Academy draws ire from film frat, fans over changes in Oscar telecast rules
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ (AMPAS) decision to present four Oscar awards during commercial breaks of the 91st awards ceremony has drawn criticism on social media, particularly by people hailing from the film fraternity.
The four awards — best cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling — will be announced during the ads and the winning speeches edited to remove the winners’ walk from their seats to the stage. Each speech will be aired separately later in the telecast.
The decision has not gone down well with many, including filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who won Best Director award for romance drama The Shape of Water last year. He tweeted, “If I may: I would not presume to suggest what categories to cut during the Oscars show but — Cinematography and Editing are at the very heart of our craft. They are not inherited from a theatrical tradition or a literary tradition: they are cinema itself (sic).” It was retweeted by his Mexican counterpart, Alfonso Cuaron, who has received an Oscar nomination in the Best Cinematography segment for his black-and-white feature Roma and is frontrunner in the category. Director Jason Reitman, maker of films such as Juno and Up in the Air, tweeted, “Editing is filmmaking. Say it ain’t so, Oscars.”
Mexican writer and director Issa Lopez wrote, “The fundamental role of @TheAcademy should be to recognise and showcase the talent and work of those who make movies better. By limiting the spotlight to those who already have it, it makes its core job null.” A user cited cinematographer Roger Deakins’ win for Blade Runner 2049. He finally went home with the award last year after being previously nominated 14 times. “So if we had these rules before we would have never seen Roger Deakins win his first Oscar,” the user said. “Can’t we get someone who likes the Oscars, who likes movies, who likes Hollywood, who has respect for the crafts of editing, cinematography, etc. etc. to produce the Oscar show,” another user tweeted.
The decision also drew flak from Indian film personalities, including lyricist-screenwriter Varun Grover, actorfilmmaker Pooja Bhatt and actor Taapsee Pannu.
Academy president and celebrated cinematographer John Bailey, had made the announcement in an email to members on Monday, saying the board has committed to a three-hour show this year. He also explained the delayed presentations will be streamed live online via Oscars’ official website.