Do We Need the Oscars?

Much has been said in recent days about how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which present the Oscars, needs fixing. Without getting too deeply into the “OscarsSoWhite” issue
I would like to put forth for consideration the question of whether the tightly controlled Oscars are even necessary or representative of the filmmakers.

In addition to AMPAS there are seventeen other major awards* given each year by the respective branches of filmmaking. These are:

Art Directors Guild
Casting Society of America
American Society of Cinematographers
American Choreography Awards
ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers)
Costume Designers Guild
Directors Guild of America
American Cinema Editors
Independent Spirit
BMI Film Music Awards
Producers Guild of America
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films
Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA)
Motion Picture Sound Editors
Visual Effects Society
Writers Guild of America

Further, there are over 20 film critics associations who present awards and over 200 film festivals in the U.S. that present awards for films shown at the festival.

So I ask, if the same awards presented by the Oscars are given by the respective organizations of that branch, why is the duplicity needed? One answer might be that the Oscars provide an opportunity for the full filmmaking community to vote on all categories. But even this is not done by the Oscars in the same manner as the organizations. It is this important difference that might explain why there is a difference in the diversity of the 17 organization awards compared to the Oscars. I question the basis that any one of the Academy members use for voting on so many of the categories in which they are not a performer or artisan. If members are honest enough not to vote on categories of which they know little or nothing, then what is the point of opening voting up to all members.

To help analyze the issue, let’s look at how the voting occurs in both types of organizations.

Voting for the Oscars:
In the first wave of ballots, mailed to all members of the Academy, voting is restricted to members of the Academy branch concerned.  The exception is for Best Picture where all academy members get to vote.  Once the first round of voting is done and the field has been narrowed to the nominees in each category, then all members of the Academy are allowed to vote for a winner in most categories,

Rule 5 states that, “In the nominations voting, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential, weighted average, or reweighted range voting system. ”   Sometimes called “the instant runoff system” this was explained by a prior President of the academy thusly,  “Instead of just marking an ‘X’ to indicate which one picture they believe to be the best, members may indicate their second, third and further preferences (up to 5th place)  as well.  PricewaterhouseCoopers will then be able to establish the Best Picture recipient with the strongest support of a majority of our electorate.”

An interesting twist is found in Rule 10 which provides that, “Each branch or other designated committee shall be permitted to formulate its own special rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements in each category, and that nominations and final voting in each category are restricted to active and life Academy members.”

For a full explanation of how many votes it takes in each category to be nominated see http://www.thewrap.com/oscar-nomination-voting/

So the way that someone gets on the nominee list may differ from specialty (branch) to specialty.  The use of the weighted average system helps explain why a number of deserving films don’t make it. I know of no other professional achievement recognition that users the weighted method. Why did the Academy choose to do so?

Voting for the other organizations:
Compare this with the process for the SAG-AFTRA Awards which like the other guilds does not use the weighted system.

The nominees are chosen by two nominating panels — one for television and one for film — each composed of 2,200 randomly selected SAG-AFTRA members from across the United States. All members vote to select the winners from the nominees.  The top five vote-getters in the nominations  for each category move on for the final vote by the members.  The single top vote-getter in each category is the award winner.

Which final tally do you believe is primarily based upon the art exhibited that year, in a particular film? Which vote appears to be from an appropriate source? In my opinion, the Oscars would lose on both of these counts. It is therefore very conceivable that a film with less first place votes but more second and third place votes would win the Oscar as opposed to the SAG-AFTRA or other trade organization awards.  Obviously the guilds did not think that the Academy Awards were representative of their trade’s art at the time they decided to give their own awards.

The issue of whether or not films are art is one that has existed since the 1890’s.  Early movies were known as “photoplays” because people could only relate to them as an extension of the theater. They were considered an expression of a culture not art.  One of the problems was that there was no recognized definition of “art” as it related to film. What was necessary in the medium for it to be considered art? In the late 1930s acceptance of films as art slowly began to evolve and by the 1960s “art houses” cropped up around the country where the non-studio expressionistic films were shown.  In 1997, noted film critic Roger Ebert wrote a guest editorial in the New York Times advocating a Pulitzer Prize category for film. His plea has never been heard.  Studio chief Samuel Goldwyn once said, “Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.”

So if film in the U.S. is not considered an art by many, then it is no wonder that the guild awards are not given as much attention by the public. The Oscars are a cultural event aimed at those that just want to be entertained. The guild awards are for those that appreciate “the art”.  I submit that it is time for those in the film industry to reassess their values and decide which is most important.

______________________________

*This article focuses only on U.S. organizations and does not take into consideration the numerous foreign film award organizations.

NOTE: The topic of whether film is art or culture is covered in more detail in the author’s upcoming book, Vibes From The Screen due out in late Spring 2016.