How do Miramax and Dreamworks buy Oscars? (1 Viewer)

[Marty Christion]

There are actually pretty strict rules on what a studio can do to promote their film for an Oscar. Meeting with a director or actor, gift baskets, and such, are all strictly forbidden. Last year, DW had a special screening of Gladiator at the AMC in Century City (with Ridley and Russell there for Q&A) for Academy members. DW got raked over the coals for this.

All a studio can do to promote their film is take out ads, and send a stripped down screener on VHS or DVD to Academy Members.

The important question is then: who are the Academy members who vote? Basically, it's hundreds (maybe thousands?) of industry people. It's also likely that the ballots get filled out by the family members of some Academy members. And it is highly political.

 

[Dwayne]

SPR didn't even deserve to be nominated. Shakespeare in Love was a much better film and deserved their nomination, but The Thin Red Line should have been the Best Picture.

:rolleyes
Shakepeare In Love fucking ROBBED Elizabeth, which was, IMO, a much better picture. I'll take a Cate Blanchette performance over a Paltrow's anyday.

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>The Oscars are a joke, IMO.

 

[Michael Reuben]

If the Oscars were a joke, they wouldn't inspire the passion so prominently displayed in this thread and others. Ryan asks a simple question about the mechanics of studio campaigning, and people start piling on trying to settle old scores. No one bothers to post messages dismissing something unless it's somehow important.

M.

 

[Joe D]

I seem to recall that Mr. Spielberg made a ton of public appearances for SPR. He was pushing extremely hard for it to win Best Picture by his "You're doing this for the veterans" speech that he gave quite a bit. So it's not like Miramax was the only one doing it.