The sprawling behemoth that is award season -- the months-long crawl of ceremonial dinners, post-screening Q&As and meet-and-greet receptions -- could be thought of in two ways. The process could be used to narrow down a wide range of contenders to a select few, or it could be used to broaden the acknowledgments to include a more diverse range of possibilities. This being Hollywood, it's usually winner take all.

Some groups flout their abilities to align with Oscar, while others steadfastly choose to go their own way. And while some sideline gurus would haul out statistics to make an actuary's eyes water, attempting to find the science in award madness, others take a more vibe-oriented, holistic approach to working the season. "I don't think there are 'precursors' " to the Oscars, said Tom Ortenberg, president of theatrical films at Lionsgate. "The various awards committees, be they guilds, critics groups, the Globes or whatever, that lead up to the Oscars, they are all pieces of the puzzle. I don't think that any awards committee serves as a predictor for any other awards committee. And while the Oscars are, of course, the great prize, it's wonderful to get recognition for your film from all kinds of groups."

The groups following on the next three pages are but a few of the stops along the way, with some indication of why (or whether) they matter in the march to Oscar.

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