Planning Multi Camera - Pre-Oscars Script and Research

I wrote a script for my Pre-Oscars video, I conducted research into the nominating process, previous occasions where politics was involved in the Oscars and diversity.

The script I wrote was a couple pages long and I used 2 secondary characters to help me tell all the information I needed to and move the video on from different sections. It was during this time I identified when I would look at a different camera, I made a note of this so that I would remember during filming.

Research -

Interesting facts

• Final voting finishes Tuesday 21st 
• The ceremony is televised live in more than 225 countries and terrorises 
• 90th Oscars are March 4th 2018
• After the final ballots are counted only 2 people know the results
• So far over 3000 statuettes have been given out 
• It takes 3 months to make 50 Statuettes 
• There's a database for acceptance speeches
• A producer of the Hurt Locker was disqualified because he rang up voters urging to vote for the film for Best Picture in 2009
• 3 People have refused the award, the first in 1935, second in 1970 and the third in 1973

How a film is nominated for an Oscar

A nomination for a category is made by members of the academy in the corresponding branch - actors nominate actors, editors nominate editors etc. However all voting members are eligible to vote for Best Picture nominees

Voters are given a 'reminders list' which has all of the eligible films 
http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/89th_reminder_list.pdf

An eligible motion picture must be:

• a feature length which is our 40 minutes
• publicly exhibited to a specific format and sound channel 
• for paid admission in a commercial cinema 
• for a run of at least 7 consecutive days with screenings occurring at least 3 times daily with one  starting between 6pm and 10pm
• advertised and exploited
• released within the Awards year deadlines

Films that receive their first public exhibition and distribution in any other manner than a theatrical release will not be eligible for an Academy Award however films that have a nontheatrical release on or after the first day of their Los Angeles County run remain eligible. 

All the details and rules for each section can be found here: 

http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/89aa_rules.pdf

Eligibility is dependant on the Academy receiving a completed Official Screen Credit form which has to be signed by the film's producer or distributor. The form is found online on the submission site.
http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/89th-general_entry_requirements.pdf 

The submission includes: 

• full, complete and authentic screen credits,
 
• name of the LA County theatre where the film has played 
• the dates and times of the LA County run

The required LA County qualifying run must begin between Jan 1st 2016 and midnight of Dec 31st 2016

If the motion picture is exhibited in the US before the qualifying run time it can still be eligible if the exhibition was a theatrical preview or festival screening after Jan 1st 2015. 

A submission cannot be withdrawn after Dec 23rd 2016. 

These rules have exceptions for particular subjects such as Animated Feature film, Documentary, Foreign Language Film and Short Film.

For a documentary feature it must have completed a 7 day theatrical release in LA County and a 7 day theatrical release in New York City. As well, the feature must have a review in either Los Angeles Times and/or The New York Times. 

Voting 

Voting on all categories is restricted to active Academy members, it is done by secret ballot, they are made available by the Academy and the completed ballots are collected by a firm of certified public accountants designated by the Academy President. Voters can only vote for those on the ballot and any 'writes-in' votes are not counted. 

The number of nominations on on the initial nomination lists change by category, the acting categories has a list of 10 nominations whereas the editing award list includes all eligible films. From the initial list voters will choose and five nominations shall be made for each award except the Best Picture award which can have no more than 10 nominations but no fewer than 5 nominations. If a nominated film is declared ineligible it shall not be replaced and the category will have one less nomination. 

The nominations which receive the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for the final voting. 

I then found this video which explains the nomination process:

Politics and the Oscars 

Whilst writing the script I used a range of websites to gather information. 

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/2017-oscars-diversity-denzel-washington-viola-davis-octavia-spencer-1201968125/ 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/02/22/13-times-oscar-speeches-got-political/?utm_term=.1392029dd1d7 

I looked for instances where acceptances speeches involved politics or diversity:

• In 2010, The Cove won Best Documentary Feature and when on stage a poster was held up telling the audience to text a number for details about the awareness campaign.
• In 2003 Michael Moore voiced his opinion about President Bush's decision to invade Iraq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Is43K6lrg
• In 1973 Marlon Brando declined his oscar win and sent a Native American to deliver his speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU
• Leonardo DiCaprio talked about climate change in his 2016 Best Actor acceptance speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpyrefzvTpI
• Halle Berry was the first black female to win Best Lead Actress in 2002  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llgL7mGYVTI
• Screenwriter Dudley Nichols declined his Oscar in 1936 because there was Writers Guild were on strike
• In 1971 George C Scott declined his Oscar calling the awards a "two hour meat parade"
  
• This year there are seven minority actors nominated, 
• Kimberly Stewart, producer of Manchester by the Sea is only the second black female producer to be nominated for Best Picture 
• Moonlight writer-director Barry Jenkins is the fourth black Best Director nominee.