Oscar Predictions: Crafts Categories

You can see a full list of all predicted categories here.

I've now seen every film on the list except for Zero Dark Thirty, but curiously, I'm not feeling confident about many of these predictions. Whether it is the effect of the Academy's decision to pull back the date of the nomination morning or just a coincidence, I'm not sure, but this is an extremely exciting race as far as Oscars go. 
I don't have much to add to what I've written on these categories previously. Next weekend will be time for my final predictions and any lingering thoughts will be discussed then, I guess. For now, here's where I think the chances stand: 

Best Cinematography

1. Life of Pi (Claudio Miranda) 

2. The Master (Mihai Malamaire Jr.)

3. Skyfall (Roger Deakins) 

4. Lincoln (Janusz Kaminski)

5. Django Unchained (Robert Richardson)

Alternative: Zero Dark Thirty (Greig Frasier)

Best Editing

1. Argo (William Goldenberg)

2. Lincoln (Michael Kahn)

3. Zero Dark Thirty (William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor)

4. Life of Pi (Tim Squyres)

5. Les Miserables (Chris Dickens)

Alternative: Skyfall (Stuart Baird)

Best Production Design

1. Lincoln 

2. Les Miserables

3. Anna Karenina 

4. Life of Pi

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Alternative: Cloud Atlas 

Best Costume Design

1. Anna Karenina 

2. Les Miserables

3. Mirror Mirror

4. Lincoln

5. Django Unchained

Alternative: Argo

Best Visual Effects

1. Life of Pi

2. Marvel's The Avengers

3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

4. Prometheus

5. Cloud Atlas

Alternative: The Dark Knight Rises

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

1. Lincoln

2. Les Miserables

3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Alternative: Men in Black 3 

Best Original Score

1. Lincoln (John Williams)

2. Anna Karenina (Dario Marianelli)

3. The Master (Jonny Greenwood)

4. Life of Pi (Mychael Danna)

5. Zero Dark Thirty (Alexandre Desplat)

Alternative: Beasts of the Southern Wild (Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin)

Best Sound Mixing

1. Les Miserables

2. Skyfall

3. Zero Dark Thirty

4. Life of Pi

5. Marvel's The Avengers

Alternative: The Dark Knight Rises

Best Sound Editing

1. Marvel's The Avengers

2. The Dark Knight Rises 

3. Life of Pi

4. Les Miserables

5. Skyfall

Alternative: Django Unchained