can oscar voters really discern editing and sound categories?

Question

My first question is can a film buff or film critic really render an opinion on some oscar categories like sound, sound editing, and film editing? I think it's impossible to tell how good an editor is unless you see how much original footage the director gave him to work with, and as for sound, i can tell if something's a good score, but I'd have to almost distract myself from watching the actual story if i wanted to just listen to the sound.

Secondly, Oscars are voted on by the entire academy so don't you think there are a lot of actors and screenwriters who aren't well-versed enough in the technical categories to vote?

Answer 1

Good point. Maybe sound engineers or even musicians are more qualified to judge a category like that. Perhaps the other voters of the academy should attend some kind of seminar to be able to know how to decipher superior sound and music.

Answer 2

Actually, the nominations are handled by academy members in that field. Only members of the Editor's branch will vote on the nominations in the editing category.

For the general awards, the entire academy does vote. However, it is possible to judge the quality of editing, sound effects editing and sound if you have a good understanding of film and how it works. Editing isn't what's cut out, but how what's there is assembled, how it affects the viewer emotionally.

The more you watch movies, the more you make movies, the more you get a feel for it.