The Red Band Project

To kind of put a bow on this year’s Oscars I just wanted to provide one post that links to all of our coverage of this year’s Academy Awards and provide a few final remarks about what learned, discovered, and realized this year.

Oscar Watch 2012

• And the Nominees Are . . . :: Tuesday, January 24

• Identifying the Academy :: Monday, February 20

• Actresses in Leading & Supporting Roles :: Tuesday, February 21

• Actors in Leading & Supporting Roles :: Wednesday, February 22

• Best Picture :: Thursday, February 23

• Shorts-Live Action & Directors :: Friday, February 24

• The 84 Academy Awards :: Tuesday, February 28

Final Thoughts . . .

Like anything else the more you study or watch something the more you learn, the Oscar “season” being no different. In the past six months it’s been really interesting tracking Oscar news and buzz from entertainment reporters and movie bloggers; hearing what they have to say, dissect movies as they come out, and discuss what it all means. Through it all I’ve come to realize that there is a science, or logic rather, when it comes to the Oscars. Movies come out, they’re seen by people, positioning and marketing occurs, awards are given, campaigning is done and finally . . . Oscar nominations come out. I’m going to pull a quote from first year Oscar blogger Roth Cornet over at In Contention that best sums it up when trying to figure out the Oscars:

What is clear to me is that predicting an Academy Award win has little or nothing to do with perceived buzz or perceived merit, and it certainly has nothing to do with one’s personal preferences. It has to do with tracking the tide, with a closer eye than most are willing to devote.

It’s a great read and I encourage you to read the full article.

I’m sure most people know that the Academy Awards are THE top award in the film industry, but what many people don’t know (myself included until recently) is that the Academy is not you. The Academy is NOT made up of everyday moviegoers. It is a group of people who work or have worked in the film industry. It’s also this group of individuals that get to vote on the Academy Awards. It’s this one fact alone that often finds people mystified as to why something won an Oscar–Academy members have different tastes and preferences from the rest of us. Is their opinion better than ours? Most certainly not. But, they are the ones that vote and theirs is the only opinion that counts when it comes to awarding Oscars.

When it comes right down to it, everything is subjective; even the votes cast by Academy members. What is a “best performance” or “best film?” It’s a question that’s subjective to anyone you ask. Though the Academy Awards are the highest prize in the land, it may not always be something that you agree with. Which, I think in the end is ok by me. I know what I like.

So that’ll about do it for Oscar Watch 2012, and here’s to a whole new year at the movies!