The uncertain times of the awards season continue and the Academy Awards have multiple scenarios scheduled for their annual broadcast, which was delayed for two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first details of the Oscars ceremony have been announced, and there will be a personal show, not just from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, but from multiple locations.
The Academy, like any other Hollywood industry group, has revised and revised its normalcy almost a year after the lockdowns occurred as a result of the pandemic. In response to theater closings, they temporarily changed their rules, allowing films to be eligible through the Academy Screening Room within 60 days of the film’s theatrical, streaming, or VOD release.
“In this unique year that has demanded so much from so many, the Academy is committed to awarding an Oscar like no other, prioritizing the public health and safety of all participants. To create the personal show that our global audience wants to see, as the ceremony adapts to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will be broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theater. We look forward to sharing more details soon, ”a spokesperson for the Academy said in a statement:
The Oscars are the most watched entertainment event, surpassing the Emmys, Golden Globes and Grammys by comfortable margins. Despite last year’s ratings hitting a low of 23 million viewers, the broadcast is still the second highest-rated annual event behind the Super Bowl.
The Academy’s aim to celebrate cinema this year was paramount. In the coming weeks, we will likely learn that this year has one of the largest numbers of films ever submitted for consideration. The Oscars already revealed that documentary submissions increased from 170 to 238, a record number, while 93 countries signed up for a shot at the golden statue, another all-time high. And after the Academy unveiled the Oscars shortlist in nine categories, revealing the last 15 countries, there was a wonderful array of diversity among the listed films, including three films from Asia, three from Latin America and two from Africa, far more than the number of films from Europe for the first time in the history of the Oscars.
And let’s not forget that we may have the first woman of color to be nominated for director, multiple women nominated for directing, and, very likely, the most diverse and inclusive Oscar lineups, across multiple categories, ever collected. to have. However, it must be emphasized; There will be no voting until March 5 and 9, with nominations on March 15.
What does this mean for our favorite Hollywood show? As expected it will look very different. In September, the Emmys ceremony was a hybrid event with some personal elements with host Jimmy Kimmel and most of the nominees watching the show on Zoom from home, but it was the first to come out the gate in this format.
There are many ways the show can watch in the Dolby as well as around the world. Looking at implementations built by sports organizations like the NBA, an ‘Oscar bubble’ could indeed be needed in one form or another. We could see everything from just nominees in the room or some of the ceremony taking place outside, maybe at the Hollywood Bowl. An “Emmy’s Ceremony 2.0” approach with off-site nominee locations could certainly work.
Regardless, AMPAS stays on track, saying, “The show must go on.”
The Oscars are produced by Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. No details about a host or director have been disclosed.