Knock on Wood

A time-honored office tradition is slinging money on the Oscars. Because, and let’s be honest, one of the most simple joys in life is upstaging your co-workers. Whether friend or foe, sometimes it’s fun to prove you know more than your office peers, especially when money is on the line. And this year’s Oscars are right around the corner, set to air the evening of Sunday, March 10th.

So now’s the time to prepare, and here at Knock on Wood, we want to help you win your office betting pool! It’s time to bring home the big bucks.

But the first thing you have to know about winning your Oscar pool is that it’s not actually about the big awards. Most people will know, or have a sense of, who’s going to win Best Director, Actor, Actress, or even Best Picture via word of mouth or internet buzz. It’s the craft awards and short films where you can pull ahead of the competition. Let’s go over the more under-the-radar categories so you can take home the gold.

Best Animated Short Film

Put your money on…Letter to a Pig

But if not that, then…WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko

This powerful short visually hybridizes live-action footage with ink and watercolor animation for a unique and beautiful artistic look, while telling a harrowing story about a Holocaust survivor’s pain, and how that can relate to younger generations. It has all the ingredients it needs to win. But don’t discount a short made in a video game engine that evokes the name of a beloved Beatle whom people still idolize to this day. The Academy eats up stuff like this…Ninety-Five Senses fans are in shambles, as one of the actual best films nominated in this category likely has no chance of winning.

Best Cinematography

Put your money on…Oppenheimer

But if not that, then…Killers of the Flower Moon

Like a lot of categories on this list, this is Oppenheimer’s award to win. From a cinematography standpoint, this gives us almost everything you could ask for in one movie. Stark black and white segments, gorgeous muted color palettes when capturing the western aesthetic of Los Alamos, and vivid tones during deeply emotional scenes such as the notorious Trinity Test explosion sequence. You’ve got it all. But Rodrigo Prieto was the director of photography on Killers of the Flower Moon and the Academy could opt to award him for his impressive work, especially seeing as this is Prieto’s fourth Oscar nom and he hasn’t won yet.

Best Costume Design

Put your money on…Barbie

But if not that, then…Poor Things

This feels like no contest. Jacquline Durran and her team have recreated dozens and dozens of actual Barbie toy outfits in real life. They made them look stylish, appealing, and gaudy in the best way to bring the toy and that world to life while being visually stunning. Hell, they even made extra costumes just so Margot Robbie could wear Barbie outfits at all the big awards events. And Durran is already an Oscar favorite, with Barbie being her ninth nomination, and having already won twice for Anna Karenina and 2019’s Little Women. It’s possible that Poor Things steals this due to its eccentric and over-the-top costumes, particularly regarding Emma Stone’s wardrobe, but it’s unlikely.

Best Documentary Short

Put your money on…The ABCs of Book Banning

But if not that, then…Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó

If ever a short film was going to win due to the strength of its current political relevance, it’s The ABCs of Book Banning. This short dives deep into the numerous laws and bannings in, primarily, Republican-led states that are banning books at an alarming rate in the name of ‘morality,’ when in actuality it’s about censorship and control. While most of this film plays like a PowerPoint presentation listing a ton of banned books, it is quite moving when they actually get kids to express their confusion and sadness surrounding the books they admire being banned. Personally, I’d love to see Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, a film about two mother-in-laws growing old and living together to support their children and grandchildren after their partners have passed on, take this one home, but I don’t think I’ll get my wish here.

Best Film Editing

Put your money on…Oppenheimer

But if not that, then…Anatomy of a Fall

This is another category that feels pretty close to a lock. The way Jennifer Lame edits this film is fascinating. Watching the waves of sound and light clash, watching an atom being split, and seeing these flourishes edited into a larger edit that blends events, perspectives, and timelines is awesome, especially when we see certain moments multiple times (like Rashomon) which change and alter our view of the entire film as a whole. It’s entrancing and quite compelling. Anatomy of a Fall is also worth mentioning, especially due to the compelling way we see the courtroom drama unfold and then cut back to the house where we see domestic arguments that impact our view of the narrative.

