IASTE president Matthew Loeb pushed back today against the plan to pre-tape several categories in an attempt to tighten up Sunday’s Oscarcast, saying, “We believe a deviation for some crafts and categories but not others is detrimental.”
“By the nature of our jobs, behind-the-scenes workers get little recognition as is, despite being the backbone of every production,” Loeb said in a statement. “The Academy Awards has been virtually the only venue where the very best on and off the big screen, above and below the line, gather to honor each other’s incredible contributions through their crafts, inspiring millions who tune into the TV broadcast in the process. We believe a deviation for some crafts and categories but not others is detrimental to this fundamental purpose.”
The Academy announced a month ago that eight Oscar categories will be taped in the audience during the hour before the telecast and edited into the show later. IATSE represents craft workers in more than half of the affected categories: Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Animated Short and Sound. The others are Original Score, Documentary Short and Live-Action Short.
The plan drew criticism from several groups, the Academy’s Music Branch Governor Laura Karpman and at least directors whose films are up for Best Picture: Steven Spielberg, Jane Campion and Denis Villeneuve. Martin Scorsese’s frequent collaborator, Oscar-winning sound mixer Tom Fleischman, resigned from the Academy in protest.
“While the Academy made accommodations to include these categories in the broadcast,” Loeb added in his statement, “our position remains that the awards should put all the positions that make pictures possible on equal footing. If the winners walk away with the same trophy, then the winners deserve the same recognition. I urge the Academy to reconsider.”
The Academy’s powers that be clearly felt the time was now — or never — to reimagine the Oscar show, but it is not a novel idea to actually pre-tape some select categories, edit them and then try to roll them in seamlessly into the show. It was a suggestion in 2019 to do the same thing, but that was rolled back after an outcry. This always has been a red line.
Loeb also spoke out against that plan three years ago, using stronger language in calling it “an insult to the hardworking women and men of all below-the-line crafts to push these nominees and winners out of the spotlight.”