So, the Academy Awards came and went this past Sunday night, where Hollywood's rich and famous got together in overpriced suits and dresses and awarded each other for doing a bang-up job in certain movies and roles.
In all honesty, and I say this as a guy who has loved cinema since I was a young kid and even attended film school out in BC almost twenty years ago with the dream of working in La La Land itself, I really couldn't have cared any less, and it kind of hurts to say that today.
I remember when I was a kid going to classes at Outlook High School, and one of my favorites was Media Studies with John McPhail. In that class, we studied the media, including Hollywood, and discussed its impact on everyday society. In early 2003, Mr. McPhail spoke to us in class one Friday afternoon and told us that he would promise $10 to anyone whose picks for the Oscars that Sunday night would turn out to be true.
Well, that following week, I made an extra $5 when most of my picks wound up taking home awards. I ended up splitting McPhail's $10 with my buddy Kevin, who also came up with most of the right winners.
Man, that class was awesome.
Twenty-two years later, the Oscars have definitely changed, and depending on who you ask, it might not be for the better.
The biggest change to come to Hollywood in the last 15 years has been the colossal rise and popularity of streaming services, with giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ leading the charge. Five years ago, when this decade decided to kick us all off with a viral pandemic called Covid-19, we saw those services depended on more than ever as we were all told to stay put and limit our contact with anyone else from outside of our collective bubbles at home.
Instead of going out to the movies, which we couldn't do as Hollywood pressed 'PAUSE' on releasing any new content for the time 小蓝视频, we had to make our entertainment choices at home. Maybe a movie, maybe a TV show, maybe that old series you used to love when you were growing up and a shot of nostalgia was in order. We all did it, because at the time, it was essentially all we could do.
The thing is, after we crawled out from under that pandemic, the entertainment landscape had been changed forever.
Now, because of the popularity and extreme spike in viewing numbers and data, original films and content from streaming services found themselves eligible for the Oscars. Something you happened to watch on Netflix or Prime at home on a lazy Tuesday afternoon can now be up for an Academy Award? Yep.
The model changed because a pandemic kept people home and saw the numbers skyrocket. Theaters were closed and a new avenue opened up for getting your movie out there. As a result, Hollywood turned and said, "Okay, let's open up the eligibility to THIS over here."
And I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
The measuring stick of a film's success has always been the movie-going experience. The act of going out to your local theater, buying a ticket, grabbing snacks, and sitting down to enjoy the movie for the next couple of hours. That's always been the standard, and thankfully, this tried-and-true formula returned a couple of years post-Covid, and Hollywood is once again rolling in the dough with the last couple of years 小蓝视频 very profitable ones for standard movie releases.
But that's changed due to streaming. Instead of testing one's film with the paying public in a movie theater, it can simply be dumped onto Netflix, Prime or Hulu, and when the new year rolls around, suddenly you'll start seeing articles hyping up this movie or that one, claiming it has Oscar buzz, and odds are pretty good you'll be left saying, "Huh? I've never even heard of that movie."
That's because it's one of those streaming movies that was dumped online with little to no fanfare.
Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg has some thoughts on the matter as far as allowing streaming content to be eligible for the Academy Awards. In 2018, he said the following:
“Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie,” Spielberg told ITV News. “You certainly, if it’s a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar. I don’t believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination.”
Interesting take. Another iconic director, Christopher Nolan, said the following about Netflix in 2017:
“Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films,” Nolan said in an interview. “They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So they’re not even getting in the game, and I think they’re missing a huge opportunity.”
I'll go a step further and declare that the Oscars is essentially handcuffing filmmakers from a content standpoint. A few years ago, the Academy introduced a number of diversity inclusion standards that films must have if they wish to be eligible for an Oscar. This includes the following on-screen requirements for filmmakers:
"A1. Lead or significant supporting actors from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups
At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors submitted for Oscar consideration is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group in a specific country or territory of production.
A2. General ensemble cast
At least 30% of all actors not submitted for Oscar consideration are from at least two underrepresented groups.
A3. Main storyline/subject matter
The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s)."
So, wait a minute here. On one hand, Hollywood is encouraging filmmakers to go out and make "their movie" free from studio interference or any form of censorship, but hold on, if those same filmmakers want to submit their film for consideration of an Oscar, it has to fit within these narrow parameters? That's ridiculous. If a certain film is powerful, carries strong story tones, and has incredible performances from some amazing actors, but it has one or two few people from "underrepresented groups", suddenly it's disqualified?
I don't agree that "forced inclusion" belongs in cinema just so we can check off requirements for Oscar night. You're stepping pretty hard on the toes of filmmakers with that one, folks.
I remember the year when iconic director Martin Scorsese won his first Oscar for 'The Departed' in 2007. That film made almost $300 million worldwide and not only won Scorsese the Best Director nod, but it also won Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and the creme de la creme, Best Picture. At this past Sunday's Oscars in Hollywood, someone who directed "that one Netflix or Prime movie" took home the same statue for a flick that maybe 30% of the viewing audience has seen or even heard of.
Interesting times we live in in this digital age.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
