Erin: Welcome to T2A chat for February 20th. We’re going to Hollywood for a preview of film’s biggest award night. The 80th annual Academy Awards will be presented in Hollywood this Sunday, February 24th. The President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sid Ganis and entertainment reporter Alan Silverman are joining us to discuss one of the most-watched events around the world each year. The Academy Awards – commonly known as Oscars – are the American film industry’s highest honors. Let’s get started with a question from India…
-------------------------------
Wondwossen, Ethiopia (email): I want to ask Mr. Alan Silverman what makes the Academy Awards special and how was it started? What does the term Oscar mean and are there specific organizations working to help potential future academy award winners with special talents in the United States and other countries?
Alan: I think a couple of things make the Academy Awards special; one is who it comes from. The Academy Awards are presented by members of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, AMPAS, and these are the people who make the movies; actors, producers, writers, musical composers, special effects experts. So the fact it comes from peers makes it a very significant award, not just critics who don't know how to make a movie. The second reason they have lasted so long -- this is the 80th annual Academy Awards -- Oscars have stood as an example of something that is selected because it's the best -- in theory -- whether it always happens is a matter of debate.
The origin of the word/term Oscar is sort of a mix of legend and fact. The Academy Awards started in 1929, but they were actually discussed a couple of years before...the official name is Academy Award of Merit. At the time of planning, the designers made the statue the same then as it is today, very art deco of a naked knight standing atop a film reel and holding a sword...but when the statue was first designed, legend is the Secretary of the Academy at the time said, "He looks just like my uncle Oscar." The name caught on and about 5 years later the press caught on and started using the term as a second way of referring to the Academy Award...
There is much more to the academy than just the Oscars. What it does is to promote the art and science of filmmaking through scholarships and the student Academy Awards through which students around the world compete. There are also fellowships for screenwriters and grants for film festivals and film schools, or programs where there are discussions and academic research into film and its society, a broad range of film related areas. The academy supports financially and by sending film makers to schools as guest lecturers, so while not necessarily cultivating future Academy Award winners, they are promoting the serious study of film making.
-------------------------------
Ibrahima, Senegal: I would like to know how the winners of the Academy Award are chosen.
Alan: Winners are chosen by a secret ballot of the members of the Motion Picture Academy, a little less than 6000 voting members...what's interesting is how the nominees are chosen because the Oscar vote is by the entire voting membership. Nominees are chosen by peer groups; directors choose director nominees, writers choose writer nominees but foreign language film and some other categories choose differently.
Sid: It's a good and fair way given that directors have the keenest eye for the work of their fellow directors, same with visual effects experts, same with the music branch on scores and songs...sound branch nominates sound nominees...then the entire Academy has a chance to vote on all the nominees
-------------------------------
K. Gopi, India (email): I think only a few Indian films and actors have received Oscars…. Kindly explain how winners are selected.
Sid: In the foreign language category a committee of men and women is chosen to view all of the submitted foreign language films and this year we had 63 countries submitting foreign language movies, that's a lot of films to watch. So this committee of around 250 splits up the work in a certain way and they view the chosen film from each country, one from each country, India very often submitting nominees. And then from that group they choose the top 9 films that they think are worthy of a nomination. And then a much smaller committee in New York and in Los Angeles watches those 9 movies; 3 a day for 3 days. My wife and Ireally enjoyed this process. And that committee pares the group of 9 down to 5. And then Academy members vote on those 5. But in the case of foreign language films, just to make sure that Academy members vote fairly, they have to see each of those films at one of the Academy theaters or they have to verify they have seen one of the foreign language films at a theater -- no DVD’s on foreign language movies
Alan: Sid, we've had an interesting change reflecting the global nature of the industry...we've had Oscar nominated work in languages other than English and they are not eligible in the foreign language category. And this year an Israeli film was considered to have too much English in it to qualify...what discussions are underway to modify the process, perhaps leading to a new category for an American film maker working in non-English language...
Sid: We're constantly reviewing our rules and regulations and changing them all the time. Every year something changes...of course we are very interested in the phenomenon you speak of and we know we have to at least look at it...many have seen “Diving Bell” and the Israeli film and yeah, we're thinking about how we might attend to that very issue. Because right now the rule says if the film is predominantly in English, even though it was made in a foreign country and also has foreign language, it's ineligible...the category is foreign language films, not foreign films...Not only language is an issue...there are other criteria like Schnauble's film. Be assured that both Diving Bell and the Band's Visit are eligible in every other category, including Best Picture and as we know “Diving Bell” in particular was a contender and is nominated in a number of categories, including best director
-------------------------------
Erin: Not long ago it appeared there might not be an Oscar ceremony at all because of the writer’s strike…the strike was settled and writers are back at work, but are there some lingering effects on the Oscar program?
