Oy. We’ve got a long way to go.
According to the hot-off-the-presses release, the two categories that received the most nipping and tucking were these two infamously flawed arenas.
Here’s what they have to say regarding the composers:
Three items of note were altered in the Original Song rules. First, while there continues to be no limit on the number of songs from a given film that can be submitted for consideration, no more than two songs from any one film may be nominated for an Academy Award.
Good. No cuts out the possibility of another poor track (*coughhappyworkingsongcough*) pushing out far superior work (*coughsocietycough*). But there’s more:
Also, in addition to the annual screening event at which members of the Music Branch view clips featuring the eligible songs as they appear in the films and vote, DVDs of those same clips will be made available to branch members who are unable to attend the screening; ballots will accompany the DVDs and must be returned by mail.
Also good. Maybe some informed decisions can be made by a larger majority. But there’s no accounting for taste, so we’ll see how it goes.
No alteration of that pesky, subjectively rendered Rule 16B that keeps biting artists in the ass.
Music Branch members who have one or more songs in contention for nominations do not vote in that phase of the balloting. They remain eligible to vote on the final ballot to select the winner.
Got that, Shaiman?
On to the foreign language film category, where the Academy seems to be putting a band-aid on a broken arm:
The only other category with a notable change is the Foreign Language Film Award and as was the case in 2006, the alteration is a procedural one rather than one in the rules per se. For the 81st Academy Awards, the two-phase process by which the nominees are selected will remain intact. However, the Phase I committee – which is open to any voting member who views a minimum number of the eligible films – will now vote to determine only six of the nine films that will ultimately go to the Phase II committee. The other three titles will be determined by those members of the 20-member Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee who have qualified to vote in the category. The executive committee’s selections will be made after the Phase I voting has been tallied.
Again, there’s no accounting for taste. We’ll see how it goes.
Comments
5 responses to “AMPAS sort of cleans up music and foreign categories”
Fair enough, I suppose – but if a film actually has more than two worthy songs in it, I don’t see why it should be limited. Yes, ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘Enchanted’ both got undeserving third nominations in the category recently (and ‘So Close’ was much worse than ‘Happy Working Song,’ in my opinion). But that’s the fault of the voters’ poor taste, not the films. I personally think ‘Once’ deserved three Original Song noms this year.
As for the foreign films – sigh. Until they change this ridiculous system of countries selecting a single film to compete, it’s an irrelevant category as far as I’m concerned.
Only two of the Once songs were originally written for the movie, so there is that. But I agree, if more than two songs are genuinely worthy…then again, that doesn’t happen often.
Good chances especially in categories where considerable nominees are very controversial.
I think the foreign language category needs a lot of chages of a big reconstruction. That’s my principal points:
-The rule “One film by country”: This is fine is countries with small film industry, but big countries like France, India or Germany is unfair because they’re acclaimed films and they’ve need to choose only one?
-Cache effect: It’s interesting how the most sucessful foreign film in that award season was snubbed by a technicism: Counry Confussion. Chache could be the Austria’s submission but it’ve french actors, crew and money and the language is in french.
-Lust Caution effect: Disqualification because the film has 25% american money and crew, but Crouching Tigger Hidden Dragon won not only that Oscar, four Oscars in 2001. And sound similar with “TDBATB” with American Director.
[…] all in the hands of the Academy’s notoriously obtuse foreign film committee. Under a new system aimed to avoid embarrassing exclusions like last year’s snub of “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 […]
[…] any case, it’s one I’m having a tough time calling. The new voting system should ensure that some of the year’s most acclaimed contenders are spared the indignity of […]