Questions about Oscar Promo CDs

[indy4 155]

Alright, I'm a bit confused on this topic, so I'm going to say all I know (or think I know) and please, correct me if I'm wrong:

If the composer thinks their score is good enough to be nominated for an Oscar, they burn a CD with ALL the music that was written for the film, and send it to the Academy. The Academy members listen to it, and nominated 5 or 6. The best on wins.

Now, some questions:

1. Can a score only be nominated if the promo is sent in? If the Academy hears a great score from a movie that hasn't sent a promo, the movie won't be allegable for an Oscar, right?

2. Why are some scores more availble than others? I mean, I've seen A.I. and CMIYC promo many times on eBay, but none others. Do the Academy members sell them after they're done listening to them? Do they make extra copies of certain promos?

3. fabulous scores like Jurassic Park, which deserved to be nominated, if not win, an Oscar--were they not nominated because JW never sent in a promo CD, or because the Academy Members are crazy?

4. Can the Academy be given any movie score? Even, say, movies that are never in theaters?

5. Does the Academy base their opinion on how well the score fits the movie, or how good it is to listen to, unaccompanied by the movie?

6. Are foreign film score elligable?

7. Is there a time limit on the amount of music allowed on the promo??

[Trent B 337]

I can't answer all those questions but one question I can answer...

I think Academy members have to sign a waver every time they receive promo scores that I'm sure states something about that they can't make copies or sell copies, etc or they could get into really major trouble.

Of course as we all know now this year there are no more promos being sent to members...

[Koray Savas 2,251]

A score must be sent in if it is to be considered for Oscar nomination. Recently Hans Zimmer said he will not allow any of his scores to be sent in for Oscar consideration, which means he'll never be nominated again, I think that makes some people here happy.

The best score is the score that fits the film and accompanies it the best, the way it sounds apart from the film has no affect on deciding the win.

I'm not sure if foreign language scores are eligible. Pan's Labyrinth was nominated last year however, so maybe they can be.

[indy4 155]

Thanks guys! I wonder why Zimmer won't send in his score??

I can't answer all those questions but one question I can answer...I think Academy members have to sign a waver every time they receive promo scores that I'm sure states something about that they can't make copies or sell copies, etc or they could get into really major trouble.Of course as we all know now this year there are no more promos being sent to members...

So the members sold them illegally??

[Trent B 337]

Well I doubt the members sold them...they probably gave copies to their friends and their friends did the same thing, etc....

Still though if it was ever traced back to the original person who made the copy they could get into serious legal trouble.

[Dole 17]

2. Why are some scores more availble than others? I mean, I've seen A.I. and CMIYC promo many times on eBay, but none others. Do the Academy members sell them after they're done listening to them? Do they make extra copies of certain promos?

Academy members sometimes sell the promos or give them to other people who sell them. They do this with free DVD's they get too. A couple of years ago, the Academy (or the MPAA) moved to ban free copies of DVDs to Academy members and they threw a fit so they reinstated the giveaways. As of this year, there will be no more promotional CDs sent out for Best Score or Best Song though.

4. Can the Academy be given any movie score? Even, say, movies that are never in theaters?

No. In order for a film to be considered (except in the foreign language category), it must play in a Los Angeles theater for a certain amount of time. It used to be that it didn't matter if the film played across the rest of the U.S. or the world for years, it didn't become eligible for Oscar consideration until it played in L.A. That's why Casablanca, a 1942 film, won best picture for 1943 (because it didn't debut in L.A. until 1943). After 1972 (when Charlie Chaplin won the Best Original Score Oscar for Limelight which was made and released outside of Los Angeles twenty years earlier!) the Academy imposed some sort of deadline for a film to debut in L.A. if its released somewhere else.

6. Are foreign film score elligable?

Yes, but rarely nominated. But foreign films are rarely nominated in most of the other categories either.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

1. Can a score only be nominated if the promo is sent in? If the Academy hears a great score from a movie that hasn't sent a promo, the movie won't be allegable for an Oscar, right?

No, wrong. Although it better be catchy enough to grab the attention of the members.

3. fabulous scores like Jurassic Park, which deserved to be nominated, if not win, an Oscar--were they not nominated because JW never sent in a promo CD, or because the Academy Members are crazy?

Academy members simply disagreed with you and focused on Williams' Schindler's List. Which put Jurassic Park in a different perspective. The only score that Williams has withdrawn from the Academy is Chamber of Secrets.

5. Does the Academy base their opinion on how well the score fits the movie, or how good it is to listen to, unaccompanied by the movie?

None of the above. They base their opinion on the ammount of wins the movies have gotten in other categories. And the ammount of consonants in a composer's name.

7. Is there a time limit on the amount of music allowed on the promo??

I don't know for certain, but that wouldn't make any sense. And it doesn't seem like the A.I. promo had many limits set.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

I'm not sure if foreign language scores are eligible. Pan's Labyrinth was nominated last year however, so maybe they can be.

Tan Dun's 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon' won the best score award.

[indy4 155]

Academy members simply disagreed with you and focused on Williams' Schindler's List. Which put Jurassic Park in a different perspective. The only score that Williams has withdrawn from the Academy is Chamber of Secrets.

Did he withdraw CoS because of the whole Ross thing?

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I don't know why exactly, but that reason tops everyone's lists.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Pomos don't always contain ALL the music written. I think that is more of an exception. Very often it is simply the commercially available album with a different cover and label (which has "For your consideration" stamped all over it).

These promos are also not necessarily put together by the composers themselves. This might be done by agents or publishers/marketing people.

[Dole 17]

Academy members simply disagreed with you and focused on Williams' Schindler's List. Which put Jurassic Park in a different perspective. The only score that Williams has withdrawn from the Academy is Chamber of Secrets.

