn in“Bombshell,” Gretchen Carlson andJohn Lithgow asFox transform Nicole likehelped Kidmantolook resemble theanchor. Hiro BesidesTheron, tomake point the starting theperformer casts,as isTheron, photosand3Dscanswere KellySince Megyn issuch awell-known ﬁgure, Kazu Hiro, AnneMorgan andVivian Baker BOMBSHELL EVER SINCEAUDIENCES PROSTHETICS, 3DSCANS ANDDUMMIESALLPLAYED THEIRPART

But whenitcomes therearenocertainties to By JazzTangcay

VARIETY.COM got at theirfirst look This is their first Oscar nomination. istheirfirst OscarThis nomination. tone. for intothered abloody blended amixofbrownlips, used andblack Ledermann day clown totheJoker. ors toshow thetransformation fromanevery- world. living inthereal ics’ most famousvillaintohave Fleck Arthur Com- DC andGeorgioureimagined Ledermann Nicki Ledermann andKay Georgiou this isMorgan andBaker’s first nom. Hiro previously won for “Darkest Hour,” News honchoRoger Ailes. imum on“Judy,” since Zellweger notlook does Woodhead wantedtokeep prosthetics toa min- Jeremy Woodhead JUDY JOKER For instance, for theJoker’s signature red carefullypicked themakeupLedermann col-

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HILARY B. GAYLE/LIONSGATE VFX Artists Push the Envelope

2019 SAW BREAKTHROUGHS IN DE-AGING AS WELL AS WATER, SKIN AND FUR EFFECTS

IN DECEMBER, the Academy’s visual effects The actors needed freedom to move around technology, virtual reality and live-action to branch executive committee selected 20 films on set and interact. ILM created a three- bring Simba & Co. to life. for its preliminary list that were eligible for fur- camera rig that was light enough to work along- ther awards consideration. The panel whittled side Scorsese and DP Rodrigo Prieto’s camera. STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER the list down to 10 films that advanced to nomi- Infrared technology captured everything they Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach nations voting. needed to alter the faces of the actors on their and Dominic Tuohy decades-long journey in the gangster epic. AVENGERS: ENDGAME A battle between Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken THE LION KING and Rey (Daisy Ridley) on a wrecked and Dan Sudick Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. spaceship that is being pounded by intense Jones and Elliot Newman and giant waves pushed the tech teams to It wasn’t just “The Irishman” that used de- deliver spectacular elements to the final aging technology. The VFX team behind “Aveng- More than 1,500 artists came together to installment of the “Star Wars” saga. Technol- ers: Endgame” also used it on Samuel L. Jack- deliver 1,490 shots for “The Lion King.” Legato ogy has also advanced far enough for the VFX son’s character. led the team on a virtual production. team to create a digital version of Princess Leia, Advances in technology allowed Deleeuw to Location shoots in Kenya, and intense study played by the late Carrie Fisher. Previous out- create “Smart Hulk.” The Medusa Facial Cap- of animals and their movements helped with takes fused with technology allowed for one ture system, which was developed by Disney the photo-realism, giving it a documentary feel. last visit with Leia. Also making a return were Research in Zurich, is a mobile rig of cameras Director Jon Favreau wanted the film to feel the creature effects, plus the introduction of and lights, which, when used with proprietary as realistic as possible and combined gaming Babu Frik, a rod puppet. software, can reconstruct the actor’s face, in this case, Mark Ruffalo, in full motion, without using motion-capture dots. Advances in capturing the movement of skin also helped create a better-looking Hulk.

1917 Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy

Evolving technologies and a radical game plan allowed the VFX team to help attain the continuous shot effect in “1917.” The ﬁlm was also being produced in the Imax format. Usually, the team members would render a shot overnight, but the combination of the one- shot conceit and the length of the shots forced them to rethink the way that they could render the shots and not hold up production. They had TECH ADVANCES to work in layers, rendering parts of shots at a “1917” (above) and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” are among visual effects nominees. time, in what Rocheron called “rapid prototyp- ing” in Wired magazine.

