Thursday, March 13, 1997
OSCARS:
Academy members break the silence about the ins and outs of the
voting processBy Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Contributor
It is a mystery. Just how does one become a part of this secret
society known as the "Academy," and what is it like once you’re a
member?
Actually, it’s not exactly a secret society, as there are almost
6,000 members of the 13 branches of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences, with 5,173 actually given voters rights. The
Academy has been steadily growing since 1929 when its original 36
members voted on awards handed out at a ceremony attended by 250
people.
Now the Academy is so large that members must enter a lottery to
receive invitations to the ceremony. But as Bruce Davis, executive
director of the Academy, is quick to point out, this represents
only a fraction of the number of people involved in Hollywood.
"It’s really just the cream," Davis says. "If you think that the
Screen Actors Guild has 86,000 members, but only 1,200 are in the
actor’s branch of the Academy, it’s quite a tiny percentage. There
are only 230 directors from around the world in the director’s
branch. They are the most well-known directors in the world."
With the numbers of Academy members limited to the entertainment
elite, in any given year a majority has some sort of personal stake
in the outcome, though as Davis says, "Self-interest is
self-cancelling, because everybody is voting.
"They used to worry about studio block voting. Each studio would
have its own loyalty. Members probably didn’t have to vote for
movies from their own studio. They knew that with more Oscars (for
their studio), the next year there would be more money. Everybody’s
freelance now, and there’s no block to worry about."
A prospective Academy member must first receive "sponsorship"
from at least two members of the branch he or she has achieved
prominence in. The Board of Governors of the Academy then reviews
the application and then decides whether or not to approve it. The
13 different branches include actors, art directors,
cinematographers, directors, executives, film editors, musicians,
producers, public relations experts, short- and feature-length
animators, sound technicians, visual effects technicians and
writers. Members are members for life, as long as they continue to
pay their dues.
As a member, involvement is voluntary, and on the average quite
minimal. Members can serve on panels which delegate awards
throughout the year, serve as an officer or on the Board of
Directors, and nominate films for Academy Awards, though most are
active only in the vote for the actual Academy Awards in the
spring.
Members vote by secret ballots which are counted by consulting
firm Price Waterhouse. Some categories require that members sign in
at screenings to prove that they have seen all the nominations
before voting. For most categories, however, attendance is based on
the honor system. This honor system raises the question  do
lazy members make uninformed votes that alter the eventual outcome
of award distribution.
"We wouldn’t really know if that was happening," Davis said.
"Price Waterhouse says it’s quite common for members to skip a few,
which leads one to believe that members aren’t voting if they
haven’t seen the films, or don’t feel qualified to vote on
something such as best sound editing."
Michael Hertzberg, member of the Academy since 1973, says that
it is a responsibility of the Academy member to see all of the
films.
"Voting for the Academy Awards is only time-consuming in the
respect that you have to see the movies," Hertzberg, producer of
Blazing Saddles says. "I can’t tell you how many people don’t see
all the movies before they vote, but I make an effort to see them
all or else it’s not fair to the different films. They make it
easier now because they mail them to your house."
In this day and age when the results of the Academy Awards can
often determine the bankability of an actor or director, or the
success of a certain genre, the Academy’s cultural influence is an
accepted part of the Academy’s original creed to "advance the arts
and sciences of motion pictures."
According to Davis, the Academy’s goal to further artistic
integrity in film and the Academy’s reputation as the judge in
assigning artistic merit is not an unwelcome association to Academy
members.
"Most members take seriously the idea that this is the annual
occasion where they get to tell the rest of the world what they
think the best of this art form has been," Davis said. "And I think
they do take into account the influence they have now and of future
history. In that respect, I think there is a certain solemnity
(that the members take when voting)."
"Film is wonderful because you can do things to be seen by so
many people," Hertzberg said. "Which is why I originally got into
it, and also to do something more uplifting for humanity. It’s very
prestigious, the top award in town. It’s a chance for the movie
business to show its wares to the rest of the business."