The Original music score category is one of the most interesting categories of the year. The Academy nominated unexpected candidates and left out some composers that were expected to be nominated. Known as the best predictor of the category, the Golden Globes chose Alex Ebert's score for "All is Lost," which was not nominated for the Oscar. As a result the category is unpredictable and includes two first-time nominees, two previous nominees and one previous winner. Past winners include Mychael Danna ("Life of Pi"), Ludovic Bource ("The Artist"), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross ("The Social Network"), and Michael Giacchino ("Up").
Arcade Fire - "Her" - This marks the band's first nomination at the Academy Awards. "Her" lined up a number of awards with critics and won five in the music category. The film is currently nominated in both music categories, which could work in its favor. Last year Danna won for his score for "Life of Pi" and the film was also nominated for Best Song. Of course, that was only the case last year. "Avatar" was nominated in both categories back in 2009 but ended up losing. Arcade Fire may also have a shot especially since the score has a lot of contemporary sounds and is not traditional. The Academy has chosen this type of music in the past; "The Social Network" and "Babel" won Best Score over more traditional work. It will be interesting to see if the movie can win based on the latest trends.
Alexandre Desplat - "Philomena" - Desplat received his sixth nomination for Stephen Frear's film. The composer has been nominated for his previous films "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Queen," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The King's Speech," and "Argo." Throughout the years Desplat has become an awards favorite and has won many precursor awards. However, this year he was ignored by virtually every single precursor and was a big surprise when the Academy Awards announced their nominations. Desplat could easily win the award since there is no front-runner and if the Academy decides to spread the awards throughout the Best Picture nominees.
Steven Price - "Gravity" - Price's bombastic score provides some of the most brilliantly composed music of the year. For his work on "Gravity" he received his first nomination and is likely to win the award. The composer won six precursor awards including the BAFTA and the Critics Choice awards. Both of these organizations are good predictors of what the Oscars will eventually choose. However, if the Academy decides to spread the wealth and does not want the film to sweep every category, the Oscar will go to another film.
Thomas Newman - "Saving Mr. Banks" - This is Newman's 12th nomination and most pundits believe it could be Newman's first win at the Academy Awards. However, that is unlikely this year. "Saving Mr. Banks" was expected to be a Best Picture contender but only received a single nomination for score. For the past 10 years only Best Picture nominees have went on to win this award. The last time a non-Best Picture nominee won the score award was in 2003 when "Frida" won the Oscar. Without a doubt Newman has little chance and with the Academy's apparent dislike for "Saving Mr. Banks," the composer will have to wait another year.
John Williams - "The Book Thief" - John Williams holds one of the biggest records at the Academy Awards, winning five awards and receiving 49 nominations. He has won for his work on "Schindler's List," "E.T," "Star Wars," "Jaws," and "Fiddler on the Roof." For his work on "The Book Thief" Williams has been nominated for the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and BAFTA, but has gone home empty-handed. The reason may be because the movie was not well-received and had no Best Picture nominations. As with "Saving Mr. Banks," it is obvious that the Academy did not really care for the film and given the latest Oscar trend, Williams will have to wait for his sixth Oscar.
Predictions: Steven Price will win the Academy Award after his BAFTA and Critics Choice awards. However, if the Academy decides to spread the wealth, Arcade Fire will take the accolade.