“…AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…”
Deconstructing the Academy Awards
What is an Oscar?


Oscars are given by the
American Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPA)
AMPA members vote for Oscar
winners
How can I become an
AMPA member?
 you must be chosen by other
members
 the majority are white, aging
men who live in L.A.
The Oscars as a Media Event

33% of all Canadians
watch all or part of the
Oscars
(48% adult women,
40% adult men, 12%
children)
The Oscars as a Commodity


An Oscar is just a
tin and copper,
gold-plated
statuette of a
naked man holding
a sword and
standing on a reel
of film
An Oscar only
costs $200 to make
So what’s the
big deal?
Who’s makin’ the
big bucks?
Oscar Money-Maker #1:
THE ACADEMY (AMPA)


earns $2 million per year on Oscars
AMPA is a non-profit organization - so they
spend the profit on film-related causes
(eg. film restoration)
Oscar Money–Maker #2:
TV Network that broadcasts the show


•
•
ABC makes millions selling ads
($10 thousand per second)
Are The Oscars relatively cheap
or expensive to make?
expensive stars appear on TV for free
cheaper to produce than movie or
mini-series.
Oscar Money-Maker #3: The Movie Industry


promotes Hollywood
movies
entire broadcast is
virtually a commercial
Oscar Money-Maker #4: The Winners!

Along with prestige
comes truly international
stardom and economic
benefits
Oscar Money-Maker #5: The Movie Studios

•

•
•
When are most Oscar potentials released?
Why?
December, to catch the holiday rush, and to
ensure that movies are still in theatres.
Which winning movies don’t make much off
the Oscars?
Movies no longer in the theatre
Winners other than Best Picture
The Oscars as a Contest




•
AMPAS members nominate 5
and pick 1 winner
Nominations made by those
who work in same category
(eg. Directors vote for other
directors)
Once 5 nominees are chosen
then all members vote for all
categories
Is there any cheating?
much politicking, back
stabbing, influence peddling
etc. during voting
Who wins the contest?
What types of
actors /
characters tend
to win?
• older stars over younger stars
• movies with long-famous
stars
• biographies of remarkable
individuals
• portrayals of the mentally ill
Who wins the contest?
What types of
movies tend to
win?
•
•
•
•
movies still playing
docu-dramas (based on real events or people)
actors whose character dies during the movies
genres other than horror,
youth, adventure, science fictions, action films
• serious dramas rather than “light” films
How are the Oscars similar to a
RITUAL?


Oscar itself has become a
sacred icon within the
industry, prominently
displayed above the
"altar" during the
ceremony
Oscars occur every year
at the same time with
strict timeline
The Oscars as RITUAL


Seating plan is carefully
controlled - stars seated in
a "golden horseshoe”
professional sitters hired to
fill seats
The Oscars as RITUAL
There are STRICT rules:

•
•
•
participants MUST NOT
make overlong acceptance
speeches or read from a script
lecture about political causes
make a fuss - 500 police and
civilians enforce security
during the telecast - AMPAS
wants the awards to be seen
as idealized, non-controversial
and non-ideological
The Oscars as RITUAL

•
Participants MUST
Dress up and arrive in a
limousine
- every male connected with the
ceremony, from star to truck
driver, wears a tuxedo
- females must wear formal
evening gowns which have been
approved in advance by AMPAS'
official fashion coordinator
The Oscars as RITUAL

•
Participants MUST
Parade down a red
carpet between two
blocks of bleachers
crammed with fans, TV
cameras & photographers
(it can take the bigger
stars almost an hour to
walk this carpet)
The Oscars as RITUAL

Award presenters
MUST NOT SAY
“…and the winner is…” or
“…the envelope please…”
MUST SAY
“..and the Oscar goes to…”
(this change is a subtle
attempt at BRANDING)
Oscars outwardly promote:








democracy (the famous people are really just people)
equality (anyone can win...)
hard work (...as long as they work hard enough)
individuality (aren’t those stars original and funky?)
competitiveness
 Which values do the
upward mobility
Oscars REALLY promote
occupational achievement
?????
monetary success
THE BIG BUCK PLAYERS
• TOM CRUISE
• First big payday: $75,000
for "Risky Business"
(1983)
Current Asking Price:
$25 million (plus points)
Worth the money? Yes!
Cruise's 26 films have
grossed $2.5 billion
worldwide. He knows his
star vehicles will hit the
essential $100 million
mark in America alone,
and his contracts now
always include points: He
• TOM HANKS
• FIRST BIG PAYDAY:
$70,000 for "Splash"
(1984)
CURRENT ASKING
PRICE: $25 million (plus
points)
WORTH THE MONEY?
Yes! He can do no wrong.
He'll be hard-pressed,
though, to match the $70
million he made for
"Forrest Gump" or the $40
million he pocketed for
• JIM CARREY
• FIRST BIG PAYDAY:
$350,000 for "Ace Ventura"
(1994)
• CURRENT ASKING
PRICE: $25 million
WORTH THE MONEY?
Yes! All that and more. His
films continue to hit pay
dirt. He took a pay cut for
"Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind,” in hopes of
an Oscar nod.
• MIKE MYERS
• AGE: 40
• FIRST BIG PAYDAY: $1
million for "Wayne's
World" (1992)
• CURRENT ASKING
PRICE: $25 million (or
21% of the gross)
WORTH THE MONEY?
So far! The bottom line
counts. Though "Cat in the
Hat" received bad reviews
it still passed the $100
million barrier. Myers is
being paid a whopping
$10 million for his voice
• JULIA ROBERTS
• AGE: 36
• FIRST BIG PAYDAY:
$50,000 for "Mystic Pizza"
(1988)
• CURRENT ASKING
PRICE: $25 million.
WORTH THE MONEY?
No! "Mona Lisa Smile's"
poor opening weekend
suggests her days as a boxoffice draw are numbered.
Since 2000's "Erin
Brockovich," Roberts has lost
her box-office magic. Now
married, she's no longer
America's sweetheart. She
recently switched from the
• WILL SMITH
• FIRST BIG PAYDAY:
$500,000 for "Six Degrees
of Separation" (1993)
• CURRENT ASKING
PRICE: $20 - $25 million
(plus 20% of the gross)
• WORTH THE MONEY?
Maybe. Smith's bread and
butter comes from fans who
love to see him mix humor
with action, as in
"Independence Day" and
the "Men in Black" and
"Bad Boys" films. He fares
less well when he strays
from that formula, as he did
$20 millionaires









Russell Crowe
Leonardo DiCaprio
Eddie Murphy
Denzel Washington
Nicolas Cage
George Clooney
Brad Pitt
Vin Diesel
Johnny Depp (might be closer to 25 now)










Tobey McGuire 17 mil for Spidey 2
Ben Affleck gets $17.5 million - but for how much longer?
Cameron Diaz from 15 - 25 million
$14 million-$15 million
Drew Barrymore
Nicole Kidman
Reese Witherspoon
Halle Berry - could have been top, thanks Catwoman
Sandra Bullock
Angelina Jolie
Jodie Foster
So…where do we go from here?








Emergence of Chinese cinema
 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hollywood Monopoly - Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC
Universal, and Disney.
Cheap horror adaptations
Computer generated animation
 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Rise in popularity of documentary
Combining efforts of Film & Video games
Piracy
Low attendance - greater targeting to older audiences