With the Academy Awards, more colloquially known as the Oscars, wrapping up, many viewers have questions about the program. How are these specific movies nominated and who decides which ones win awards?
The Importance of the Academy Awards
The Academy Awards is a yearly ceremony dedicated to giving awards to outstanding films. The Academy nominates films for various categories, such as Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Directing and more.
There are many reasons why filmmakers want these awards. On average, films that are nominated for an Oscar receive a 22.2% increase in box office revenue and an additional 15.3% increase if the film wins.
Not only is there a financial incentive to nomination and award-winning, but there is prestige, too. Furthermore, investors tend to take nominated filmmakers more seriously.
“Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins is an example. Since winning Best Picture in 2017, Jenkins has directed critically acclaimed hits “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Underground Railroad” and the upcoming Disney feature, “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
In 2021, Jenkins’ production company struck a television deal with publishers HBO and HBO Max, and A24.
How Do Judges Choose Films?
Secrecy and mystery shroud the selection process. Judges must be involved in the film industry and receive two sponsorships by two active members of the Academy.
The film nomination process is a lot more complicated than one might expect. Best Picture nominations are an example. After academy members submit five to 10 films, an interesting math equation comes into play.
Riya Teotia, a reporter and sub-editor at WION News says that a nominated film must reach the “magic number.”
Teotia writes, “This ‘magic number”‘ is calculated by multiplying the total number of ballots received in a given category by the total number of possible nominees plus one. If a choice receives this number of votes (or more), it is considered a nominee.”
This process repeats until second, third and so on. This leaves us with the nominations that viewers see today.
What Next?
Once the Academy notifies production companies of their nomination, they must begin campaigning. All films participate in a “For Your Consideration” campaign where additional marketing happens. On average, productions spend an additional $10 million in this time period on judges, giving gifts, throwing parties and anything else that could ensure judges choose their film.
Voting takes place five days before the ceremony and is a complete secret up until Oscars night. The process takes place entirely online. The only people who know the results are two accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, long time partner with the Academy. They place sealed envelopes in secure briefcases which they keep hidden until the night of the event.
Mishaps at the Oscars
While the Oscars have a very set process, it is not perfect. In recent years, the Academy has been criticized for not having diverse selections when it comes to film nominations. The first woman to win Best Directing was Kathryn Bigelow in 2010, and the first director of color to win was Chloé Zhao in 2021.
The most prominent recent scandal was in 2016 with the “Oscars So White” controversy where none of the main categories included people of color in their nominations. Another similar mishap happened in 2017 when producers gave the wrong envelope to the presenters who announced “La La Land” as Best Picture instead of “Moonlight.”
The 2024 Oscars
This year, “Oppenheimer” swept the awards, receiving 12 nominations and winning seven. Here are the winners of the 2024 Academy Awards. Find nominations for the categories on the Academy Award website.
Actor in a Leading Role
Winner – Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner – Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Actress in a Leading Role
Winner – Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Animated Feature Film
Winner – “The Boy and the Heron,” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Cinematography
Winner – “Oppenheimer,” Hoyte van Hoytema
Costume Design
Winner – “Poor Things,” Holly Waddington
Directing
Winner – “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan
Documentary Feature Film
Winner – “20 Days in Mariupol”, Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
Documentary Short Film
Winner – “The Last Repair Shop,” Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
Film Editing
Winner – “Oppenheimer,” Jennifer Lame
International Feature Film
Winner – United Kingdom, “The Zone of Interest”
Makeup and Hairstyling
Winner -“Poor Things,” Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Music (Original Score)
Winner – “Oppenheimer,” Ludwig Göransson
Music (Original Song)
Winner -“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie;” Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best Picture
Winner – “Oppenheimer,” Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers
Production Design
Winner -“Poor Things,” Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Animated Short Film
Winner – “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” Dave Mullins and Brad Booker
Live Action Short Film
Winner – “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” Wes Anderson and Steven Rales
Sound
Winner – “The Zone of Interest,” Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
Visual Effects
Winner – “Godzilla Minus One,” Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner -“American Fiction,” Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner -“Anatomy of a Fall,” Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
