Oscar gets tough

Academy Award organisers introduce yet more rules and again reject calls to recognise stunt co-ordinators

Jun 23 2005

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued its tightening of Oscar regulations yesterday by announcing new rules for producer eligibility in the Best Picture category.

Last year the Academy implemented regulations preventing more than three producers being nominated in the Best Picture category and bringing in a process of arbitration for producer credits where more than three names were submitted.

Under the new regulations, effective immediately, all producers will be vetted to decide whether or not they are worthy of the golden gong, regardless of the number of names submitted.

Academy president Frank Pierson says, 'What we are doing is further reducing the possibility of someone receiving one of our highest awards without really having done the job of a producer.'

Also, in a move that will leave many in the industry very disappointed, Academy organisers once again rejected calls to introduce a category to honour stunt co-ordinators.

Over the past 25 years only two new Oscar categories have been created by the Academy: make-up and feature animation.

This is not the first time the Academy has refused to recognise the crucial part stuntwork has played in Hollywood cinema throughout the past century.

Its justification has been that it does not want to make the ceremony any longer than necessary, but this beg's the question of how make-up artists can be more worthy of inclusion than the stuntmen and -women who put their lives on the line for their art.

Last year's host Chris Rock courted controversy when he described the Oscars as nothing more than 'a fashion show.'

The funny thing was, in the media circus that followed his comments, nobody seemed to disagree.