Nominees React to Oscars Cutting 8 Live Categories

A week ago, Oscar nominees from branches including editing, sound, and makeup and hair were invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a virtual town hall. They assumed, according to one individual who attended the Tuesday event, that the meeting was being called to discuss COVID-19 protocols for Hollywood’s biggest night.

Instead, they were informed that their categories would not air live on the telecast, said the source (a current nominee who agreed to speak with Variety on the condition of anonymity). In total, eight different Oscar categories — original score, makeup and hairstyling, documentary short, film editing, production design, animated short, live action short and sound — will be awarded prior to the start of the upcoming March 27 show, edited for time, and broadcast sporadically throughout the evening. Other awards shows, such as the Tonys, have deployed a similar approach, but the move has sparked controversy among Academy members and the film community.

On the town hall Zoom before word of the decision leaked, some nominees were aghast. Additional sources told Variety that the town hall was convened to lend a personal touch to the news and show respect for their nominees. Present on the call was Shawn Finnie, executive vice president of membership and awards; Christine Simmons, AMPAS chief operating officer; Jennifer Todd, governor of the producers branch; and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, who joined the call after it began. Several individuals on the call of about 40 people tried to offer workarounds to the decision or alternative ways to streamline the show, but were rebuffed, said the source. They were informed that the decision was final.

“To relegate us in this way, it’s so disrespectful,” the source told Variety, fearful to disclose their identity during their Oscar campaign.

Emails and text messages flew across the industry in the hours following the move. The shock and outrage were predictable. After all, the Academy previously tried and failed before to edit down the show. For its 2019 broadcast, organizers announced and then reversed a move to air four categories during commercial breaks.

”It sends a strong message about prioritizing of branches and specific filmmakers within the Academy,” one notable producer said, also speaking anonymously because of fear of professional consequences. “I think there would be other ways where the Academy could still present these awards live and quicken the pace of the show overall. This specific choice feels a bit lacking in creativity.”

Insiders familiar with the Academy said the group was empathetic but frustrated, especially as critics of the category decision are largely the same ones urging radical turnaround for the telecast, which has suffered declining ratings for years. Furthermore, the insiders said, some governors representing those categories were fully supportive of the decision, citing an overdue need for change.

For their part, most of the major industry guilds were diplomatic, even as some of their public statements hinted at bruised feelings.

“This cannot have been an easy conclusion for the Academy to draw,”…