The incident that led Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars it marked an embarrassing milestone in the history of the event. But that wasn’t the only weak spot in a celebration that showed the show’s format was starting to look worn.
Whether due to the fact that apparently the Oscar has lost the ability to captivate the public, or because your target audience has become more demanding. The truth is that the awards ceremony has become a series of errors in structure, logistics and an increasingly confusing approach. Also, a measure of the inability of large corporations to attract captive audiences to their various celebrations.
If a few months ago the Golden Globe was a failure on several levels, the Oscar ended up showing that the industry is losing power. It does so in the important and significant aspect of its influence on younger generations, new technologies and more powerful platforms. With its antiquated air and its regulations unable to adapt to new requirements and complex limits, the Academy must face the future.
This was all evident at his Academy Awards ceremony, which should demonstrate the strength of the industry after the pandemic pause. But not only was he unable to create a celebration to match, he fell apart amid all sorts of trouble. Some more obvious than others, the more visible, are already part of the history of cinema.
For better or for worse, the last Oscar ceremony marks a path. one in which the institution must rectify or simply disappear in the long journey of transformation of cinema.
What were the most controversial and difficult points of the ceremony? Certainly the following:
Ignorance of the technical field of the film industry
In an effort to save time and shorten the ceremony, several technical categories of the prize were awarded off-screen. But also, before the ceremony, in a kind of prologue off show and without much importance. The eight categories included everything from editing, makeup and hairstyling to animated shorts.
decision caused turmoil in several talent teams. The reviews included a statement from the influential International Alliance of Theater Stage Technicians, Moving Image Technicians, Artists and Allied Trades Employees (IATSE). “Due to the nature of our work, we receive little recognition despite being the backbone of every production,” IATSE said in a statement.
The dispute reached its highest and most complicated point with the absence of Hans Zimmer. The legendary composer, author of several historic film soundtracks, did not attend the event. In the end, the artist thanked the recognition through his official Twitter account.
The other joke in bad taste at the Oscars
If the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock attracted all eyes, it was not the most serious of the evening. Amy Schumer, one of the presenters, played an embarrassing moment that included two nominees.
During one of her short humorous monologues, the actress and comedian got closer to the couple formed by Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. In a mocking tone, he began to explain himself about the people present at the ceremony “who are only there to occupy seats”.
Then he took Dunst by the hand and pulled her to her feet, settling down next to Plemons. The latter, surprised, ends up reminding him aloud that the actress of dog power it was his wife. Undeterred, Schummer replied, “Are you married to a seat-stuffer? it’s strange.” The tense moment was reported by the influencer Greg Prince on the official Twitter account.
Beyoncé’s pre-recorded show
For the 2022 Oscars, one of the producers’ goals was to “bring audiences closer to the show.” However, the evening’s opening show included a pre-recorded video with one of the songs nominated for the award.
It was about to be alive by Beyoncé, who performed the song on a complicated set imitating a tennis court. A discordant note with the rest of the presentations, live and in fact, within the framework of the central emission.
Humor, disorganization and chaos
This year, despite the producers’ attempts to make the gala cooler, shorter and funnier, the ceremony was uncomfortable and full of tense moments. Hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall kicked off the event, with a little joke about pay inequality in Hollywood.
The darkly humorous moment was well-received, if not as well-received, with some of the celebrities being downright mocked, their private lives and the films in the running. Additionally, there were technical issues in the presentation of the song “No Se Habla de Bruno” performed by Becky G, Luis Fonsi and Megan Thee Stallion.
In the end, what could seem to be the result of spontaneity seemed closer to improvisation.
The discussion between Chris Rock and Will Smith, the icing on the Oscars
The hardest moment of the night was the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, when the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett’s appearance. It was an uncontrollable situation, which also showed that the Oscar ceremony lacked the means to control unpredictable situations.
The Academy later issued a terse and inconclusive statement “condemning the violence” but without naming those involved. However, he did not explain whether he would act on what happened or if there would be any significant changes to the security of the event.
