그만큼 Oscar nominations reflect the breadth of quality work produced and released in what was by any measure a difficult, 영화 산업에 끔찍한 해. Viewers can now flock to the streaming services of their choice to see whether they think the voters got it right.
Therein lies the challenge for the producers of this year’s awards, after a stretch that has already seen the Emmys and Golden Globes sink to record-low ratings. It has left producers of the ceremony in what looks like a difficult bind — with no theatrical blockbusters to help drive interest in the ceremony — but also with an opportunity, if they embrace the freedom that should come with diminished viewership expectations and having little to lose.
과거에, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the awards, has collectively exhibited mixed feelings about Netflix’s role in the movie industry’s marquee event, unable to clearly decide if streaming was friend or foe. The effects of the pandemic — and the related shift toward home viewing — essentially pushed the Academy into Netflix’s waiting arms.
모두 말했다, the service amassed a best-ever 35 지명, more than any other single entity. That included two of the eight best picture nominees, a pair of historical dramas in “Mank” 과 “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and six of the 20 acting bids.
넷플릭스, 물론이야, wasn’t alone, with streamers like Amazon (with a dozen total), Hulu and Disney+ all leaving their mark on the roster of contenders. In some instances, that recognition came for movies that were redirected from planned theatrical release to streaming, such as Hulu’s “유목민” and Disney+’s “Soul” 과 “Mulan.”
What that means for the Oscars in practical terms is unclear. Ratings for the awards have been trending downward due to a host of factors, 하지만 off-a-cliff decline for the Golden Globes has only fed the sense that the appetite for such events has been greatly diminished by a year that shut movie theaters and blunted the celebratory aspects of live events.
The Emmys, 특히, charted a path for handing out awards despite coronavirus restrictions, a formula that the Globes largely botched. The Grammys recaptured some of the live experience with their performance-oriented ceremony on Sunday night.
The Oscars have also outlined plans for a more in-person format, but even with the awards delayed until late April, the kind of massive gathering staged in the past won’t be possible. And while viewers can access most nominees online, the fragmentation of the audience — and diminished rooting interest that comes with it — has been exacerbated by everything that has transpired since “기생물” made history ~에서 2020 오스카, in what feels like much longer than 13 몇달 전.
Award shows, 물론이야, exist for multiple reasons, which in their highest calling involves celebrating and encouraging admirable work. But they are also commercial endeavors, with practical implications built around getting people to watch, and broadcast fees that support the organizations behind them.
The Grammys seemingly found a sweet spot, creatively speaking, in a more intimate ceremony that still showcased the nominees, which could point the way in terms of a workable model. But if the Academy and host network ABC haven’t already resigned themselves to disappointing numbers even relative to even last year’s record-low Oscars, perhaps they should.
In a year where the Oscars have become mostly about streaming, there’s not much left to do but go with the flow.