Did he withdraw CoS because of the whole Ross thing?

Weren't there rumors that he'd withdrawn the first two SW prequel scores as well? I thought I remember seeing that discussed here once, but how true it was I have no idea.

[indy4 155]

Why? I mean, I could understand, him being humble and all, that he wouldn't want CoS being nominated (even though he wrote most of the music), but why the SW Prequels? And why not the third?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I believe promos will still be sent in, but they are not allowed to contain any unreleased music. This rule was made after what happened with A.I.

As for what determines the Best Score, it technically is how it goes with the film and its effectiveness. However, the Academy is biased and nominates/awards based on different criteria. A film nominated for Best Picture will get a Best Score nomination nearly every time, and will usually win.

[gkgyver 1,645]

Why? I mean, I could understand, him being humble and all, that he wouldn't want CoS being nominated (even though he wrote most of the music), but why the SW Prequels? And why not the third?

I see numerous reason why he would withdraw Attack Of The Clones.

[Dole 17]

I believe promos will still be sent in, but they are not allowed to contain any unreleased music. This rule was made after what happened with A.I.

They changed the rules just a month or two ago. From now on (if I remember correctly) no sheet music, no CDs, no nothing will be sent to members of the Music Branch for either music category.

Why? I mean, I could understand, him being humble and all, that he wouldn't want CoS being nominated (even though he wrote most of the music), but why the SW Prequels? And why not the third?

I don't remember exactly why the rumor started. I read it either here or at the fsm message boards. I do know that in 2002 the music branch said it wasn't going to nominate anymore sequel scores in a pretty blatant effort to shut out LOTR:TTT that year, so maybe Williams withdrew AOTC and COS because they were sequel scores, or maybe the music branch simply disqualified them. I know the branch later changed its mind (hence POA and LOTR: ROTK being nominated in subsequent years). By the way, I want to make it clear I'm not stating it as fact that TPM and/or AOTC were withdrawn. I'm just saying I thought I remembered there being a rumor to that effect. Maybe someone else can clear that up.

[indy4 155]

I believe promos will still be sent in, but they are not allowed to contain any unreleased music. This rule was made after what happened with A.I.

As for what determines the Best Score, it technically is how it goes with the film and its effectiveness. However, the Academy is biased and nominates/awards based on different criteria. A film nominated for Best Picture will get a Best Score nomination nearly every time, and will usually win.

I don't think there's a way to escape the bias, no matter what system is used. I frequently find myself loving a certain scene in a movie, and loving the music that accompanies. It's happend to many times to be a coincedence, and I always wonder: Is the music making me like the scene, or the scene making me like the music?

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

May be he wanted to withdraw TPM because appart that it did not had any chance (bad movie reviews), maybe he wanted Angela's Ashes to win.

Now if he could slap Spielberg and ban his scores when their are needed (Munich)...

[Guest macrea]

A few clarifications.

1) It isn't "the Academy members" who nominate It is just composers who nominate composers. Winners are chosen by a special committee.

2) New rule calls for no more promo CDs (which are usually the same as the commerical discs). Apparently the score is supposed to be judged by the film and not on its own.

3) Williams withdrew AOTC from consideration in response to the Academy announcing that LOTR:TTT was not eligible.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

1) It isn't "the Academy members" who nominate It is just composers who nominate composers. Winners are chosen by a special committee.

Its sad that there must be many stupid persons inside the music branch

3) Williams withdrew AOTC from consideration in response to the Academy announcing that Sequels were not eligible.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

3) Williams withdrew AOTC from consideration in response to the Academy announcing that LOTR:TTT was not eligible.

As a sign of protest or as a sign of submission?

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

TTT was never directly banned.

All sequels were. Even if it seemed done for TTT, 2002 was very 'popular sequels' heavy.

Banning LOTR would had made more sense if TTT had won, and then they made the rule for ROTK. But then the best score of the three would have not its deserved oscar...

[Dole 17]

A few clarifications.

1) It isn't "the Academy members" who nominate It is just composers who nominate composers. Winners are chosen by a special committee.

It's true that composers from the music branch choose the nominees for score and song, but the whole Academy gets to vote on the winners, not just a special committee (right?). The only qualifications for voting are in categories like Best Foreign Language Film/Best Shorts/etc. where any Academy member wishing to vote for the winner has to attend special screenings of all five nominated films before being given a ballot. Otherwise, all Academy members can vote for the winners in pretty much every competitive category (unless they've recently changed this). Personally, I think Academy members should have to pledge to see EVERY nominated film from EVERY category. Some members have admitted to voting without even seeing all five Best Picture nominees. Ridiculous!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

TTT was never directly banned.

All sequels were.

More specifically, scores relying heavily on previously composed material (as many sequel scores end up being).

Word is had this rule not been imposed, TTT would have garnered at least a nomination for Best Score.

Of course, fickle as they are, the Academy apparently lifted it the very next year when Shore's RotK was nominated (and awarded).

[Guest macrea]

This discussion is painting a really good picture of how screwed up the whole process is. I mean, we are talking about the organization that gave Gustavo Santaolalla the score award 2 years in a row. The whole thing is a joke.

[King Mark 3,631]

I still think this new "no score Promo" rule has something to do with Santaollala winning 2 years in a row. Pan's Labirinth was clearly the best score last year. Somehow I think he managed to get his score promo c.d. to exactly the right members that make a difference in the vote (the ones who usually vote randomly). Maybe he was more on hands than Williams in distributing his promos and had a "strategy" ,or his manager found a loophole that secured him the win.Every time there's a new rule it's to prevent somekind of "mistake".

[indy4 155]

They should just realize that no matter what, there WILL be mistakes and bias.