MacNut
Jun 24, 2005, 11:39 AM
LOS ANGELES (June 22) - Oscar won't honor stunt work, the Academy of
The academy's Board of Governors voted Tuesday night to deny a request from a group of stunt performer's organizations to create a new Academy Award for "best stunt coordinator."
"At a time when the academy is trying to find ways to reduce the numbers of statuettes given out, and looks at categories with an eye more focused on reduction than addition, the board is simply not prepared to institute any new annual awards categories," academy President Frank Pierson said in a statement Wednesday.
Stunt workers lobbied hard for the new Oscar category. About 75 performers demonstrated outside the academy's Beverly Hills headquarters last week to promote their cause.
"I'm disappointed," said Jack Gill, a stunt coordinator and member of "Stunts Unlimited," who has pushed for a stunt category since 1991. "Everyone believes we should have a category except the board of governors."
Gill said he would try to appeal the decision and that stunt performers might picket next year's Academy Awards show.
The last time the Academy added a new category was in 2000 for best animated feature film.
Gill said Hollywood luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Arnold Schwarzenegger had signed a petition backing the new category. Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert also has lent her support.
Stunt performers have their own Emmy Awards category for television work and SAG is considering adding an award as well, he said.
Gill said he was willing to have the award given off-camera so as not to prolong the televised Academy Awards show.
"That's why I think this (academy) statement is another way of saying 'We don't believe in you guys and are not going to include you,"' Gill said.
Also Wednesday, the academy said from now on, it will decide which producers will be given statuettes in the best picture category.
Last year, the academy had to decide which producers would receive credit on three nominated movies after studios failed to pare the long list of credited producers down to the maximum three allowed under academy rules.
And in still another move to limit Oscar traffic, the academy capped the number of songwriters who can receive a statuette for original song at three.
The academy's Board of Governors voted Tuesday night to deny a request from a group of stunt performer's organizations to create a new Academy Award for "best stunt coordinator."
"At a time when the academy is trying to find ways to reduce the numbers of statuettes given out, and looks at categories with an eye more focused on reduction than addition, the board is simply not prepared to institute any new annual awards categories," academy President Frank Pierson said in a statement Wednesday.
Stunt workers lobbied hard for the new Oscar category. About 75 performers demonstrated outside the academy's Beverly Hills headquarters last week to promote their cause.
"I'm disappointed," said Jack Gill, a stunt coordinator and member of "Stunts Unlimited," who has pushed for a stunt category since 1991. "Everyone believes we should have a category except the board of governors."
Gill said he would try to appeal the decision and that stunt performers might picket next year's Academy Awards show.
The last time the Academy added a new category was in 2000 for best animated feature film.
Gill said Hollywood luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Arnold Schwarzenegger had signed a petition backing the new category. Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert also has lent her support.
Stunt performers have their own Emmy Awards category for television work and SAG is considering adding an award as well, he said.
Gill said he was willing to have the award given off-camera so as not to prolong the televised Academy Awards show.
"That's why I think this (academy) statement is another way of saying 'We don't believe in you guys and are not going to include you,"' Gill said.
Also Wednesday, the academy said from now on, it will decide which producers will be given statuettes in the best picture category.
Last year, the academy had to decide which producers would receive credit on three nominated movies after studios failed to pare the long list of credited producers down to the maximum three allowed under academy rules.
And in still another move to limit Oscar traffic, the academy capped the number of songwriters who can receive a statuette for original song at three.
