14
May
I’m slow to posting my thoughts on this years Academy Awards. I started a new job, and it has kept me incredibly busy the last few weeks. But here I am, ready to share everything I loved, everything I hated, and everything The Academy should think about next time.
The first thing I want to say about the Oscars is that I absolutely loved that the show was back in the iconic Dolby Theater. Something about that theater feels glamorous and perfect for “Hollywood’s biggest night” as we were reminded before each commercial break. I loved the red carpet and all the beautiful, creative fashion. The red carpet hosts did a great job of asking thoughtful questions about each person’s film and didn’t focus on what people were wearing. It was so refreshing to see the female stars and filmmakers asked insightful questions just like their male counterparts.
We all know I had strong feelings going into the show about the Academy’s choice to give out 8 awards an hour before the show began and replay an edited version of those awards during the show. As the red carpet show continued, I was checking Twitter and reading updates from Scott Feinburg, the Hollywood Reporter’s awards analyst who was in the Dolby theater. He gave updates on Denis Villeneuve and Guillermo del Toro who both were in their seats in time to see those awards given out live. Guillermo told Scott, “We all live in the same house, we should all dine at the same table.” It meant a lot to me that some in the film community went out of their way to ensure they were there to support their fellow filmmakers. But it’s no surprise the “famous” people preset were primarily directors, who know the impact of each department on a film and how the film wouldn’t have come together without those key players.
I haven’t let go of my passion on this controversial choice by the Academy and I still feel strongly that every award should be presented live. With that said, I was pleased to see that we saw the presentation and acceptance of each award, even if some were edited for the sake of time. My response to the Academy with their “for the sake of time” argument is this: “your show still went 40 minutes over the scheduled broadcast time, even with cutting 8 awards. People who watch the Oscars are not watching to see comedians make jokes on the stage. We’re watching to see filmmakers win awards for their work and achieve something many of them have only ever dreamed of. And when you not only take away the opportunity to see those filmmakers real time reaction to their win, but you fill the time that was previously allotted to them with musical performances for songs that aren’t even nominated and with comedians, we (your audience) will always be disappointed and we will always be watching with split attention, checking social media to see what’s really happening in real time and to see those filmmakers genuine reactions.”
Of course, the ugliest part of the Oscars was Will Smith’s slap. But I feel that topic has been overly covered by all news sources, and I’d rather spend my words here focused on filmmakers and their accomplishments.
For many, myself included, the best moments of the night was when CODA won for all three awards it was nominated for. It won for best adapted screenplay, best supporting actor, and the biggest award of the night, best picture. CODA is a heartwarming story, and the cast and crew of CODA are just as heartwarming. Their incredible joy at winning and the way they have graciously and gently educated all of us about the deaf community has been one of the best part of the entire awards season. One thing I felt was especially beautiful to see was just how excited the interpreters were for the wins. They had been part of the CODA family the same way every other person on the cast and crew had been, so it was really beautiful to see just how much winning meant to them as well.
One thing I was really looking forward to was hearing the live orchestra play throughout the show. I was disappointed when I discovered the orchestra would only play for 1 hour of the 3 hour show. I know orchestral music isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love hearing the orchestra hit each cue live! There is something impressive about a film being named as the winner of a category and without missing a beat the orchestra is playing the music from that film!
Overall the night was beautiful and special for so many filmmakers. It’s just disheartening how much of that beauty and joy was overshadowed by the Smith / Rock drama.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash