On February 22nd, the Oscars announced their decision to move eight categories out of the live telecast and edited in later. These categories are Documentary Short Subject, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short Film, Live Short Film, and Sound Mixing and Editing.
Although these categories are considered the “behind-the-scenes” part of the film or just not as well known to the public, they are imperative to the innovation and creation of the films we love.
According to Academy President David Rubin, the reasoning behind this change is to “prioritize the television audience” and “increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant” (Variety). The backlash to this has been severe, from celebrities to film critics to long-time viewers of the Oscars voicing their disagreement over this new format.
Many award shows have been scrutinized even more over the past few years for lack of diversity, bribery of the voters, and pandering to internet pressure, and the Oscars are no exception.
With the #OscarsSoWhite campaign in 2016 or the lack of hosts for the past five years (which they have switched back to for 2022), the telecast is no stranger to being in hot water and it has hurt ratings. Around 10 million people tuned in for the 2021 broadcast, a 58% drop from the year before. Each time the ratings plummet, the Oscars attempt to change and adapt to the numbers, this time dragging the eight categories with them.
Despite telling viewers that this will not affect the celebration the winners of these eight categories will have, many have to wonder if it will. During the ceremony, the red carpet will still be occurring which is where most celebrities will be, taking pictures and participating in interviews. Who will be in the audience cheering the winners on?
Just because the people nominated in these categories are not considered “famous” doesn’t mean the viewers don’t want to see them. It’s an inspiring moment to watch the first-timers get up on stage and give their speech, a speech that will be chopped up to fit run-time.
People point out that the Tony’s and Grammys have performances – which is true. The Oscars have a segment where the original song nominees perform, but both the Tony’s and Grammys are for music and performances. The Oscars are for film, a very different medium. The telecast used to show clips from the film of each nominee, reminding viewers what exactly they were nominated for, but have recently gotten rid of that segment due to time constraints.
The Oscars have made the decision to put more emphasis on comedy skits and commercial revenue than celebrating the people who help bring moving pictures to life. They have also made it very clear where they stand on who the audience is for, and it’s not film viewers and critics. Whether or not this will be a detriment for the telecast will be seen on March 27th.