[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES – The most unpopular initiative that the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences has ever made was overturned on Thursday: the upcoming Oscars will not add a category for "popular" films after all.
But the concept may not be completely dead.
"The introduction of a new award has elicited many reactions and we recognize the need to continue discussions with our members," said Dawn Hudson, director general of the academy, in a statement.
Ms. Hudson pointed out in a subsequent telephone interview that the academy was not abandoning its efforts to "honor excellence in a wider range of films".
"We had a lot of positive comments from members on this principle," she added.
The creation of the category, announced last month and based on an attempt to increase the ratings for the broadcast of the Oscars, has provoked a quick and severe reaction from the public and some members of the academy. In rushing the news, the academy has not provided details on what would constitute a "popular" film, still igniting the situation.
Much of the fury centered on "Black Panther," the superhero movie credited with upsetting a Hollywood myth about the potential of foreign cinema films focused on black characters. Many people see "Black Panther" as a better legitimate competitor. And if he was receiving a nomination for the populist Oscar but not for the best picture overall? Would that mean "Black Panther" and movies like this were second-class citizens?
Although some producers publicly supported the academy, the stars love Rob Lowe declared it nothing less than the end of the film world. Distinguished film critics have expressed dismay, claiming that the academy was denigrating and undermining the prestige of the Oscars. Many on Twitter have mocked the organization, suggesting that it could increase ratings by adding categories like kissing to the hottest screen.
The 54-member board of the academy decided to rethink the creation of the category at a closed meeting on Tuesday night. Some board members, including John Bailey, president of the organization, expressed their support for the meeting, while others, including actress Laura Dern, categorically opposed the issue of anonymity. . deliberations.
They also said that director Steven Spielberg, who has a huge influence, was uncomfortable with the idea of presenting the category at the upcoming Oscars, which will take place on February 24 .
When the category was announced, Mr. Bailey positioned it as an improvement "necessary for the Oscars and our academy to remain relevant in a changing world" – an effort to counterbalance the growing trend of voters honoring movies niche seen.
On Thursday, Hudson said the council as a whole continued to believe in this principle. In retrospect, she said the announcement should have been made with more complete information, not just as the Oscar race started to take off at the Telluride, Venice and Toronto Festivals.
"Our intention was always excellence first, but I do not think it was clear in the original announcement," said Hudson. "We want to include a wider range of films, but the change of nine months in the year of the awards has created anxiety."
The academy also voted in August to maintain the broadcast at three o'clock, which is described as an effort to offer "more accessible Oscars to our viewers around the world". The last Oscar show in March lasted nearly four hours.
To reduce the length, the academy decided that the winners of some of the 24 categories will be featured during the commercial breaks, with the winning moments being edited and aired later during the broadcast.
This decision also caused rumblings in Hollywood, especially among artisans – sound editors, sound mixers, makeup artists – who have long struggled against efforts to set aside their categories.
The academy announced Thursday that it will continue its "restructuring and curtailment" plan and added a tiny detail: six to eight categories will be transferred to commercial breaks.
The academy said it would "collaborate with show producers to select these categories," which will be rotated every year so that some are not banned forever. The three categories of shorts are most likely to go.
Whether their solutions are right or not, academy leaders believe they need to take radical action: a record 26.5 million people watched this year's release, a nearly 20% drop by compared to the previous year. Four years ago, the Oscars had 43.7 million viewers.
Broadcasting the Oscars is a big deal, generating 83% of the Academy's annual $ 148 million turnover. ABC controls the broadcast rights of the show until 2028 at a cost of about $ 75 million a year. ABC has solicited up to $ 2.8 million per 30-second commercial for the most recent release.
The dive assessments in the nose threaten all these incomes, not to mention the erosion of the position of the Oscars compared to the Golden Globe Awards, which are faster. A few more years of decline and the Globes will be the highest rated show.
[ad_2]
Source link
