Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to awards season. For you this time of year could just mean adding La La Land to the list of movies you may watch eventually but for those of us who thrive in this time, it means so much more. It means that Viola Davis is going to win her first Oscar, #HiddenFences isn’t real, La La Land is the best thing since sliced bread, Octavia Spencer is the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Oscar after already winning one, and that Manchester by the Sea is yes indeed one of the most solemn films to be made this decade. But the joys of awards season doesn’t stop there, for those fanatics such as myself this season comes with Podcasts, Vanity Fair articles, Regal Theatre Film Festival passes and much much more. From the Golden Globes to the Screen Actor’s Guild we are on the race to the Academy Awards, and hold onto your socks, we’re in for a wild ride.
On Sunday February 26, everything could change, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be the catalyst. For those of you who may not know, the Academy is comprised of over 7,000 of the world’s most premiere members of the entertainment industry . The main facet of the Academy I would like to focus on is the production and execution of the annual Academy Awards (aka the Oscars). The Academy Awards celebrate and honor the excellent work of those members of the film industry in the last year.
Though the Academy Awards do not hold any sort of monopoly over the awards show industry, winning an Oscar is often considered the most prestigious award bestowed upon those in the film industry. The next in lines that come to mind would be the Golden Globes and the Screen Actor’s Guild awards which both take place prior to the Oscars. There are some key differences between the Academy Awards and the other award shows, mainly with category types. The Golden Globes and the SAG’s unlike the Oscars both include categories for both film & television, something that I believe makes them a crowd favorite on the spectrum. The Screen Actor’s Guild also uniquely offers categories for Outstanding Performances on behalf of ensemble’s and casts, this adds a unique twist outside of the content of the movie, but the cohesion and chemistry between cast members.
Although there are many unique things that can set other awards shows apart from the Academy Awards, the Oscars have reign supreme in the public’s eye for prestige. It is this sense of tradition that places them at first of mind during awards show season.
