An Oscar Statue is displayed at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball press preview at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center, in Hollywood, California, on January 31, 2020.
VALERIE MACON / AFPThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has relaxed a rule in the best original score category for next year’s Oscars. To be eligible, the rules used to require a score to comprise a minimum of 60% of the total music in the film. (The rest of the music could consist of new or old songs that were not part of the original score.) Going forward, the score need only comprise 35% of the total music in the film.
That was one of several rule changes for the upcoming 94th annual Academy Awards that were announced Wednesday (June 30). The changes were voted on by the Academy’s board of governors.
In the best original song category, going forward, no more than five songs from any film may be submitted. Previously, there was no limit on the number of songs that could be submitted from a film. No more than two songs from any film may be nominated, same as before.
The board also approved rules and campaign regulations for the 94th Academy Awards.
As previously announced, the eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration will return to the standard Dec. 31 deadline. A feature film must have a qualifying release date between March 1 and Dec. 31 of this year to qualify.
With theatrical exhibition still impacted by the pandemic, eligibility requirements for the 94th Academy Awards will be consistent with the addendums made for the 93rd awards season. They can be found here.
For films that open in theaters, the six qualifying U.S. metropolitan areas are Los Angeles County, the city of New York, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami and Atlanta. Following this year, the Academy intends to expand the qualifying requirements for the 95th awards.
Additionally, beginning with the 94th Academy Awards, the best picture category will be set at 10 nominees, rather than a fluctuating number of nominations from year to year. This change was first announced a year ago.
Here’s a summary of changes in other categories:
In the documentary short subject, animated short film and live action short film categories, the shortlist will expand from 10 to 15 films.
In the sound category, there will now be a preliminary round of voting for the sound award to determine a shortlist of 10 films. Prior to nominations voting, sound branch members will be invited to a presentation of the shortlisted achievements, similar to the process in the visual effects and makeup & hairstyling categories. The entire sound branch will vote to select the shortlist as well as nominations.
In the international feature film category, key rule amendments made in the preliminary round of voting for the 93rd Awards and approved in January 2021 remain unchanged. This includes an expanded shortlist of 15 films and members from all Academy branches being invited to opt in and participate in the preliminary and nominations rounds of voting. Members must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Submission deadlines are as follows:
Documentary short subject – Oct. 15
Animated short film – Oct. 15
Live action short film – Oct. 15
Animated feature film – Nov. 1
Documentary feature – Nov. 1
International feature film – Nov. 1
Original score – Nov. 1
Original song – Nov. 1
General entry categories – Nov. 15
Campaign regulations, which specify how companies and individuals may market to Academy members, were also updated. The mailings of DVDs, CDs and physical screenplays are discontinued starting this year. Access to the Academy Screening Room will continue to be made available for all eligible releases. Digital links to materials will be permitted.
For the complete 94th Academy Awards rules, visit oscars.org/rules.
NEWS
Brad Paisley has called Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding “one of the least pretentious weddings he’s ever seen”.
The country star attended the ceremony alongside his actress wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley. They joined around 1,000 guests at New York City’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month as the global pop icon married the American football star.
Although the celebration attracted enormous attention and involved tight security and a stunning makeover of the famous arena, Paisley said the occasion never came across as excessive.
“Ironically, (it) was one of the least pretentious weddings that I've ever seen or ever will see,” Paisley told The Associated Press during an interview. “It meant a lot to be (invited). It was, kind of, a big thank you from her to invite us.”
Paisley, who chose Swift as an opening performer for his tour when she was a teenager in 2007, said he was delighted to be included in what many considered the biggest celebrity wedding of the year.
“They were very clear with the invite, and I took this personally when I got the invite, because in the invite, it said, ‘If you're getting this, you mean a lot to us,’” he revealed.
The musician also explained that guests were not told the wedding’s exact location until the date drew nearer.
“It was really fun to watch the cat and mouse game of, like, ‘We can tell you roughly where it's going to be, we're not gonna say what building... and here's the date. If you're in, we'll tell you more,’” he continued. “I went to my wife, I said, ‘Want to go?’ and she said, ‘Absolutely, we gotta be there!’ So, we did it, it was RSVP yes.”
Other famous attendees included Brad Pitt, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Hugh Grant, Haim and Tom Hanks.