Sid: Yes and they are good lingering effects because we prepared for the possibility of not being able to do the show the way we traditionally do. So we made real preparation for doing another version of the show and we'll use some of that material, edited and modified...the other thing I want to tell you is there is a kind of an excitement in the production office...we gathered when the strike ended, breathed a collective sigh and moved ahead as quickly as we can. Writers are writing and everything's happening at an accelerated pace. Of course the biggest issue is that the strike is over and this industry is back to work again
Alan: The whole response to the strike and concerns about crossing picket lines pointed up one thing about movie making...it's a very collaborative medium taking people from so many different skills and walks of life...there was a choice on crossing lines on labor issues and out of respect for colleagues...the best news is the industry is back to work...
-------------------------------
Erin: How has the Academy Awards changed since they started 80 years ago?
Alan: Audience; the fact the film going audience worldwide has gotten a chance to be part of it by viewing it on TV...in the beginning it was a banquet on Hollywood boulevard, but it was very much an insiders event and gradually as it became broadcast on radio during world war two then on TV. Oscar and TV became very close companions because audiences could become part of the excitement that has definitely been a change
Sid: We learned this very year that the participants, presenters, artists, performers absolutely love doing the show! When it became clear we were the only show down when the strike ended, everybody signed up in minutes, so the biggest stars in the industry are telling us we really want to do the Oscar show so it's very gratifying to us, the Academy
-------------------------------
Erin: Highlight some of the nominees and did any of them seem to be a surprise?
Alan: There are always surprises one of the joys of covering the Oscars...that early morning announcement a month before the ceremony. It's fun to hear immediate reaction. If there's one general comment here, it's a representation of how broad the film making industry has become. In the past, the Oscars were nominated by studio films, films produced by the major studios like Universal and MGM and Columbia. The names we know so well, dominated the scene. This year follows a trend of films coming from a variety of sources, independent films produced outside the studios and picked up by the studio for distribution, i.e. for best picture, Michael Clayton by Warner Brothers was actually financed and produced outside that studio...it shows a democratization of the film making industry going on right now, people who don't necessarily have the billions of dollars like a studio to make an Oscar-worthy work of cinema are able to get their films noticed...
Sid: I absolutely agree with Alan and add that our job is to honor and herald the very best work in film making and often these days the very best work is not always the most commercial work...some of this work comes from other sources, other than the big Hollywood studios and they give us absolute gems, like the 5 best picture nominees, including Michael Clayton, as Alan mentioned...we love the studios, but the work comes from every direction
Alan: I think it's terrific to see there are more women nominated for writing this year. There have always been women involved in production but not always acknowledged. This year 4 nominated screen plays have women as the sole credit for writing. This shows something of the sense that this is an industry where people can succeed no matter their background. It shows women are being acknowledged for their contribution in a way they have not been before. For instance Mary Jenkins for "The Savages." We have an unusual situation of an animated film also nominated for its screen play “Ratatouille.” This says the writers branch noticed the script when usually animation is considered kids stuff...
Sid: It's a thoughtful process and academy members take their nominating and voting very seriously.
-------------------------------
Erin: Share one of your most memorable Oscar moments...
Sid: It does get personal... I love the Academy. I’ve been in this business all my adult life and it's thrilling when I notice this art form is alive and well and I’ve seen a lot at the Oscars. I think my most memorable moment relates to me, when I attended my first Oscar ceremony in 1968... as the 'date' of Estelle Parsons who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Bonnie and Clyde” and the moment is being there for the first time ever and she won!!! Next thing I knew she was carrying an Oscar around it was the first I was in any proximity to this magical magical statuette. I'm very happy to be a part of this industry
Alan: I guess I could say just being there even though as a reporter I’m back stage in the press room. One of the academy rules is that reporters be in formal dress. So attending the Oscars, covering the Oscars was the first time I wore a tuxedo. And once you put that formal clothing on, even though we're backstage working, it's a surreal mix of technology and equipment and at the same time dressed as though we're going out for the finest evening on the town. It makes you feel you're a part of the event even though you're on the periphery of the event
-------------------------------
Erin: It’s not just an award show…tell us about the excitement and events surrounding the Awards, especially in Los Angeles?
Alan: When the Oscars happen it makes you feel like the only thing happening in LA is the Oscars. Everyone feels a connection to the movie industry on Oscar week with posters and banners on streets all over LA and all over the television broadcasts and local radio and newspaper coverage. All the media concentrate quite a bit of attention on the Oscars. When you get to Hollywood Boulevard, interestingly only a couple of blocs from the first ceremony, at a brand new theater, the Kodak Theater, next to the famous Chinese Theater with the hand and foot prints in concrete,. It’s where you would want the Oscars to be...that tourist attraction is closed down to traffic and for security and to make room for the red carpet area and enormous support around the Oscars...you hear some grumbles about traffic jams but quickly followed by a comment on who should win the Oscar
-------------------------------
Erin: Are the Golden Globe Awards a good indicator of who will win Oscars?
