From: Tom Whore (tomwhore@inetarena.com)
Date: Wed Jun 21 2000 - 19:08:54 PDT
http://www.msnbc.com/news/423716.asp?0na=221C2J0-
Movies that get their start on sites like AtomFilms cannot be nominated
for Oscars, according to the Academy's new rules.
Oscars nix flicks that debut online
Films that premiere on broadcast, cable TV also ineligible
E! ONLINE
June 21 - The Oscars and the Internet just don't mix. The Academy
of Motion Picture Arts &
Sciences, the folks behind the Academy Awards, issued a new ruling
this week saying that any
film screened on the Web before hitting theaters would not be eligible
for statuettes come Oscar
time.
AND THAT'S BAD NEWS for films bowing on dot-coms like iFilm, AtomFilms,
Shockwave and
Entertaindom, which, for example, just released the Verne Troyer
parody short "Mission: Imp."
"The board just wants to make it crystal clear, so that in the
rush to embrace new
technologies, a legitimate theatrical motion picture doesn't
inadvertently jeopardize its
eligibility," Academy executive director Bruce Davis tells Daily
Variety.
The Academy says the ruling will let filmmakers know its first
priority is, and always
will be, theatrical exhibition - not home-based outlets like TV, cable
or the Web.
The Academy's current bylaw reads: "Films which receive their
first public exhibition or
distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture
release will not be
eligible for Academy Awards in any category." With the revision, the
bylaw will now read, "This
includes broadcast and cable television, as well as home video
marketing and Internet
transmission."
Despite the Academy's heads-up to filmmakers, filmmakers like
David Lynch and Tim Burton
are among the vanguard exploring new ideas on the Internet such as
serials and interactive
movies, where the audience gets to decide just what happens in the
movie. The Academy
acknowledges that it's still grappling with the changing times.
"I think we'll look and see what shape those [films] take,"
says Ric Robertson, the
Academy's executive administrator. "The real trick is how do you judge
a film that changes from
viewing to viewing?"
For now, though, the answer seems to be the conservative one:
Only movies shown in
theaters will be eligible for the golden guy.
[---===tomwhore@ []wsmf.org []inetarena.com []slack.net===---]
WSMF's web site ----http://wsmf.org
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