How and why is a film nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, Original Score and Sound?

At each Oscar ceremony, there is a moment in the awards for musical emotions, those that leave a lasting mark on the memory of a film every time we hear the soundtrack again. Best Original Song, Original Score and Sound are the three categories that receive their awards on the big night in Hollywood . And that's where Wicked comes in (a musical based on The Wizard of Oz , among other works), where the songs become dialogues in the narrative and remain relevant over the years.

It seems easy to ignore the important role of music in an audiovisual production; one tends to forget about it until its absence catches our attention. But films often have composers who spend days creating the right melodies and harmonies for each of the scenes that require them. The same happens with the careful design of sound, which over time has become a fundamental tool to help build the stories that are to be conveyed.

In this 97th edition of the Oscars, the nominees for Best Original Song are: "El mal" and "Mi camino" by Emilia Pérez ; "The Journey" by The Six Triple Eight ; "Like a bird" by Sing Sing , and "Never too late" by Elton John: Never Too Late . Meanwhile, the nominations for Best Soundtrack were those of El Brutalista , Cónclave , Emilia Pérez , Wicked , and Robot Salvaje . As for the films nominated for Best Sound in 2024, the Academy recognized A complete stranger, Dune: Part 2, Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and Robot Salvaje .

Original Song and Original Score: What do the Oscars reward?

As in all categories, there are certain exclusionary requirements to be able to participate in the Oscars. According to the film music composer Ramiro Rodríguez Zamarripa , to be nominated in these categories the original song and/or the soundtrack “must have been composed specifically for the film in question.” Perhaps this is the reason why the soundtrack of A complete unknown was not nominated, as it was written by the real Bob Dylan .

“They must be completely original and the result of creative interaction between the composers and the film’s creative team, including the director and producers. In the case of the soundtrack, at least 35% of the music used must have been composed exclusively for the film,” Rodríguez Zamarripa clarified. In addition, “the recording must have been made for the exclusive purpose of being used in the film before any other media or commercial release.”

Regarding the voting, Ramiro, who currently works in Los Angeles, explained: “The voting criteria are completely subjective and, in theory, the originality and the effectiveness of the music to elevate the story are the key aspects, but, as with any awards ceremony, there are political and strategic factors that can influence the results.”

It seems important to distinguish between commercial music and film music. While the former has “total creative freedom, without narrative limitations,” film music “is at the service of the image.” “In a film, the music has to work in relation to the editing, the rhythm of the scenes, the emotional subtext and the general aesthetics of the film. The stylistic and sound decisions are conditioned by the setting and tone of the film,” said the composer.

All the music that was nominated for this edition of the Oscars was tied to and aligned with the films they represent. For example, for the music of The Brutalist , composer Daniel Blumberg said he sought to imitate the sound made by construction and the internal struggles of the protagonist in order to represent the story of the architect fleeing the post-war period. It is clear that not only the aesthetics of the film matter, but also the concepts that represent it.

Like many forms of art, film music has been modified by constant technological advances. “The evolution of film scores has been influenced by both technological development and the musical trends of each era. In silent films, music was performed live by pianists or organists who improvised on the image or used pre-existing scores from the classical repertoire. With the arrival of sound films, Hollywood adopted a symphonic approach inspired by European post-romantic music, with leitmotifs and elaborate orchestrations to reinforce the narrative.”

The composition process depends on each particular project, but generally the composer “comes on board in post-production, when the film is already finalized or close to final.” He continues: “There are meetings in which the composer, the director and the producers watch the film to define which scenes need music, where each piece should enter and exit, and what its dramatic function will be. From there, the composer goes back to his studio to work scene by scene, delivering demos to the director to receive feedback and make adjustments.”

“The key is to find a musical language that draws on these elements and elevates what is already on the screen,” concluded Rodríguez Zamarripa. The song “El mal” by Emilia Pérez is a great example of this last concept, because it has lyrics that do nothing but accentuate and reinforce what the actress wants to interpret with the visual.

The art of sound design

The sound that accompanies the visual also has its own category at the Oscars, as it is very important when telling a story. In this nomination, the Academy takes into account the criteria of sound mixing, recording, design and editing.

In this context, Argentine sound designer and re-recording mixer Martín Scaglia maintains that “what is recognized is the ability to construct and communicate an idea based on sound. What is rewarded, I understand, is the narrative capacity of sound, the contribution it makes through its technical and creative strategies to immerse the viewer in a set of sensations and emotions.”

“The greatest importance of sound lies in constructing an invisible universe, which is perceived as natural but which allows the viewer to feel and experience what the film proposes. A good sound design should be able to narrate, expand the central idea, generate sensations in the listener and at the same time be perceived as inseparable from the entire film,” explained Scaglia.

As with the film scoring process, the director of the film can, of course, be involved in the sound design. “I try to keep that aspect under control so that I have room to mess things up a bit. I like to leave room for a certain amount of randomness, I even like it when the director comes up with something very whimsical that goes against the “rules” of the process.”

And regarding the design process, Martin added: “I think it’s fine that the process is a bit muddy, I think it’s good to go through all those stages, after all, films are stories and stories are not all the same nor are they all made in the same way.”

“The more the sound design is incorporated into the film's kitchen, the better the results are and I think we are moving in that direction, towards thinking about sound from the script and not reducing it to a technical process that is done at the end of the chain ,” he concluded.

For her part, image and sound design expert Anita Arancedo reflected on the advances that have taken place in the world of cinema and stated: “Sound effects (SFX) have evolved incredibly. The most renowned composers and sound designers experiment with unexpected objects and resources to generate striking sounds, regardless of the genre. From the crunch of snow in a horror film to the roar of a spaceship in a science fiction film, sound is key to immersing the viewer in the story. I think that today the Oscars are betting on creativity and innovation.”

Surely the sound designer for Dune: Part II was going for creativity and authenticity. After winning the Oscar for Best Sound with Dune: Part I in 2022, Richard King was back at it again. For the second part of the film, he set out to capture different sand textures to introduce the audience to the planet Arrakis, ranging from real wind to footsteps in the dunes and underground microphones. Even night shifts were organized to capture the solitude of the desert at night.

The importance of sound in a film is not limited to narrating an image, but Arancedo also believes that it is capable of “awakening emotions,” because “beyond giving voice to a scene, sound acts as an emotional trigger.”

“I also think that we have to be careful with the excess of references that circulate today. There is so much information and so many influences that, if not filtered well, they can end up contaminating the personal search for an authentic sound. It is important not to lose one's essence and to refer back to sounds from your own culture, childhood or context, which really speak of your history,” added Anita.

Along the same lines, and as a closing note, Arancedo highlighted: “In an ideal world, each project would have the necessary time to experiment and polish the sound to its maximum expression. But the reality is that you have to adapt to tight deadlines, and that can be a negative thing. In any case, the advance of technology has undoubtedly allowed us to create more enveloping and immersive mixes, achieving a 360 experience in the cinema.”

From songs that have been resonating for more than two decades, such as Gravity by Stephen Schwartz, the original composer of Wicked , to the sound that evokes cold and rain, the role of audio in cinema is increasingly relevant. Both music and sound have become central to the narrative and increasingly influence the audience and their emotions.