Oscar Campaign: Oscar time has come! On March 13, when the winners of the prestigious awards are announced, all eyes will be on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. However, there was a lot of commotion about Andrea Riseborough being nominated for Best Actress even before the event began.
The issue became so significant that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) declared it would investigate the campaigns of this year’s nominees “to make sure that no rules were broken and to tell us if the rules may need to be changed in an age of social media and digital communication.”
The academy stated, “We believe our nomination and voting procedures are impartial, and we support genuine grass-roots campaigns for outstanding performances.
What’s the big deal, then? What are these alleged “rules” that Andrea Riseborough’s selection violated?
What guidelines apply to campaigns?
One must comprehend the procedure for winning the coveted statuette before we can discuss the rules for campaigning. An Oscar victory is said to have more to do with the race than the actual artistic merit.
This is so that a movie or a person can only be nominated if they receive a sufficient number of votes from Academy members. Therefore, buzz about films or actors is required. According to a 2016 Variety report, studios spend anywhere between $3 million (roughly Rs. 24.50 crore) and upwards of $10 million (roughly Rs. 81 crore) to influence Oscar voters; a 2017 New Yorker report on contemporary Oscar campaigns claims that amount can reach as high as $15 million (Rs 122 crore). Campaign consultants are paid tens of thousands of dollars for their work and receive additional compensation if their film is successful.
Even though they are frequently disregarded, there are regulations for campaigns. Studios are only allowed to email Oscar voters once per week, and these emails cannot be sent directly. They must be transmitted via messaging platforms approved by the Academy.
Additionally, the mailing cannot discuss the virtues of a movie, an accomplishment, or a specific person. Quotes from film reviews are prohibited, as are any honours or awards that the movie or anyone associated with it has received in the past or present.
The Academy’s rules also prohibit providing an excessive amount of food and drink at the time and location of a screening when promoting a film or a particular actor.
Additionally, Rule 11 deals with “references to other nominees.” The Academy strictly prohibits anyone who is directly connected to an eligible film from attempting to disparage or discredit a competing film or accomplishment. Additionally, it explicitly forbids using any strategy that refers to “the competition” by name or position.
According to the rules, anyone found to have broken this rule faces a one-year membership suspension for their first offence and expulsion for any subsequent violations.
Never Has the Academy Withdrew a Nomination
The Norwegian short film Tuba Atlantic received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live-Action Short in 2012. The nomination was subsequently withdrawn after it was learned that Norwegian TV had broadcast the film before it opened in theatres.
A year later, after learning that Bruce Broughton had directly requested music branch members to vote for his song via email, the Academy revoked his nomination for Best Original Song for Alone Yet Not Alone.
Because of “telephone lobbying,” which violated the voting rules, Greg P. Russell’s sound mixing nomination for the film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi in 2017 was withdrawn.
We don’t know what will happen next, but we do know what actor Christina Ricci said: “Now (Andrea Riseborough’s) nomination will be tainted by this.” These things aren’t controlled or decided by the actors themselves. And they ought to feel ashamed if they take it away.
Is Riseborough’s nomination going to be withdrawn?
Despite the fact that it is unclear whether these regulations were intentionally broken, it seems extremely unlikely that the Academy will exclude Riseborough from the Oscar race.
Riseborough’s nomination is unlikely to be withdrawn, according to a longtime academy member who spoke to the New York Times, as she did not personally make the direct appeals to voters.
In contrast to other categories, acting nominations have never been withdrawn.
Keep checking back for updates if you want additional information.
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