THE OSCARS
THE OSCARS
What are the Oscars?
When?
Who?
Why?
The Academy Awards, or as it is more commonly known as the Oscars, is an annual awards ceremony for excellence within film. Held in Los Angeles, America the ceremony has become one of the most prestigious of its kind attracting audiences world wide.
The first Oscars ceremony was held on 16th May 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The ceremony lasted 15 minutes and had 270 guests in attendance.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences are responsible for the running of the Oscars. The Academy was founded in 1927 by 36 of the most influential men and women in the motion picture industry at the time. The Academy now includes more than 6,000 artists and professionals.
The Oscars were put into place to recognise excellence within the industry of film. The awards categories consist of many different crafts such as acting, directing, production design, sound editing and many more (see pages 8-9).
Many actors and actresses aspire to be rewarded with an Oscar and consider it to be one of the highest honors they can achieve.
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During this ceremony 15 statuettes were awarded to members of the film industry. Results of the first ceremony were released three months prior to the event which meant that the nominees were aware that they had won an award.
The Academy’s corporate management and general policies are overseen by a Board of Governors, which includes representatives from each craft branch.
Nominations
Voting
Winners
The Statuette
Nominees for the Oscars are decided by the Academy board of Governors. They are selected from a list of films which have been released within one year. The one year runs from 1st January - 31st December.
The awards are voted for by the Academy which consists of 6,000 members. These members come from the film industry and can be past winners, nominees and film veterans.
Winners were announced three months prior to the awards until 1930 when the winners were given to the Los Angeles Times to be published the day after the ceremony.
The voting operates on a ballot system which is sent out the every member of the Academy. Votes are returned, counted and verified by Pricewaterhousecoopers and have been for 73 years.
In 1941 the L.A Times published the results earlier than instructed which then resulted in the Academy changing the rules and revealing the winners in a sealed envelope live during the ceremony.
The Oscar Statuette was designed by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and sculptured by George Stanley. Gibbons had actor, director and screenwriter Emilio Fernadez pose naked to inspire the design.
Any film which is released within one calendar year is put forward to the board of governors to be selected for an nomination. There are usually a maximum of five nominations for each category though this can be reduced and increased for categories such as Best Picture.
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The statuette depicts a knight holding a crusader sword and standing on a reel of film with five spokes. These five spokes are said to represent the five areas of film. Actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
The Ceremony The ceremony is widely known to be a glamorous, star-studded event. Perhaps one of the most anticipated events in America, the awards generate millions of viewers across the USA and worldwide. In 1953, the first televised Oscar ceremony enabled millions throughout the United States and Canada to watch the proceedings. Broadcasting in color began in 1966, affording home viewers a chance to fully experience the dazzling allure of the event. Since 1969, the Oscar show has been broadcast internationally, now reaching movie fans in over 200 countries.
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Locations The ceremony has been held in a variety of different locations. During the first years of the Oscars the ceremony was held as a banquet, the first being held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. As the ceremony began to become more popular the location changed to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Since 2001, the Oscar ceremony has been held in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, just steps from the historic Chinese Theatre.
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Hosts The Oscars requires a host to help the flow of the ceremony and ensure that audiences are entertained between award presentation. There have been many hosts of the Oscars over its lifetime. Bob Hope (18 times) Billy Crystal (9 times) Johnny Carson (5 times) Whoopi Goldberg (4 times) Jack Lemmon (4 times) Jerry Lewis (3 times) Steve Martin (3 times) Ellen Degeneres (2 times) David Letterman (1 time)
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Awards Categories
A collection of the 2014 winners:
Best Actor
Cinematography
Best Actress
Production
Supporting Actor
Costume design
Supporting Actress
Sound mixing
Best Picture
Music original song
Directing
Music score
Original screenplay
Hair and make-up
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Sup Actor - Jared Leto
Sup Actress - Lupita Nyong’o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Best Picture - 12 Years a Slave
Adapted screenplay Foreign Language Film Animated feature film Documentary feature film Visual Effects Short film animated Short film live action Documentary Short Editing Sound editing THE OSCARS
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The Big 5
Most nominated
Only three features have won what is known as the Big 5. This is the award for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Holding this honor are:
The most nominated actress is Meryl Streep who has 18 nominations.
It Happened One Night (1934)
The most nominated actor is Jack Nicholson who has been nominated 12 times.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Silence of the Lambs (1991).
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The most nominated Director, Woody Allen has 24 nominations to his name.
