UPDATE: On Friday, news broke that the Oscars would be presented in their “traditional format” after all. As a result, no awards will be handed out between commercial breaks as the Academy had previously decided. This news comes after a wave of criticism following the Oscars decision to air four technical categories during commercial breaks. Many filmmakers criticized the Academy for disrespecting those four categories.
The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards – Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling. All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format. We look forward to Oscar Sunday, February 24.
It has been a rough start. The Oscars revealed they were struggling to find a shot for the show. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart eventually signed up, however, he was criticized for his previous tweets and later stepped down as host. The Oscars will now be hostess, but the controversy for the show did not stop there.
Original Story: As part of the Academy’s new strategy to streamline this year’s Oscars and keep it to only three hours, the organization confirmed on Monday that awards in four categories will be presented during commercial breaks.
Best Cinematography, Live Action Short, Film Editing and Make-up and Hairstyling will award will be presented during commercial breaks. All of each category’s nominees will be aired, along with the winner’s speech. The Academy confirms they will be live streaming giving audiences watching online to see the awards getting presented.
Dear Fellow Academy Members,
After months of anticipation and much talk, I’d like to address a topic that’s close to me.
Viewing patterns for the Academy Awards are changing quickly in our current multi-media world, and our show must also evolve to successfully continue promoting motion pictures to a worldwide audience. This has been our core mission since we were established 91 years ago—and it is the same today.
As you may remember, last summer the Academy’s Board of Governors committed to airing a three-hour show. I want to reiterate however, that all 24 Academy Award-winning presentations will be included in the broadcast. We believe we have come up with a great way to do this, and keep the show to three hours.
While still honoring the achievements of all 24 awards on the Oscars, four categories—Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling – will be presented during commercial breaks, with their winning speeches aired later in the broadcast.
And, with the help of our partners at ABC, we also will stream these four award presentations online for our global fans to enjoy, live, along with our audience. Fans will be able to watch on Oscar.com and on the Academy’s social channels. The live stream is a first for our show, and will help further awareness and promotion of these award categories.
The executive committees of six branches generously opted-in to have their awards presented in this slightly edited timeframe for this year’s show, and we selected four. In future years, four to six different categories may be selected for rotation, in collaboration with the show producers. (This year’s categories will be exempted in 2020.)
The Academy Awards honors the year’s best films and filmmakers. It is an international show, filled with great emotion, and (we hope) stirring acceptance speeches. This year, in addition to performances of all five nominated songs, the show will feature Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing during In Memoriam, as part of their own centennial celebration.
So, buckle up! We are committed to presenting a show which we all will be proud of.
John
Related:
