According to The Hollywood Reporter, seven films have been shortlisted for consideration in the Oscar sound editing race by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

The sound editing branch's top picks are...

- Miramax's The Aviator

- DreamWorks' Collateral

- 20th Century Fox's The Day After Tomorrow

- Pixar Animation Studios' The Incredibles

- Warner Bros. Pictures' The Polar Express

- Universal Pictures' Ray

- Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 2

Evident in the selection of this year's films is an overt action by the sound editing branch to try to include quieter films in the Oscar mix such as Collateral and Ray.

"Like so many of the other crafts, when people do great work in a movie it resides in the fabric of the story," sound editing branch governor Paul Huntsman said. "It can be hard for the public to understand how much work goes into even what appears to be a simple drama's sound job."