These awards will be presented inside the Dolby Theatre an hour before the live telecast commences, will be recorded and will then be edited into the subsequent broadcast.
Several of the 23 categories which were presented live on the air during last year’s 93rd Oscars telecast will not be presented live on the air during the 94th Oscars telecast on March 27, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
In a move that is already causing tension within the leadership of the Academy, but is likely to be well received by the general public, the presentations and acceptance of eight awards — documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound — will take place inside the Dolby Theatre an hour before the live telecast commences, will be recorded and will then be edited into the subsequent live broadcast, a variation of a controversial approach that the Academy first adopted and then abandoned in 2018. (The Tony Awards employ a similar model.)
The Academy declined comment.
The move comes less than a year after the lowest-rated Oscars telecast ever provoked considerable consternation within the ranks of the Academy’s longtime broadcasting partner ABC, which owns the exclusive rights to air the ceremony through 2028, and the fees from which largely finance the operations of the Academy.
Most of the general public cares about only the six highest-profile Oscar categories — best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress — if that. But the Academy has always felt pressure to present all of its competitive Oscars on the air in order to keep the peace within its own board of governors, which includes representatives of the Academy’s 17 branches, most of which have at least one award which honors people from the profession practiced by its members and wants them to be treated the same as actors, directors and producers.
The Academy announced in August 2018 that several awards would be presented off the air at the 91st Oscars, but a large industry backlash caused the organization to walk back the move.
Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Oscars ceremony.
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Updated: Here is the letter that the Academy just sent to its members…
Dear Fellow Academy Members,
We’re excited to present a 94th Oscars broadcast that both honors the year’s achievements in motion pictures and provides boundless entertainment for our global audience of movie lovers. After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organization.
SOURCE: THR