THE IRISHMAN Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser and Stephane Grabli

The ﬁrst thing Martin Scorsese said to Pablo Helman after proposing the idea to de-age Rob- ert De Niro was not to expect De Niro or any of the “Irishman” cast to don traditional motion capture pajamas. Helman was up for the challenge and it meant the team at Industrial Light and Magic would have to come up with the technology needed to de-age the ﬁlm’s stars. 1917: FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER: LUCASFILM/DISNEY THE RISE OF SKYWALKER: WARS: STAR PICTURES; FRANÇOIS DUHAMEL/UNIVERSAL 1917:

VARIETY.COM 31 CONTENDERS | EDITING Dual Disciplines Dependent on Each Other

SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING WORK TOGETHER TO

CREATE DEPTH TO A DIRECTOR’S VISION By Jazz Tangcay

SOUND MIXING AND SOUND EDITING are overwhelm the audience with loudness,” where and when to integrate music and radio still the office Oscar pool ballot busters. Even Morrow says. announcements. the Academy is considering combining the The Oscar-nommed sound editors gather Oscar voters will weigh in on sound categories. But they are different disciplines, the sounds — and again, these nominees range editing and sound mixing in final balloting, and this year’s crop of nominees illustrates the from work on everyday life events to outer but even industry veterans can get confused wide range of skills needed to make a movie space adventures: “Ford v Ferrari” (Don- at the difference. Here’s one way of remem- sound good. ald Sylvester), “Joker” (Alan Robert Murray), bering: E comes before M in the alphabet, so Last year’s sound editing winners were “1917” (Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate), sound editing usually occurs before mixing. John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone for “Bohe- “Once upon a Time in Hollywood” (Wylie But they’re not separate entities; neither can mian Rhapsody,” and the film took the sound Stateman) and “Star Wars: The Rise of Sky- live without the other. mixing trophy for Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin walker” (Matthew Wood and David Acord). Still confused? Just Google it — there’s a and John Casali. That film was a front-runner Sound editors make audio choices; some- lot of information online that will help in the given the demands of the music in the com- times they tap into a library of sounds, some- Oscar office pool. plex soundtrack. times they make their own recordings and Every year, the question arises: Do we In the sound mixing Oscar category, the sometimes they fabricate sounds that are really need two Academy Award categories for “Ad Astra” team of Gary Rydstrom, Tom completely new. sound. The obvious answer: Actually, we need Johnson and Mark Ulano had to deal with Stateman gathered audio for radio station about seven categories. But we’ll settle for rockets, high-tech machinery and the vac- KHJ that’s used for Quentin Tarantino in “Once these two. uum of space, while the “1917” crew of Mark Upon a Time in Hollywood” and determined Tim Gray contributed to this report. Taylor and Stuart Wilson brought the sounds of WWI trench warfare to the screen. “Jok- er’s” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod SOUND OF Maitland delivered a rotting city, rotting SILENCE apartments and a rotting mind. “Once Upon a For “Ad Astra,” Time in Hollywood’s” Michael Minkler, Chris- the team con- tian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano re-created tended with the vacuum of space. 1969 Hollywood, while Dan DeLeeuw, Rus- sell Earl, Matt Aitken and Dan Sudick had to re-create this world, as well as other galaxies in “Avengers: Endgame.” “Ford v Ferrari’s” Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow dealt with more down-to-earth events: high-end car racing and the sounds of engines from more than 50 years ago. The sound was a delicate thing to balance in “Ford v Ferrari,” especially on the Le Mans racetrack. Morrow had to capture the dialogue and combine music with the thrust and power of the Ford GT40. The final 25 minutes of the film are dedi- cated to the race but, as Morrow says, “If you’re going to put the audience through a 25-minute race, the audience will be worn out if you blast them with sound.” The key to it was showing the emotion, which was done through Phedon Papami- chael’s cinematography. Papamichael placed the camera on the cars, capturing the drivers’ emotions. “What we didn’t want to do was to 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS 20TH CENTURY

32 VARIETY CONTENDERS | EDITING

vast number of killings he had committed. Schoonmaker has eight Oscar nominations and three wins.

