Epic sandworm rides across the desert of Arrakis, a thrilling gladiator battle involving a rhino and a display of the unmitigated feeling of pure Anxiety —those are just a few scenes and characters that have entertained audiences this past year, none of which would be possible without the artisans who make the magic happen behind the scenes.
This year, the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards Presented by Variety will celebrate the visionary artists who help tell stories through their crafts. “Since we introduced the award in 2006, we have been highlighting the tremendous work happening behind the scenes and all the passionate people who
bring these films to life,” says Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer.
“We are honored to present the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards,” says Variety chief operating and marketing officer Dea Lawrence. “The people working behind the scenes are crucial to film production, and this event will shine a well-deserved spotlight on them.” The Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards will be presented on Nov. 14 at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Hollywood.
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Among the artisans to be celebrated;
Editing: Joe Walker, ‘Dune: Part 2’ – Presenter: Hans Zimmer
Editor Joe Walker, a go-to collaborator of Denis Villeneuve who won an editing Oscar for “Dune,” spent more than 16 months shaping “Dune Two’s” scene in which Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha engages in a fight and then has a celebration in a gladiator-esque type arena.
It was a complicated scene — one of the first sequences shot early on — and visual effects needed to get involved.
Stunts: Chris O’Hara, ‘The Fall Guy- – Presenter: David Leitch
Veteran stunt coordinator and president of Stunts Unlimited O’ Hara is the epitome of the unsung Hollywood hero — working in a discipline that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has
yet to recognize with an Oscar, although the Screen Actors Guild Awards do have a stunt category.
However, earlier this year, SAG and Directors Guild of America approved the first-ever credit of “stunt designer.” O’Hara earned the inaugural title on “The Fall Guy,”
Animation: Kelsey Mann, ‘Inside Out 2’ – Presenter: Amy Poehler
The blockbuster animated feature “Inside Out 2,” directed by Mann, centers around Riley, a girl who is a mixed bag of conflicting feelings as she hits puberty. The teen is at a hockey camp for the weekend when her five core emotions — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust (joined by Ennui, Embarrassment, Envy and Anxiety) — kick in hard. Going into an important game, she is on a mission to impress the hockey coach and make the varsity team. Under immense pressure, Anxiety, Envy and Embarrassment take the lead, with the other emotions relegated to the back of her mind, where they have become suppressed. When Riley is placed in a timeout box, it all becomes too much for her emotions to simultaneously handle, and they set off a panic attack.
Mann says he told people he’s “making a movie about anxiety for a reason.” He says of the timeout scene, “You want to make sure that it feels real and authentic. To come up with a look that achieves that is really hard. It took lots of different departments all working collaboratively in order to pull that off.
Sound Steven Morrow, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Tom Ozanich, Dean A. Zupancic, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux‘ – Presenter: Joey Garner
The “Joker 2” sound team planted radio mics throughout the movie to pick up atmospheric sounds as Arthur Fleck/Joker goes on trial.
Additionally, they had to navigate how to capture the live vocals from Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga for the film’s musical numbers. The team who could “Maestro” and “A Star is Born” among their many credits, were no strangers to live performances, so an early prep was necessary to have a workflow that didn’t sacrifice the tempo, emotion or energy of the performances.
Production Design: Nora Mendis, ‘Nickel Boys’ – Presenter: Daveed Diggs
Production designer Nora Mendis utilized filming locations in Southern Louisiana which subbed for Florida in the 1960s. Mendis built the boxing ring and bleachers that feature in the film from the ground up. The school was a convent, which Mendis and team reworked to make period accurate.
Hair & Makeup: Julia Floch-Carbonel, Simon Livet and Romain Marietti, ‘Emilia Perez’- Presenter: Karla Sofía Gascón
The hair and makeup team joined forces to tell the story of “Emilia Perez.” Lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) helps a crime boss retire from the cartel business and disappear, and also undergoes gender reassignment surgery to become the titular character, Emilia Perez played by Karla Sofía Gascón. Their challenge was how to tell Emilia’s arc seamlessly. Balancing prosthetics and different hairstyles was key. When Emilia first meets Rita in London, everything about her had become softer, right down to her makeup to reflect her new life.
Cinematography John Mathieson, ‘Gladiator II’
John Mathieson steps up to the cinematography arena for “Gladiator 2.” With corruption and power rife, he took a decadent approach to lighting the world set in palaces and the Colosseum. In contrast, this time, the afterlife sequences veered away from the golden wheat beds to a drained, darker aesthetic.
Costumes: Arianne Phillips, ‘A Complete Unknown’ – Presenter: Elle Fanning
Costume designer Arianne Phillips’s range is on display this year as she crafted the costumes for “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Next up, “A Complete Unknown. Phillips tracks Bob Dylan’s journey in the early 1960s with denim, browns and black. Timothée Chalamet goes through 65 outfit changes as he transforms into Bob Dylan.
Director: Gia Coppola, ‘The Last Showgirl’ – Presenter: Pamela Anderson
Gia Coppola’s film is a Vegas-set drama, Pamela Anderson plays Shelley, a veteran showgirl who faces an uncertain future after she’s told that her show will be closing permanently after a 30-year run. Speaking about the project, Coppola said, “There’s so many parallels to just being a woman and how society confines you and how you navigate being a mother and having a career. And I’ve always wanted to tell a mother-daughter story.”
Coppola shot “The Last Showgirl” on film and spent a mere 18 days in Vegas.
Score: Jon Batiste, ‘Saturday Night’ Presenter: Jason Reitman
Batiste does double duty in “Saturday Night.” The film follows a tense 90 minutes on October 11, 1975, as Lorne Michaels and a group of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast and premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” Batiste plays musician and band leader Billy Preston. Once he was done filming, the makeup and costume would come off, and Batiste would record the tense-time ticking score for the film.
Property Master: Kendra Eaves, ‘Anora’ – Presenter: Sean Baker
Kendra Eaves, “Anora’s” prop master worked closely with Sean Baker and production designer Stephen Phelps. With class being an underlying theme of the film, Eaves helped define the worlds through her work. From Ani’s (Mikey Madison) simple Brighton Beach home, to the luxurious Zakharov Mansion filled with artwork, tables and lamps and lavish furnishings.
Screenwriters: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy, ‘Deadpool and Wolverine‘ – Presenter: Rob Simonsen
“Deadpool and Wolverine” has cemented itself as the biggest R-rated moving in history. The team of writers go all out with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Action, comedy and drama. A minivan fight and cameos galore made this the perfect fantastical escape.
Original Song: Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig and Josh Greenbaum, Will & Harper’ – Presenter: Harper Steele
“Will & Harper Go West” is the utterly delightful tune from Netflix’s “Will & Harper” documentary. Kristen Wiig performs the tune in the doc’s end credits. The number honors the enduring friendship between Will Ferrell and Harper Steele. The bonus of the song is throughout the doc, there’s a running gag in which the duo calls on Wiig to write a song for their journey.
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