Oscar history

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded in 1927 with two aims: to mediate labour disputes and improve the movie industry’s image. Louis B. Mayer, the legendary head of MGM, initiated the idea and invited an elite cadre of professionals, including actress and United Artists studio co- founder Mary Pickford, director Cecil B. Demille and producer Irving Thalberg, to join. The academy’s membership grew steadily over the years as the organization moved away from labour management issues to focus on film preservation, research and the Oscars, first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Today, the academy oversees more than $ 196 million in assets and dispenses more than $ 20 million in grants and scholarships a year, including to Streetlights, a job training and placement group that works to promote diversity in Hollywood. It donates $ 750,000 annually to film festivals and sponsors an annual screenwriting competition that rewards winners with $ 35,000 fellowships. According to its tax filing for the 2009- 2010 fiscal year, the Oscars generated $ 81.3 million in revenue for the group. The academy grew rapidly between 1990 and 2000, adding close to 800 members. Then- executive director Bruce Davis alerted the board to the steep increase and noted there had not been a commensurate growth in the film business. The organization attributed the membership surge to a relaxed attitude toward admission. “The guilds are a democracy. If you have credits, nobody asks how good you were,” said Davis, executive director from 1989 to 2011. “But the academy has to be different.” In response, the organization in 2004 began limiting membership growth to 30 per year, not including those admitted to fill vacancies created by deaths, resignations or retirement. It also clarified and stiffened its policies for admittance. The available slots are allocated among the 15 branches and the academy’s at- large division. There are three ways to become a candidate for membership: land an Oscar nomination; apply and be recommended by two members of a branch; or earn an endorsement from the branch’s membership committee or the academy staff. The membership committees then vote on the candidates; those who get a majority are asked to join. Almost everyone accepts. Actors now must have three significant credits to be considered for membership, and producers need two solo producing credits or the equivalent. Such criteria benefit people with more experience. “The academy is always going to be slightly older — if just because you have to have about five years of credits before you’re even considered,” said Joe Letteri, a four- time Oscar winner for visual effects.