Best Live Action Short

Put your money on…The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

But if not that, then…Red, White, and Blue

Well, I guess Wes Anderson is finally getting his Oscar. It’s kind of a shame that one of his feature-length endeavors couldn’t get him there first (even more sad that the terrific Asteroid City was completely shut out of the Oscars), we will take our wins where we can get them. This features all of Anderson’s flair and stylings, has a solid narrative, and strong performances from the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and more. There could be a sneaky win for Red, White, and Blue, a sorrowful short about a family in a red state who is in dire need of an abortion in a post-Roe v. Wade abolishment world, but odds are it’s Anderson’s time.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Put your money on…Maestro

But if not that, then…Poor Things

Have you heard about Bradley Cooper’s nose?! I mean, he wore a nose prosthetic! This has to win! I’m being glib, as there are certainly many things about Maestro regarding its great aging makeup and fantastic hair work that more than make this worthy of the gold, but it’s hilarious that Cooper’s nose prosthetic is getting the majority of the attention here. I’m more partial to Poor Things, as I think the facial prosthetics on Willem Dafoe, and many of the hairstyles here are far more impressive, but that’s definitely the alternate, minority opinion.

Best Production Design

Put your money on…Barbie

But if not that, then…Oppenheimer

The production of Barbie World was such a monumental task that it caused a global shortage of pink paint. No, I’m serious. But that’s the level of scale, and therefore dedication, that went into the production design of this film. The scale recreation of all of these Barbie Dream Houses, toys, and props is staggeringly impressive. It’s as if someone had put Barbie toys in front of Wayne Szalinski’s enlarging ray – that’s how accurate these sets look. Even the blandness of the Mattel Corporate Headquarters is well done. I’d be stunned if Barbie didn’t take home the win here. But, rebuilding the entirety of Los Alamos is no small feat, and there are plenty of sets to gawk at with Oppenheimer as well.

Best Sound

Put your money on…Oppenheimer

But if not that, then…The Zone of Interest

I feel like the Trinity Test explosion alone is enough to secure this win in the minds of most Academy voters. That raw and uncomfortable silence broken by an awful and devastating explosion is beyond powerful. But the vibrations in the waves of atoms splitting, the stomping on the bleachers in the auditorium, the echoing of the senate confirmation hearings, and so much more, are jaw-dropping. With that said, though Oppenheimer may be the more technically impressive use of sound, and the surefire favorite to win, The Zone of Interest’s use of sound is far more impactful to the narrative. Gunshots, train whistles, and burning furnaces become the things of nightmares. I wouldn’t be too shocked if this got a sneaky upset win.

Best Visual Effects

Put your money on…Godzilla Minus One

But if not that, then…The Creator

This is being awarded not just because of excellence in the craft, but because of the story behind it. The Shirogumi Chōfu effects studio has a team of just 35 artists that created all 610 effects shots on a budget of just $15 million for Godzilla Minus One. In a vacuum, those numbers might mean nothing to you. For comparison, Marvel’s VFX team for last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had over 1,000 artists creating a little more than 800 shots, and they did it for an undisclosed amount believed to be tens of millions more than the $15 million that was spent on Godzilla Minus One…and their effects look like garbage in comparison to the big lizard boy. This little-studio-that-could made the best visual effects of the year, and they did it through long, thankless hours of work. So, hopefully, the Academy will thank them. They damn well deserve that Oscar recognition. I guess The Creator is a long shot. They have the small-budget storyline going too, but not to the same degree. This should be a slam dunk for Godzilla.

And there we have it! Our look at the categories that can make, or break, your Oscars ballot. Of course, anything can happen on Oscar night. There are always some wild moments and big upsets, but if you stick to this you should at least be in good shape.

Good luck in your office Oscar pool, let’s hope you take home that money!