2024 Oscar Predictions: SOUND, MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING and VISUAL EFFECTS

20 films made the first cut for the visual effects shortlist and much to most of our surprise, Oppenheimer was not on it. Granted, director Christopher Nolan (like he did with Dunkirk) heavily emphasized the lack of visual effects in favor of practical ones, a factor that no doubt played the major role in the branch ignoring it. See predictions below.

Not to worry though, the film should be an easy call for sound (among other shortlists) and possibly makeup and hairstyling. It’s fellow box office blockbuster Barbie could make a showing in sound, should definitely for makeup and hair and it made the VFX list so finding a spot there will really show its very broad support.

Maestro is an easy double call for sound and makeup, The Color Purple too. Nyad could be a surprise shortlist presence in both or one of makeup and visual effects (watch this vfx breakdown to see why it made the first cut) as could Society of the Snow (both from Netflix) in the same categories. Poor Things could find itself on all three here but only makeup is a real lock.

The Oscar shortlists will be revealed on December 21, 2023. Cinema Audio Society (CAS) nominations are announce January 9, 2024. Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reel nominations will be announced on January 15. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23 and the 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10.

Here are my 2024 Oscar predictions for the 10-film shortlist in Sound for December 2023.

SOUND

1. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
2. Maestro (Netflix)
3. Ferrari (NEON)
4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
5. The Zone of Interest (A24)
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
7. The Color Purple (Warner Bros)
8. Napoleon (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures)
9. Barbie (Warner Bros)
10. American Symphony (Netflix)

Next up: 

The Creator (20th Century Studios), Elemental (Pixar), John Wick Chapter 4 (Lionsgate), The Killer (Netflix), Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures), Wonka (Warner Bros)

Other contenders: 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Walt Disney), The Iron Claw (A24), The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount Pictures), Nyad (Netflix), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount Pictures), Wish (Walt Disney)

The Oscar shortlists will be revealed on December 21, 2023. Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (MUAH) nominations nominations are January 2, 2024 and the Makeup and Hairstyling nominating Oscar screenings (the “bake-offs”) will take place on January 14. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23 and the 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10.

Here are my 2024 Oscar predictions for the 10-film shortlist in Makeup and Hairstyling for December 2023.

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

1. Maestro (Netflix)
2. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios)
4. Nyad (Netflix)
5. The Color Purple (Warner Bros)
6. Society of the Snow (Netflix)
7. Barbie (Warner Bros)
8. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
9. Priscilla (A24)
10. Chevalier (Searchlight Pictures)

Next up: 

Asteroid City (Focus Features, Ferrari (NEON), The Iron Claw (A24), Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films), Napoleon (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures), Wonka (Warner Bros)

Other contenders: 

The Creator (20th Century Studios), Dicks: The Musical (A24), Dream Scenario (A24), Golda (Bleecker Street), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Lionsgate), The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Pictures), Rustin (Netflix)

The Oscar shortlists will be revealed on December 21, 2023. Visual Effects Society (VES) nominations are January 16, 2024. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23 and the 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10.

Here are my 2024 Oscar predictions for the 10-film shortlist in Visual Effects for December 2023.

VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney)
2. The Creator (20th Century Studios)
3. Spider-Man: Across the Universe (Sony Pictures)
4. The Marvels (Marvel/Walt Disney)
5. Barbie (Warner Bros)
6. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount Pictures)
7. Society of the Snow (Netflix)
8. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Walt Disney)
9. Godzilla Minus One (Toho)
10. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)

Next up:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Marvel/Walt Disney), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves (Paramount Pictures), Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films), Napoleon (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures)

Other contenders:

The Boys in the Boat (Amazon MGM), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount Pictures), Nyad (Netflix), Rebel Moon: Part One – Child of Fire (Netflix), Wonka (Warner Bros)

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• Producers Guild of America Announces Finalists and Expansion of “PGA Innovation Award” for the 36th Producers Guild Awards - November 14, 2024
• 2025 Cinema Eye Honors Nominations: ‘Sugarcane,’ ‘Dahomey,’ ‘No Other Land’ Lead Documentary/Nonfiction Awards - November 14, 2024
• 2025 Oscar Predictions: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY and ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (November) - November 14, 2024