In the Oscars’ never-ending quest to keep the telecast to three hours, it has decided to present eight categories — including best original score — in the hour before the telecast begins.
As David Rubin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, explained in a letter to members and nominees on Tuesday, Feb. 22, “Those presentations will then be edited by our creative and production teams and will be folded seamlessly into the live televised show.”
The eight categories that will be presented in the evening’s first hour are, alphabetically, documentary (short subject), film editing, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), production design, short film (animated), short film (live action), and sound.
Nominees in those categories were informed of the decision in a town hall-style meeting Tuesday afternoon, shortly before the official announcement was made.
Predictably, the move has prompted criticism from those who say this constitutes second-class treatment for the professionals whose categories are being handled this way.
The American Cinema Editors board of directors released a statement saying in part: “We are deeply disappointed by the Academy’s decision to alter the way certain categories, including film editing, will be presented in the Oscars telecast. It sends a message that some creative disciplines are more vital than others.”
The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) released a statement saying: “[We] deeply regret the Motion Picture Academy’s decision to exclude score composers and seven other categories of creative artists from the live presentation and acceptance of their honors during the Academy Awards broadcast. This is the first time such diminution has occurred since the Oscars ceremony had its initial television transmission in 1953.
“The SCL certainly understands the Academy’s desire to streamline the event, but this is the wrong way to do it. Music’s contribution to a film is invaluable and indispensable, as are the other crafts affected by this decision, and deserve to treated accordingly. We urge the Academy to reconsider this approach, and we stand ready to work with them to find a more balanced solution.”
On Tuesday March 1, composer Laura Karpman, an Academy governor, issued a bluntly worded statement on her social media accounts criticizing the move. Her statement reads: “I am shocked that the officers of the Academy denied the board of governors the opportunity to vote and participate in the decision to exclude the music branch in the live broadcast. This is literally a wound in the heart of the music community. Thank you to the many members of the music branch who have spoken out. I hear you loud and clear. I stand with you.”
Karpman won an Emmy two years ago for scoring the Discovery Channel’s Why We Hate, which was voted outstanding music composition for a documentary series or special.
Rubin’s letter contains a hint that the categories that are handled this way may change from year to year. He states, “This year, those categories presented in the evening’s first hour and seen later in the live broadcast are …”
Categories that are set to be presented on the live telecast, in addition to best picture, the four acting categories, directing and the two writing categories, all of which will probably always be presented on the live show, are animated feature film, cinematography, costume design, documentary (feature), international feature film, music (original song), and visual effects.
The two-tier policy has resulted in some curiosities. Encanto is this year’s clear front-runner to win animated feature film. That category will be presented on air. Germaine Franco, who scored that film, is vying to become the first Latina to win for best original score, but her category will be presented before the show begins.
In 2019, the Academy announced plans to present four categories during commercial breaks, followed by taped replays later in the show, but reversed the decision amid widespread criticism. The categories were cinematography, film editing, live action short, and makeup and hairstyling. This time, the Academy is not presenting the awards during commercial breaks, a demeaning idea that probably contributed to the negative reception.
Other EGOT-level awards shows have also grappled with the theme of “so many categories, so little time.”
The Tony Awards have long adopted the approach the Oscars are trying this year, with “creative arts” categories presented before the start of the live telecast, and brief highlights of those winners’ acceptance speeches included in the telecast.
The Primetime Emmy Awards also present “Creative Arts Emmys.” There are more than three times as many “Creative Arts” categories (91) as principal categories that are presented on the telecast (27). There are so many categories that last year, the Creative Arts Emmys were stripped across an entire week.
The Grammys used to at least mention each of their pre-telecast winners during the live telecast, but as the number of categories grew (reaching a peak of 109 in 2010), that became all-but-impossible. It now presents all but about 10 or 11 of its 86 categories at a separate event on the afternoon of the live telecast and simply directs viewers to go to www.Grammy.com to find a complete list of winners. That afternoon event, long known as the pre-telecast awards, is now branded the “Premiere Ceremony,” in a bid to make it sound more distinguished and less second-class.
Here are excerpts from Rubin’s letter to Academy members and nominees:
“After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner [ABC], and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organization.
“When deciding how to produce the Oscars, we recognize it’s a live event television show and we must prioritize the television audience to increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant.
“In order to provide more time and opportunity for audience entertainment and engagement through comedy, musical numbers, film clip packages and movie tributes, a change in the show’s production will take place. …Eight awards will initially be presented in the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the live broadcast begins.
“They will not be presented in the pre-show nor on the red carpet, as some have speculated. Instead, the in-person ceremony at the Dolby Theatre will begin one hour earlier to present eight awards categories before the live telecast starts. Those presentations will then be edited by our creative and production teams and will be folded seamlessly into the live televised show.
“To be clear, all the nominees in ALL awards categories will be identified on air and ALL winners’ acceptance speeches will be featured on the live broadcast.
“For the audience at home, the show’s flow does not change, though it will become tighter and more electric with this new cadence, and the live broadcast should end–yes, with the best picture category –at the three-hour mark.”
(That last comment was a thinly-veiled reference to last year’s Oscars, which ended not with Best Picture, but with Best Actor. The producers gambled that Chadwick Boseman would win posthumously for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which would have resulted in a poignant moment. Instead, an absent Anthony Hopkins won for The Father, which ended the show with a thud.)
“We realize these kinds of changes can prompt concern about equity, and we ask you to understand our goal has been to find a balance in which nominees, winners, members, and viewing audience all have a rewarding show experience. Moving forward we will assess this change and will continue to look for additional ways to make our show more entertaining and more thrilling for all involved, inside the Dolby Theatre and watching from home.
“Every Academy branch and award category is indispensable to the success of a film and vital to this industry. Both our challenge and our goal is to create an exciting, streamlined Oscars show without sacrificing the long-held fundamentals of our organization. We appreciate your understanding and will be grateful for your unwavering support.”