Unveiling the Oscars: A deep dive into the Academy's intricate world

In January of that year, Mayer invited 36 people to a dinner, and thereby into the Academy; by May, there were already 231. This sizable group consisted of actors, screenwriters, directors, technicians, and producers. Today, 17 branches are distinguished. Even in its first year of operation, the group came up with the idea of awarding prizes. Mayer wanted them to be small and cheap. However, Douglas Fairbanks' idea, which significantly expanded the event's scale, eventually won out. The star suggested a lavish ball with impressive statuettes.

In times of deep crisis in Hollywood, which was plagued by various scandals, awarding laurels was primarily a clever image move. The golden knight on a pedestal was to legitimize the achievements of the dream factory and prove that it cared about productions of high artistic value. Soon, the Academy was no longer just a mediator in talks between trade unions and film studios, but also a guardian of the cultural heritage represented by cinema.

At the moment, representatives of no more than one of 17 branches belong to the Academy. Casting experts are the least represented, and – as one might guess – actors are the most. But how can one become a member? Simply by receiving a previous Oscar nomination (though it’s not always a guarantee) or an invitation to this prestigious group, which must be supported by at least two of its current associates.

Once you are in the group, you are in it forever. Though there are exceptions to this rule. So far, due to sexual assault allegations (Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski) or reprehensible behavior at the ceremony (Will Smith), several prominent names have already been excluded from it.

It is estimated (data from 2020) that the Academy currently has about 10,000 members. The exact number is unknown, it is only determined based on lists of new names added annually. This year, it will include, among others, Joanna Kulig, who a few years ago starred in the three-time Oscar-nominated "Cold War". The actress will join other Polish women: Agnieszka Smoczyńska ("The Lure"), cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska ("In Darkness"), editor Agnieszka Glińska, and screenwriter Ewa Piaskowska ("IO").

Let us remind you that the biggest changes in the Academy ranks were caused by studies from 2012, which revealed that as much as 94% of its composition were white people, and 77% were men. From that moment on, a range of regulations were gradually introduced to equalize gender and race parity. In 2019, women accounted for 32%, and ethnic minorities about 16% of all members of the organization.

Of course, who receives the coveted award is influenced by the members of the Academy. However, no one said that they can’t be helped in making their decision. Creators weren't lying when they argued that an Oscar campaign is hard, tedious work. Unfortunately, no one wins the prestigious award just for participating in an artistically valuable production. First, a lot of effort has to be put into its creation, and then into promotion.

In this regard, Mary Pickford, who won the trophy in 1929, already had a good nose. Although "Coquette" with her participation didn't enjoy critical acclaim, it was enough to invite five current Academy members (and have a husband, Douglas Fairbanks, at its head) to a modest treat to convince them. Since then, a similar strategy has become virtually the norm. Ads in the press and television, rereleasing films into theaters (in the past a big-screen showing was a prerequisite for entering the competition), performances, and promotional actions more expensive than creating the work itself – all of this is commonplace in an Oscar campaign, which can last several months.

The Weinstein brothers, however, introduced the most changes. They were the ones who started, among other things, sending videos to the homes of Academy members to directly reach them with their product, after all. Then came the time for phone calls: first with information about sending the tape, the second to make sure the package arrived, and the third and subsequent ones with the unmistakable intention of convincing the "judge" of the high quality of the work, which undoubtedly deserves the award.

However, now everything is subject to top-down regulations. A maximum of four shows with the participation of actors and creators, no food or drink, a specific number, and even the content of emails sent to members of the committee – chances for creative circumvention of the rules are definitely smaller than in the past.

Based on historical data, or simply on observations of results from recent years, attempts have even been made to create a kind of formula for an "Oscar movie". This category is sometimes used in a pejorative context and denotes a schematic production, devoted to an important subject (for a long time, the Holocaust and slavery were favorites of the committee), in which a well-known actor or actress undergoes a significant physical transformation and delivers a spectacular performance.

It also doesn't hurt to have a true story, a famous person at its center, themes about minorities, hiring big names (including British ones), and keeping the film's duration within a tolerable two hours. There is no perfect recipe for winning over the Academy, however. History knows cases where the mentioned promotional tricks turned out to be completely unnecessary, and all it took was, loftily speaking, art, not looking at any algorithms. However, recently, when precise rules regarding the film's subject matter and the characteristics of the characters on screen were introduced, they became much more important.

Eventually, however, the time comes for the final vote. As one can guess, gathering information from all Academy members and then tallying and analyzing it takes a lot of time and poses a significant logistical challenge (especially since, according to tradition, the voting slips are checked by hand). That's why the decision-making process on the part of the representatives of the body must end appropriately early before the gala. This year it was 21 February, 2.5 weeks before the ceremony.

And what is the awarding process like? In 23 categories, academicians indicate the candidate they liked the most, and the one with the most votes wins. Things get complicated when it comes to the most important section, Best Picture, where "judges" rate each of the (this year) nine nominated films on a scale of 1–9. Then, accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers sort the voting slips into nine piles, each corresponding to one movie, and check which of them receives the most "ones", i.e., the highest ratings. To win, crossing half of the votes is enough, but this rarely happens. Usually, after the first round of counting, the title that the fewest people considered the best is eliminated.

Thanks to the preferential voting system used, these votes do not go to waste, but are distributed according to the second choice of the voting body. Then, votes are counted again, and if a winner still cannot be determined, the whole process starts over. That means that the voting slips for the eliminated film marked with a 1 move to "two", and those added previously, are attached to the third place. Importantly, at the later stage of counting votes, what voters placed at the top of the list is no longer relevant. Their choice is reduced to the question: "If only these two movies are left, which one do you prefer?", and based on that, votes are tallied.