With the Venice Film Festival concluded and the Toronto International Film Festival wrapping up, awards season is officially in full swing. Unfortunately, AMPAS has a lot of work to do if it wants people to become engaged with the Academy Awards again.
During a meeting between Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences members, CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang–both appointed this year–outlined a plan to get people to care about the Academy Awards. You know, without having a Best Actor winner slap a presenter for making a mid-tier joke.
The plan:
-Hiring producing teams who are accountable to the Academy and creating a dedicated team within the Academy solely focused on the Awards
-Determining how to best honor all craft areas on air
-Focusing on a love and reverence for film
-Creating an emotional investment in the nominees
-Exploring extensions of the show on streaming
-Continuing the theatrical requirement for eligibility
-Making the red carpet an event
-Continuing to prioritize sustainability, access, inclusion, and representation
Hey, that’s eight! The exact number of categories AMPAS unjustly cut from the Academy Awards ceremony last year. Coincidence?
Before this meeting, Kramer said: “It’s our 95th anniversary. We want to return to a show that has reverence for film and 95 years of the Oscars. It’s a moment to really reflect on our membership, all craft areas, our changing industry and our fans. There are ways to do that that are entertaining and authentic and that are tied to our mission to honor excellence in moviemaking.”
This year’s Academy Awards had 16. 6 million viewers, which is an improvement over the 93rd Academy Awards but still quite weak. Still, award show ratings are down all around. This year, the Emmys’ saw its all-time low of 5.29 million and the Grammys’ hit a near-record low of 9.6 million.
How do you feel about this plan to improve viewership for the Academy Awards? Let us know in the comments below!