Within the past few years, award shows have been scrutinized and called out for their major structural flaws. From the recent Grammy boycotts to the “#OscarsSoWhite” outrage, diversity has been one of the most recurring issues amongst award shows. Award shows such as the Grammys have been called out for their lack of cultural relevance and emphasis towards “mainstream” music.
The film industry however, is far different than the music industry. The funding alone for a cast, crew, props, location and writers can be extremely costly. Giant film corporations produce big-budget movies only if they know that it appeals to the masses and they will see a nice return in their ticket sales. It seems as though every new movie is a remake of an old movie or a sequel to a famous series. In a market where originality is no longer a requirement for a financially successful film, one wonders why anyone would invest their time into creating something new. The only other incentive to pour millions of dollars into a movie other than the dedicated fanbase, is if that movie has generated a lot of buzz. The Oscars being questionably the most prestigious film award ceremony in Western culture, can provide that publicity.
If you go on Google and type in “2017 Movies,” these are the first eight movies that appear. Despite the artistic merit and the quality that these movies may have, can you spot a single movie that isn’t a sequel, remake or a branch-off of a pre-existing series? This doesn’t mean that sequels or remakes of mainstream films can’t be enjoyable, well-thought-out, or complex but it does question whether originality is even present within current Hollywood cinema. It almost seems as though new blockbuster hits are made as “cookie-cutter” copies of one and other because companies know that there is a financial safety-net around their projects. DC fans will come to see “Justice League” and Marvel fans will come to see “Logan” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” regardless of whether the movie has done well or not. As a huge X-Men fan, I can see the appeal of creating a movie that will more often than not, make a profit. But with a guaranteed safety net, I feel like there is a reluctance to take chances on new or unconventional ideas.
The Oscars are important because they act as an incentive for that next director, film producer, or actor to take that leap into a risky project that they feel drawn to. It acts as an incentive for originality, to push the boundaries of what a film is and what it can be. Without the Oscars, one must ask themselves if movies like “La La Land,” “Moonlight,” “Nocturnal Animals” or “Manchester By The Sea” would have been funded or even thought of.