Oscar Moments Charlie Chaplin receives 12 minute standing ovation. Adrien Brody kisses Halle Berry after winning. Kathryn Bigelow is first woman to win Best Director.
Heath Ledger wins Best Supporting Actor. Ellen Degeneres selfie. Marlon Brando rejects Oscar.
Titanic wins 11 Oscars. Lord of the Rings sweeps the awards. Barbra Striesand ties for Best Actress.
THE OSCARS
THE OSCARS “...I’m so very proud that Blue Jasmine stayed in the cinemas for as long as it did. And thank you to Sony Classics, to Michael and Tom for their extraordinary support. For so bravely and intelligently distributing the film and to the audiences who went to see it and perhaps those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people...”
“Yes! Thank you to the Academy for this incredible recognition. It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s, and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsy for her guidance. And for Solomon, thank you for telling her story and your own. Steve McQueen, you charge everything you fashion with a breath of your own spirit. Thank my family for your training and the Yale School of Drama as well for your training...”
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
“Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup. I dedicate this award to all the people who have endured slavery. And the 21 million people who still suffer slavery today. Thank you very much.”
“It has been an absolute privilege to work on Solomon’s story. And we all get to stand up here tonight because of one man who brought us all together to tell that story. And that is the indomitable Mr. Steve McQueen.”
Best Picture
This is a collection of the best speeches from 2014 ceremony.
One of the most important aspects of the Oscars is the acceptance speeches, critics and the media report closely on the speeches given by the recipients of the awards.
Acceptance Speeches
OSCARS
The 2014
THE OSCARS Katie and Annie this song is inspired by our love for you and the hope that you never let fear or shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are. Thank You. We love you”
And this is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you out there who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love, tonight I stand here in front of the world with you and for you. Thank you so much and goodnight.” So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero’s always 10 years away. I’m never gonna be my hero. I’m not gonna attain that. I know I’m not, and that’s just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing....”
Ten years later, that same person comes to me and says, ‘So, are you a hero?’ And I was like, ‘not even close. No, no, no.’ She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because my hero’s me at 35.’
“We have so many people to thank, luckily everybodies name rhymes. Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jenifer Lee, Peter Delves, Chris Buck, Chris Beck, John Lassator, Happy Oscars to you, lets do Frozen 2. Tom Mcdougle, Chris Montan, Arimus, Metskir, Vesturmann, the Andersons and the Lopez clan, John Groff, Josh Gad, Mom and Dad, John Besette and our team back east and Kate BROKLYN! And last but not least our girls.
“In 1971, Bossier City, Louisiana, there was a teenage girl who was pregnant with her second child. She was a high school dropout and a single mom, but somehow she managed to make a better life for herself and her children. She encouraged her kids to be creative, to work hard and to do something special. That girl is my mother and she’s here tonight. And I just want to say, I love you, Mom. Thank you for teaching me to dream.
“Now when I was 15 years old, I had a very important person in my life come to me and say ‘who’s your hero?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, I gotta think about that. Give me a couple of weeks.’ I come back two weeks later, this person comes up and says ‘who’s your hero?’ I said, ‘I thought about it. You know who it is? It’s me in 10 years.’ So I turned 25.
Best Original Song
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actor
The Oscars Identity The Academy Awards has a long design history which has become an iconic worldwide brand. Perhaps the most recognised aspect of the brand is the Oscar statuette, this has become a symbol which encompasses the ceremony and its academy members. The colours which are used for any promotion for the awards have stayed consistent over the past 86 years. These colours are Gold, Red and Black. The Oscars logo has evolved throughout the years, with the most recent being updated for the 2014 Academy Awards. This was headed by the L.A studio 180LA.
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“The new logo spotlights the Oscar from above – creating a triangular shape and uniting the “A” of the Academy with our iconic statuette. This design gives the Academy a presence in its own logo for the first time and underscores our efforts to support creative arts and sciences yearround.” - oscars.org/imagination
The Oscars Brand
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Everything you need to know about the Academy Awards. This publication explains the history behind the most prestigious awards ceremony in the world, the Oscars. Through a series of photos you will discover how the Academy Awards evolved into a globally recognised honour. With a close look into the acceptance speeches from the 2014 ceremony and some of the most memorable moments from the past 86 years, take a look at the world of glitz, glamor and expensive champagne.
Written and Designed by Ellen Setterfield
“OSCAR”, “OSCARS”, “ACADEMY AWARD” “ACADEMY AWARDS” and the OSCAR statuette are registered trademarks and service marks, and the OSCAR statuette a copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and are used under permission A.M.P.A.S.