Alan: This gets debated a lot because there other awards like the Critics Choice Awards and many other groups give awards. But the Golden Globes have their big TV show at least until this year so they get a lot of attention. But when you look at the presenters, it's a small group of 83 international journalists and it's not necessarily a good indicator of how the nearly 6000 voting members of the Academy would choose to vote...the Golden Globes get attention but as an Oscar predictor, they're very spotty
-------------------------------
Erin: How political are these awards?
Alan: There are a couple of ways to approach this; one is how the Oscars have often been criticized for being a popularity contest. Because in previous years there's been a lot of campaigning and advertising and special events staged all over to draw attention to nominees. And much of this very expensive campaigning process has won votes in the past, but not necessarily because of merit but because of attention. The Academy has really tightened up the rules, and parties for prospective voters to meet stars are cancelled and are not allowed. So there is an effort to keep it from becoming a popularity contest. Another side is the political content of the films. We've had a number of movies in the past year that dealt with current political events, like the war in Iraq, the subject of interrogations by intelligence services. Interestingly very few of those films got Oscar nominations and some critics and analysts look at that and say Oscar voters don't want to get involved in politics...the films do get made and get attention, whether they get awards or whether there's fear of being political. It's interesting to see a number of films with prominent celebrity stars did not get nominated and only one in the feature film category “In the Valley of Elah” about the Iraq war zone. Tommie Lee Jones was nominated but the film didn't contend in other categories so there is a feeling from outside that academy voters try to shy away from politics
The exception seems to be in the documentary category there are films related to critical issues that seem to dominate. Last year there was the film "An Inconvenient Truth" about climate change that won the Documentary category. This year there are several films related directly to American foreign policy and the Iraq war and also the American healthcare industry, and the politics of that which are nominated in the Documentary category. This is where the political content is being acknowledged. Another issue is whether the Academy tolerates political statements during Oscar telecast. This is significant because it's a global audience and opportunity for someone in front of the microphone to make a statement seen and heard around the world. Official policy is for presenters to not make political statements. But the winners, each of whom gets about 45 seconds of time to make their thank you to the Academy...there are no restrictions and they can say anything they want, so political comments during the program come here.
-------------------------------
Erin: Who do you think will win best Actor, Actress, Movie, and Director?
Alan: Actor: nominees are George Clooney, Daniel Day Lewis, Johnny Depp, Tommie Lee Jones and Viggo Mortenson...I think conventional wisdom is that Daniel Day Lewis is clearly the frontrunner for his very explosive portrayal of an oil tycoon in “There Will be Blood”...however, Clooney as a lawyer suffering a crisis of conscience stands a good chance. But my guess is it's going to go to Daniel Day Lewis
Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchette in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, Julie Christy in “Away From Her”, Marion Cotillard “La Vie en Rose”, Laura Linney in “The Savages” and Ellen Page in “Juno”. This is tough. Julie Christy is the favorite for her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease, quietly powerful...but Cotillard, one of the few nominated performances not in the English language, is just so moving as the tragic French singer...it's a close race between these two with Ellen Page in “Juno” right behind them...my guess is the winner will be Julie Christy.
Best Director: Julian Schnable for “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”, Jason Reitman for “Juno”, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Joel and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men” and Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood”. 3 nominated directors have not been nominated before and 2 have, but not in the Best Director category. The odds on favorites are the Coen brothers for “No Country for Old Men” which is a story of murder and money and betrayal across the dusty Texas landscape, a breathtaking film that takes you places you never expected to go...it's not even a close race here.
-------------------------------
Alan: Best Picture: nominees are “Atonement”, “Juno”, “Michael Clayton”, “No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood”. I see this as a race between “No Country For Old Men” as the favorite but also “Juno”, a quirky comedy about a pregnant teenager and the family of hers that really means something to her, heartwarming and hilarious, finding humor in a subject you don't expect to find it in, such a crowd pleaser and so entertaining, Oscar voters could be won over by it...it's the film that has done best at the box office and not that this necessarily counts but it's certainly a factor that does not escape the attention of Oscar voters. I'm guessing it will be “No Country For Old Men” but if there is a surprise upset it will be “Juno”
-------------------------------
Erin: That wraps today’s T2A chat about the Academy Awards. Our thanks to Sid Ganis, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and entertainment reporter Alan Silverman –and to you for joining us. We hope you can come back for a very special edition on Monday, February 25th at 1500 hours UTC, when Archbishop Desmond Tutu joins T2A. The Anglican Archbishop Emeritus is revered as a “moral voice” to end poverty and human rights abuses. The Nobel Peace Laureate was a key mediator in South Africa’s difficult transition toward democracy. His policy of forgiveness and reconciliation has become an international example of conflict resolution. That’s Monday, February 25th at 1500 hours UTC on voanews.com See you then!
-------------------------------
Back to Past Chats
