Some Oscar presentations to be taped for TV broadcast

In a change aimed at making this year’s Academy Awards ceremony “tighter and more electric” for a home audience, the presentations of Oscars in eight categories are to be made before the live television show begins and then edited into the broadcast. 

The potentially controversial move will affect the awards in the documentary short, film editing, makeup and hair styling, original music score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound categories. 

The Oscars in those categories will handed out during the first hour of the in-person March 27 ceremony at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, before live broadcasting begins. Confirming the move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) said that all the nominees in those categories will be identified on air during the televised portion of the ceremony and that all the winners’ acceptance speeches will be included in the live broadcast. 

In a letter to AMPAS members, Academy president David Rubin said the change had been made “after carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars.” 

For the TV audience the show “will become tighter and more electric with this new cadence,” Rubin added. 

“We realise these kinds of changes can prompt concern about equity, and we ask you to understand our goal has been to find a balance in which nominees, winners, members, and viewing audience all have a rewarding show experience,” Rubin’s letter continued. “Moving forward we will assess this change and will continue to look for additional ways to make our show more entertaining and more thrilling for all involved.” 

In its ongoing push to boost the Oscar ceremony’s declining live TV audience, the Academy planned a similar change in 2019, though only four categories were to be affected that year. But the plan was abandoned after criticism from nominees and commentators. 

This year, the Academy has formed a partnership with Twitter that will allow users of the social platform to vote on their favourite film of 2021, with the winner set to be announced during the Oscar broadcast.