Rule Twenty One
Special Rules for The Sound Editing Award

1. The Academy President shall instruct the Sound Editor Governor to chair the Sound Editing Award Committee, comprised of all sound editors and post-production mixers in the Academy Sound Branch and all members of the Sound Branch Executive Committee.

2. There are three options under these rules.

(a) A Special Achievement Award for Sound Editing may be made by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Sound Editing Award Committee.
(b) If the committee finds that two productions, but not more than three productions, are deserving of its recommendations, those shall be placed on the final ballot as nominated achievements to be voted upon by all active and life members of the Academy.
(c) The Sound Editing Award Committee may also recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made in a given year.

3. A reminder list of all eligible productions shall be sent with a ballot to all sound editors and post-production mixers of the Academy Sound Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions. The seven productions receiving the highest number of votes from this initial balloting shall be the achievements to be considered further for the Sound Editing Award.

4. Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the Supervising Sound Editor directly involved in and primarily responsible for the planning, creation, direction and execution of the sound design and editing for each achievement. The Supervising Sound Editor must be the primary creative decision maker and principal interpreter of the director's vision to the sound editing team. The Supervising Sound Editor must approve the sound effects and their specific placement in the film, coordinate the creation of newly designed sound and foley effects and the editing of dialogue and ADR. The Supervising Sound Editor must oversee the recording of the pre-dubs and be present to supervise the final mix. In the event the above responsibilities are divided, both co-supervisors must adhere to the above criteria.

5. Nomination eligibility of the Supervising Sound Editor responsible for the achievement shall be determined by the Sound Editing Award Rules Committee.

6. The producers or directors (or their designees) shall also be requested to provide the committee with film excerpts of selected scenes from composite prints in the same sound format as that in which the film was commercially released in Los Angeles County and in accordance with Rules Two and Three. Double system or picture-and-track excerpts will be accepted only when a film was originally released in this format. Excerpts from each production shall not exceed ten minutes in total running time.

7. The Sound Editing Award Committee shall meet to screen the film excerpts and vote on the achievements. All film excerpts will be run at the Academy Standard sound level. Producers and directors of the productions under consideration (or their representatives) may attend the meeting at the option of the committee.

8. Following the screening of film excerpts, voting shall be conducted as follows:

(a) A ballot, listing the productions under consideration in their running order, shall be distributed to all voting members who must mark a score of 10, 9, 8, 7 or 6 opposite each of the achievements. This point system shall represent a rating of 10 for the highest level on the scale of achievement.

(b) If two productions, but not more than three productions, receive an average score of 8.5 or more, they shall be the achievements nominated for the Sound Editing Award.

(c) If only one production receives an average score of 8.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that a Special Achievement Award for Sound Editing be made to that production. The committee shall provide the Board with a written description of the sound editing achievement.
(d) If none of the productions receives an average score of 8.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made for achievement in sound editing that year.

9. Such other rules or modifications as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Sound Editing Award Rules Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.