Encanto composer Germaine Franco, “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die and “Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up were among the winners of the Society of Composers and Lyricists’ SCL Awards, which took place on Tuesday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.
“Just Look Up” won in the outstanding original song for a comedy or musical visual media production, while “No Time to Die” received the win in the outstanding original song for a dramatic or documentary visual media production. Encanto won in the outstanding original score for a studio film category.
Franco took the stage to a standing ovation, taking a moment to “send all of our energy to Ukraine.” Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell weren’t there to accept the award for their song “No Time to Die,” but sent a video message to thank the society for the honor. Songwriter Taura Stinson accepted the award for “Just Look Up” — Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, with whom she shared the award, were not in attendance. During her speech, she noted that “we have a responsibility to be better people and take care of each other and continue to look up,” before wishing the audience a “Happy Women’s Day.”
Outstanding original score for a television production went to Cristobal Tapia de Veer for The White Lotus, while outstanding original score for an independent film went to Daniel Hart for The Green Knight.
The evening started out with a red carpet reception, with composers like Amie Doherty, Diane Warren, Chris Young, SCL president Ashley Irwin, singer Siedah Garrett and songwriter Jeymes Samuel hitting the red carpet. Jonny Greenwood, who was up for an award, was not in attendance.
Aloe Blacc was the host of the evening, starting the show with a dig at the Academy Awards for choosing not to televise best score, among other categories, live at the upcoming Oscars.
Welcoming everyone to the third annual SCL Awards, “an awards show so great we actually honor them live,” he said it was “wonderful to see your smiling face… masks.” Then, he cracked a joke about 80 musicals having been released over the past five years, 77 of which were made by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who was also not in attendance).
Singer Judith Hill performed during the In Memoriam segment which honored the lives of many composers and musicians that we lost this past year.
President Ashley Irwin then took the stage and also made a jab at the Academy that decided “best original score was no longer worthy of being part of the telecast,” despite filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and many more having “declared the importance of score to their films.”
“The Academy’s decision is a disappointing trend among decision-makers everywhere,” he told the audience, noting that composers will not sit by “like some disposable commodity.”
He then presented the Spirit of Collaboration Award to Carter Burwell with Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, the latter two not being able to make it to the show. Burwell told the audience that the Coen Brothers were stuck in New York but that he would gladly translate Irwin’s speech for fellow New Yorkers in the crowd: “Fuck the Academy Awards!”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has met resistance over its controversial plan not to present eight categories live during the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards. The Academy plans to present Oscars in documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short and sound inside the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the March 27 broadcast commences, recording and editing these into the subsequent live telecast.
Many have spoken out about the decision: for example, while accepting a Hollywood Critics Association Filmmaking Achievement Award on Feb. 28, Guillermo del Toro urged others in the industry to speak out against the move. Tom Fleischman, an Oscar-winning rerecording mixer best known for his decades-long collaboration with Martin Scorsese, even resigned from the Academy. Last week, the Academy further explained its decision, emphasizing all Oscars would be presented inside the Dolby Theatre.
See the full list of SCL Award winners below.
Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
Nicholas Britell
Don’t Look Up
Alexandre Desplat
The French Dispatch
Germaine Franco*
Encanto
Jonny Greenwood
The Power of the Dog
Hans Zimmer
Dune
Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
Jonny Greenwood
Spencer
Daniel Hart*
The Green Knight
Alberto Iglesias
Parallel Mothers
Rachel Portman
Julia
Kubilay Uner
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally
Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
Christophe Beck
WandaVision
Nicholas Britell
Succession
Natalie Holt
Loki
Jung Jae-il
Squid Game
Cristobal Tapia de Veer*
The White Lotus
Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
Kris Bowers & Siedah Garrett
“Together All The Way”
Dear White People
Nicholas Britell & Taura Stinson*
(w/Ariana Grande & Scott Mescudi)
“Just Look Up”
Don’t Look Up
Amie Doherty
“Fearless”
Spirit Untamed
Jamie Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, & Carole King
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”
Respect
Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Home All Summer”
In The Heights
Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
Jeymes Samuel
(w/Shawn Carter & Scott Mescudi)
“Guns Go Bang”
The Harder They Fall
Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell*
“No Time To Die”
No Time To Die
Rufus Wainwright
“Secret Sister”
Rebel Hearts
Diane Warren
“Somehow You Do”
Four Good Days
Diane Warren
“(Never Gonna) Tame You”
The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses
Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
Germaine Franco
Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness
Hildur Guđnadóttir & Sam Slater*
Battlefield 2042
Austin Wintory
Alien Fireteam Elite
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
Anne-Kathrin Dern
The Claus Family
Stephanie Economou*
Jupiter’s Legacy
Joy Ngiaw
Blush
Spirit of Collaboration Award
Carter Burwell with Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Source: Hollywood