JOJO RABBIT Director Taika Waititi tapped his go-to editor Tom Eagles to ensure “Jojo Rabbit’s” tone was right from the beginning. As the ﬁlm opens, black-and-white archival footage of Nazi propaganda was used to show crowds screaming and cheering for Adolf Hitler. Playing over the credits is the Beatles singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in German. With that opening setting up the tone for Waititi, the other important element was time. The ﬁlm runs at a tight 108 minutes. It was just enough time to tell the story of a young boy whose world view changes completely, as does the world around him. This is Eagles first Oscar nomination.

JOKER First-time Oscar nominee Jeff Groth switched between close-ups and wider shots, one to show the emotional pain of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, while the other forced the audience to observe the action from a distance. For a lot of the time, Groth just “let things play out,” he says of the long takes. Groth, like director Todd Phillips and cinematographer Lawrence Sher, all worked to preserve Phoenix’s Oscar-nominated performance. “Joaquin has an amazing ability to transform his face and transform his body — the transformation happened in just about every shot in the scene. We tried not Cut to: Best of the Best to overly manipulate some of that and would even go back in and kind of remove cuts from certain things just to make sure OSCAR-NOMINATED EDITORS HELPED CREATE that you could witness what Joaquin was A WIDE RANGE OF WORLDS AND TONES By Jazz Tangcay doing,” Groth says. This is Groth’s first Oscar nomination

PARASITE

Director Bong Joon Ho created storyboards “PARASITE’S” HISTORIC Oscar nominations THE IRISHMAN CUTTING EDGE with editing in mind — shooting only what was haul includes editor Yang Jinmo, who won for “The Irishman” was a shift for Thelma (Clockwise necessary. Together, Bong and Yang discussed from top left) dramatic feature at the Jan. 17 American Schoonmaker. Not only did the legendary the rhythm and pacing of “Parasite” during Editing nominees Cinema Editors Eddie Awards. Yang’s win for editor and frequent Martin Scorsese “Jojo Rabbit,” pre-production. “Parasite” was the first time a film in a foreign collaborator have to weave a narrative that “Ford v Ferrari” Yang’s objective was to create tension in the language won. Historically, in 11 of the past skips back and forth in time across five and “Parasite” editing, and no scene was more important 15 years, the winner of the dramatic feature decades, Schoonmaker had to take a quiet than the birthday party. ACE award has gone on to win the Oscar for approach to the editing. That meant there “It was the most difficult to edit,” Yang says. editing. Here’s a rundown of the Academy was no amplifying of sounds and enhancing In the scene, small incidents lead up to the cli- Award nominations: footsteps — Scorsese wanted a simple max, and for Yang, it was imperative to show approach. “Marty wouldn’t allow any of it,” how Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) gets to the emo- FORD V FERRARI Schoonmaker says. A scene that posed a tional moment that leads to tragedy. Editors Michael McCusker and Andrew dilemma for Schoonmaker was the mon- “Bong and I went through so many takes Buckland struck a balance between the tage to reflect how many times Robert De and versions. We dissected it and looked at the friendship of Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and Niro’s character had killed. “We started off expressions Ki-taek was making,” Yang says. Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and the actual showing it traditionally, but then we did “We had to sell that emotion and where he racing to tell the story. jump cuts and played around with it a lot,” was coming from. It was crucial and the entire This is Buckland’s first Oscar nomination and Schoonmaker says before settling on the film hinges on that very moment.” McCusker’s second. montage to show a passing of time and the This is Yang’s first Oscar nomination. JOJO: KIMBERLEY FRENCH/SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES; PARASITE: NEON; FORD V FERRARI: MERRICK MORTON/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS CENTURY V FERRARI: MERRICK MORTON/20TH FORD NEON; PARASITE: PICTURES; KIMBERLEY FRENCH/SEARCHLIGHT JOJO:

VARIETY 33 FINAL CUT

World War I The tragedy of World War I was powerfully captured onscreen this year in Sam Mendes’ “1917,” a cinematic tour de force that has some brilliant precedents Still Haunts dating back almost to “The Big One” itself. King Vidor’s 1925 masterpiece, “The Big Parade,” captivated audiences and earned critical plaudits. Lewis Milestone’s 1930 classic “All Quiet on the Western Front” won best picture and Film Artists director Oscars. And in 1958, Stanley Kubrick directed his timeless, stirring anti-war ﬁlm, “Paths of Glory,” starring Oscar legend Kirk Douglas.

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