Film and Fame
The 94th Academy Awards of Merit, better known as The Oscars, was held at the LA Dolby Theater on Sunday, March 27. The annual award ceremony dates back to 1929 as Hollywood directors sought to promote their image through celebration and the show was made available to the public when televised in 1953. This prestigious event celebrates the entertainment industry through musical performances, red carpet appearances and the main event: presenting the Oscar Award to the actors and directors worthy of it. The winners of these esteemed awards are accomplished individuals who are actively involved in the creation of any 24 categories that range from best picture, original song, animated short, documentary, feature and more. For a film to be nominated, they must have been shown in the U.S. for at least a year.
Who votes on the winners? The honor of nominating Hollywood’s candidates is exclusive to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, of which there are 7,000 members. The winners are released to the press before the event but they are prohibited from leaking the results until after the televised awards show. Oscar winners have much to gain including increased prestige, career advancement, additional success for their film and an average 60% salary increase. 2022 Oscar Winners include Troy Kotsur for Best Supporting Actor, Ariana DeBose for Best Supporting Actress, Don’t Look Up for Best Picture, Spider-Man: No Way Home for Best Visual Effects, No Time to Die film for Best Sound, Billie Eilish’s No Time To Die theme song for Best Original Song, and others. This year’s show was co-hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes and presented by several celebrities including Lady Gaga, Zoë Kravitz, Samuel Jackson and comedian and disruptor Chris Rock. Attendees arrived to the red carpet dressed by elite designers. Included on the best dressed list were fashion icon Zendaya in Valentino, Nicole Kidman in Armani Privé, Timothee Chalamet in Louis Vuitton and Billie Eilish in Gucci. The award itself is a 24-karat gold plated statue of a knight on a reel of film holding a sword. It was designed by MGM Art Director Cedric Gibbons. The Oscar statue costs $400 to make and winners are forbidden from selling their award.
Due to COVID-19 and its resulting limited occupancy and travel restrictions, the Oscars’ revenue dropped by 60% compared to pre-pandemic numbers. This year's show cost an astronomical $42.9 million, with Disney currently holding broadcasting rights for a sum of $1 billion. Vanity Fair's Oscar after-party cost an estimated $80,000 per couple, making it the most expensive after-party to date. A-list actors may pay up to $10 million for their couture, show stopping outfits. This lavish party is beneficial especially for the economy of Los Angeles which earns $130 million in revenue yearly. ABC — the network with the rights to the ads and red carpet show — gains an estimated $120 million from ads and $21 million from the red carpet. The 60 commercial ads that were displayed throughout the three hour televised event cost companies $1.7 million per spot. The 2022 Oscars attracted an audience of 16.6 million people which is 58% increase from the 10.4 million viewers last year. The social media attention saw an increase of 139% compared to last year’s broadcast of 9.5 million, making this year’s award show, as one Variety writer stated, “the most social Oscars telecast on record.”
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Photo Caption: Oscars Award
Photo Credit: Pixabay
