In recent times, detailed research has pointed out that experts are not always as expert as we tend to believe. A new survey of musical experts found that most of them were unable to tell a Stradivarius from other violins, while fresh work on the decisions of ice-skating judges found them to be inconsistent. Although, as Transformers fans, we are not scientific researchers as such, we believe that we have unearthed another example of expert inadequacy, this time affecting Transformers.
The Cinema Audio Society has failed to acknowledge ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ in the sound mixing category. The preceding movies in the franchise were recognised for their superb sound mixing. We do not believe there is much wrong with our ears and we were somewhat surprised to hear about the Cinema Audio Society’s choices. A critic went even further than us and maintained that they had been shocked by the omission of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ from the nomination list.
If ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ was excluded from a list of nominations for psychological insight or plot, we would not be surprised. Had it been snubbed for character development, then fair enough. However, for it to be overlooked for its sound mixing is downright odd. Perhaps the Cinema Audio Society has been tempted by the notion of getting their choices talked about. Many judges in different fields have felt that making unusual selections for prizes attracts a higher degree of publicity for their big nights than they would otherwise receive.
It would be foolish to criticise expert opinion in too sweeping terms. Nonetheless, the makers of Transformers films deserve recognition for the things they do get right, just as they deserve the criticism for the many things they get wrong.
