Oscar return? How the film academy went global and found its footing again | Hollywood

For a few years, the Oscars seemed to be hanging by a thread. Viewership was declining. The pandemic didn’t help. And the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind Hollywood’s biggest night, has continued to find itself on the wrong side of the conversation, whether it’s #OscarsSoWhite, the gate-of-the-envelope, the little photo that served as the iconic Oscar, or the non-televised awards. Or a slap.

Then a funny thing happened: interest began to grow inside and outside the academy. It seemed like people were excited about the films and hoped they would win Oscars again.

“It’s been a great year for film in general,” Bill Kramer, the chief executive of the film academy, said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “Our art form has never been more important.”

The scope and broad public acceptance of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture this year is proof of that. There are big studio fare, small, intimate independent films, a couple of international films and a couple of bilingual films. Whether you think Barbie was overlooked in some of the other categories or not, there are still people talking and discussing what will happen at the 96th Academy Awards on March 10.

“There’s a lot of great energy around the 2023 movies and the show this year. So we’re very optimistic and excited,” Kramer said. “The show is shaping up to be great.”

Academy President Janet Young noted that Kimmel’s Barbie-themed promo has received more than 35 million views, and the telecast is seeing several years of ratings increases.

Unified moment

After some rough circumstances, the Oscars may have finally reached this moment. But this was no surprise to the academy’s leaders, who have been working behind the scenes to foster this kind of development as they approach their 100th year. Both Kramer and Yang, who take up their positions in 2022, view the organization as a global entity. They are not on the defensive anymore, but are pushing towards the future.

“We are very unique in that we represent all disciplines of the industry. No other organization can say that,” Yang said. “We feel we are in a strong potential leadership position for consolidation. …We hear from members all the time, “How can we have more inter-chapter meetings?” “They just want to come together, and we can make that happen.”

For nearly a century, unification was not part of the plan. In fact, Louis B. Mayer got the idea to create the academy in part to counter union efforts, arguing that it would help set standards. In fact, imagine studio heads setting these standards with only their own interests in mind. But Meyer’s dream quickly evaporated, and by the 1930s, writers, actors, and directors were forming unions.

As a testament to how far they have come, last year during the strikes, the Academy took the initiative to host conversations between two members on pressing topics: one about artificial intelligence and the other about how the strikes affect members of traditionally marginalized communities.

“We felt like it was our responsibility,” Kramer said. “And we are in a position to do that virtually, to create a space for our members to have honest and safe conversations about these topics.”

“It gave us a lot of food for thought,” he added. “Ultimately, perhaps these conversations will inform policies and procedures in the academy or inspire others in industry to think differently.”

A more diverse academy…

The Academy’s role as a catalyst for change is not new: it has long-standing programs to help emerging artists (the Gould Academy, the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship, and the Student Academy Awards among them). Its aggressive moves to diversify its membership were around before Yang and Kramer started, in response to #OscarsSoWhite and public revelations that its ranks are largely made up of older, white men.

They’ve also taken more proactive steps in recent years to influence the industry they award, including implementing best-of-breed image inclusion standards that went into effect this year.

There are now more than 10,500 Academy members, representing more than 75 countries and territories. While parity is still a work in progress, 20% of members are from outside the United States, 34% of members identify as women and 18% are from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities.

“We represent executives, editors, visual effects artists, technologists, craftsmen and professionals across disciplines. … Not everyone is singing the same notes and not everyone feels the same way. But we can bring everyone together,” Kramer said. “Given the last two years with the pandemic and the strikes and all “Those related to strikes, the academy must remain a neutral ground for these conversations.”

…interact more with the audience

There has also been a huge focus on engaging the audience through social media, often drawing on the Academy’s vast archival material — whether old acceptance speeches or just memorable moments from the Oscars’ past.

Their Instagram account is approaching 4 million followers, and their YouTube channel is a treasure trove of fun clips: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Best Actor win (54 million views), Hugh Jackman’s 2009 opening number (23 million views), and Chris Rock’s opening monologue (16 million views), Jack Black and Will Ferrell singing “Get Off the Stage” (15 million views), and Fred Astaire dancing at the 1970 Academy Awards (13 million views).

Interest in film history has also generated enthusiasm around the Academy of Motion Picture Museum in Los Angeles, which houses more than 23 million memorabilia and has hosted exhibitions on everything from Hayao Miyazaki and the history of black cinema to “The Godfather.” And John Waters films. Kramer noted that about half of ticket buyers are under the age of 40.

But it’s not just about the effects: short videos they’ve produced to highlight the below-the-line categories have also taken off in the run-up to the Oscars. One about visual effects from last year received more than 4 million views. They’re rolling out similar shorts for this year’s nominees soon as well.

The future of the academy

All of this plays into a different role in looking at the Oscars and the Academy’s place in culture.

“It’s important to think about: How do we change our measure of success? We want millions and millions of people around the world to watch the show nightly, but we also want people to watch it for days after the initial showing and on social media forever,” Kramer said. “This is perpetual programming.” Greenery. People abroad, outside the United States, react to the show in many different ways.

All of these conversations will continue about the future of the industry, the Academy, its members, and even the Oscars being “weaned” from ABC in a few years (the current decade runs through 2028). For both, one of the most gratifying experiences has been the overwhelmingly positive response to adding an award for directors – something that has been discussed for decades – but finally came to a vote this year.

“I think people are grateful when they know we can change. The reputation of the past was, you know, a bit boring,” Yang said. “It was a pioneering experiment while maintaining the legacy of this very revered institution.”

They hope the academy will remain at the heart of it all.

“Business models are changing. The way people engage with films and the arts is changing. The Academy is really at the heart of that conversation for the film community,” Kramer added. “We have a huge responsibility to think about this and make sure that the Academy has a successful second 100 years. “