This week it was announced that the Academy Awards will be removing 8 key categories from it's live broadcast, including the best original score category.
The decision, which was taken to streamline the overall ceremony has been met with fierce backlash from across the film community, not only because it pushes down some categories of filmmaking in favour of the more publicly popular ones, but because it completely removes the opportunity for these awards to inspire the next generation of creatives.
For aspiring composers watching along at home with their families, they will no longer have someone to look up to and say "One day that will be me".
Hildur Guðnadóttir receives her award for best original score at the 92nd Academy Awards 2020.
The 8 categories that have been removed are: Best Documentary (Short) Best Editing
Makeup & Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Production Design
Short Film ( Animated)
Short Film ( Live Action)
Best Sound
Filmmaking is a complex and dynamic art form that cannot be achieved without the input of numerous talented individuals from a range of creative practices. When we sit down in a cinema to experience a film it is easy to lose yourself in whats on the screen without thinking about all of the people behind the scenes who's dedication and craft has made the film possible.
Much of the beauty of the Academy Awards is that for one night we can all come together as film lovers to reward those artists who's work creates the magic of cinema. Editors, Designers, Sound department and Composers, they may not be household names, or have a famous face, but they are an equal part of the overall recipe for creating unforgettable cinematic experiences. What is Jaws without the score?
What is Boyhood without the editing?
What is Interstellar without the production design?
What is Saving Private Ryan without the sound?
What is Amadeus without the makeup and hair styling?
6 out of 8 are craft related categories, and these are areas where genre films such as science-fiction and fantasy, which are typically shunned from the "bigger" categories have had their chance to shine.
The oscars help to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and provide role models for young people who want to work in the industry.
The craftsmen and women of the film industry devote huge chunks of their lives to bringing these movies to life, and for them to be downgraded in this manner is not only hugely disrespectful but damaging to the future of film. Where will the next generation of artists find their role models and people that they look up to when the institutions of Hollywood push them away and out of view?
The Oscars have had their fair share of controversies and mishaps over the years, but this feels distinctly different. For an organisation that prides itself on championing the work of the artists who create cinema, it cuts deep to know that they have taken this decision for the sake of remedying declining television ratings.
We sincerely hope that the Academy reverses this move, but sadly we are unlikely to see that.
All of this simply reaffirms that the Academy is growing out of touch in an era where the popularity and cultural significance of the Oscars is already fading. We hope you enjoyed this article! Please give us an email if you would like to share your thoughts with us and contribute to the discussion.
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