Awards season is in full swing, with the SAG Awards taking place last night and the very muted Golden Globes last month. With the Oscars on the horizon, the much maligned telecast is already in hot water this past week with a controversial decision regarding the ceremony.
The Academy recently announced that 8 categories will be awarded an hour before the ceremony starts, and the acceptance speeches will be edited into the live telecast later on. The categories include: documentary (short subject), film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, short film (animated), short film (live action) and sound. The decision was met negatively from academy members and viewers alike, myself included. The decision was likely in response to the Oscars’ declining ratings and criticism that they run too long (average telecast is nearly 3.5 hours).
For starters, to me it’s a slap in the face to everyone nominated in those 8 categories who are basically being denied their recognition amongst their peers in the industry. It also seems that the Academy selected categories that are lesser known and not as prominent as say Best Picture or Best Actress. So it basically tells those nominees “you’re important, but not important enough for the live telecast”.
Newsflash: these categories are just as important as all the others. You do not get your favorite movies in the theater or on streaming without some of these categories, whether you know it or not. Sound elevates the experience, making you think you are right there fighting with the Avengers. Your favorite crime thriller is being edited in a way to keep you on the edge of your seat in suspense of who the killer is. Makeup and hairstyling goes a long way in showing how life was in the 70’s, 80’s or whenever a biopic takes place. The point is: it’s not just who’s on the screen or who made the movie, it’s everyone involved. There is a reason credits after movies are 5-10 minutes long. It takes so many people so many hours to create the very thing you are going to watch. From production interns all the way up to the lead actors, each person is responsible for bringing that movie to life. And at the biggest night of the year for films you are going to tell certain members of that creative process that they will not get the same recognition as someone who is up for Best Actor? Come on now.
Look, I get it. The Oscars have been a mess over the last few years and ratings have been dwindling. But that doesn’t mean they should cut 8 categories in hopes that viewers will continue to tune in. It seems the Academy is trying to cater to an audience that quite honestly, won’t even bother tuning in in the first place. Maybe some fixes should come within the structure of the show. The Oscars went for years and years with good ratings and every single category aired, with long played-off speeches and all. There must be some way to get the show back into the good graces of viewers without a cost coming to members of the industry that should be recognized for their outstanding work.
I hope the Academy reverses this decision, but with no change in time of writing it’s looking less and less likely by the day. I can’t imagine this will continue for future Oscar ceremonies, but we will just have to wait and see. Are you tuning into this year‘s Oscars? Someone else has to be besides me…right? Let me know in the comments below!
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