America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 957 - 881 How Oscar Breaks Out of the Slump_2
Chapter 957: Chapter 881: How Oscar Breaks Out of the Slump_2
Chapter 957 -881: How Oscar Breaks Out of the Slump_2
This meant the outcome for Best Actor at the Oscars was pretty much set in stone.
Although he knew he wouldn’t win anything at the ceremony, Martin still actively participated in various Oscar events, showing his longing for and recognition of the Oscars.
That was an attitude.
Tom Hanks, the vice chairman of the Academy’s Board of Governors, called to pay a visit.
Accompanying him was Hamilton, the producer and director of the 87th Oscar ceremony.
Martin prepared to receive them at the studio.
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After leaving Grand Avenue in the car, Tom Hanks hung up the phone with Martin.
Once he had finished, Hamilton said, “Think back to more than a decade ago, the first time I directed the Oscar ceremony, we didn’t need to invite people proactively like we do now. Back then, all of Hollywood’s top stars were proud to attend the Oscars.”
Tom Hanks clearly felt it, “Times have changed, eh? There are more and more forms of entertainment, and stars have more platforms for self-promotion. The Oscars’ appeal has been on the decline.”
Hamilton said, “It’s Martin Davis’s first time presenting the award for Best Picture; we hope it will generate some buzz.”
“Yeah, we’re hoping his appeal carries over to the Oscars.” There were things Tom Hanks wouldn’t say to a director like Hamilton.
For instance, Martin hadn’t put real effort into PR and campaigning during the awards season in the past two years, leading to less competitive buzz and therefore a lack of interest, even though the Academy had hinted last year that they would relax the rules slightly, but still, few productions were making big investments.
Tom Hanks understood where the problem lay; after Harvey Weinstein’s downfall, the financial troubles of Weinstein Films were exposed. Everyone inside and outside the industry believed that with so many Oscars under his belt and a host of prestigious films, his company must be very profitable.
But the data revealed that aside from a few exceptions, other Oscar-winning films didn’t earn much profit, and Weinstein Films had terrifying debts due to high investments for award-season campaigns among other reasons.
Even if Harvey Weinstein hadn’t met his downfall, the debt crisis at Weinstein Films would have erupted within a few years.
Film companies campaigned at the Oscars for commercial returns; with Oscar yields lower than expected, investments in campaigns were naturally cut back.
With reduced investment, the noise naturally quietened down.
“I kind of miss Harvey Weinstein,” Hamilton suddenly said. “Harvey was an absolute scumbag, but his presence made the award season lively from November onwards, and every Oscar was full of controversy, attracting nationwide attention.”
Tom Hanks replied, “There will be another Harvey.”
The Academy also missed people like Harvey.
But in the end, it was always about the money.
At this moment, the car stopped at the entrance of Davis Studio, both men entered the studio, and Martin was waiting in the lobby to lead them directly to the VIP reception room.
After a few cordial handshakes and greetings, Tom Hanks went straight to the point, “Martin, the reason we’re here is to discuss the upcoming Oscar ceremony.”
Martin smiled and replied, “Catherine Kennedy gave me a heads-up yesterday.”
Compared to Hanks, he had worked with Catherine Kennedy several times and the relationship between them was good.
Hamilton picked up the conversation, “We plan to invite you to present the award for Best Picture.”
Martin thought carefully about this year’s Oscar nominations, ensuring there wasn’t a “Moonlight” type of blunder, and responded, “It would be my honor.”
Tom Hanks said, “The Academy has always noticed your support for the Oscars. Among the young actors born in the ’80s in Hollywood, no one is more suited to present this award than you.”
Since Martin had agreed, he said straightforwardly, “Send me a copy of the schedule later. Let me know when the rehearsal times are set, so I can adjust my schedule.”
Hamilton stood up and said, “As soon as our plans are confirmed, we’ll send you an email immediately.”
Martin shook his hand, “Sounds good.”
Hamilton excused himself and left the reception room first, but Tom Hanks did not leave.
Martin was somewhat curious; he had an average relationship with Hanks and they didn’t interact much.
Tom Hanks revealed his trademark amiable smile, “On behalf of Tom and Catherine, I invite you and your lady companion to attend an informal banquet at the academy tomorrow night.”
Martin accepted the invitation.
After leaving the reception room, Tom Hanks and Hamilton departed together.
The next afternoon, Martin left work early, went home to change his clothes, and then took Elizabeth Olsen to a business club near the academy to attend the informal dinner.
The academy had invited quite a number of people, including top-tier directors such as Spielberg and James Cameron, as well as superstars like Leonardo and Tom Cruise.
If you weren’t a big shot from a Hollywood industry association, you simply didn’t have the clout to be here.
Elizabeth stood by Martin’s side, gracefully assisting him in navigating social interactions, managing various relationships in an orderly fashion.
For some people or matters that Martin couldn’t quite recall, Elizabeth was always there to remind him promptly.
Midway through the dinner, Catherine Kennedy suddenly approached Martin, expressing that she and Tom Sherak wanted to have a chat with him.
Martin, with Elizabeth in tow, entered a resting room on the side of the banquet hall.
Tom Sherak and Hanks came forward to greet them with a handshake.
Martin exchanged pleasantries and took a seat on a sofa chair, curiously observing the three academy officials in the room.
Tom Sherak was the chairman of the academy’s executive committee, with Catherine Kennedy and Tom Hanks as vice-presidents.
All three of them wanting to chat with him piqued Martin’s curiosity.
Tom Sherak smiled and said, “Here’s the thing, in recent years the Oscars have been under reform. Some strategies have been effective, but there have been difficulties too. The executive committee has been actively soliciting opinions from members.”
He knew Martin was aware of the current state of the Oscars and got straight to the point, “Martin, you are well aware of the specific circumstances. You have always had solutions when it comes to promotional marketing. What are your thoughts about the current situation of the Oscars?”
Martin fell into a brief silence, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the three academy chiefs.
Since their tenure began, they had taken various measures trying to stem the decline of the Oscars’ influence. While there had been some success, reversing the trend was exceedingly difficult.
Martin didn’t have a solution either; it was a challenge of the times.
Simply put, there were too many entertainment options available—why settle for the Oscars if they didn’t suit one’s taste?
After a moment, Martin said, “This year’s Oscars, the early promotion and influence, wasn’t as good as last year.”
Tom Hanks chimed in, “There are fewer film crews willing to invest heavily in promotion during the awards season; these past two years, Hollywood studios have been cutting their Oscar campaign budgets.”
Catherine Kennedy, who knew Martin the best, said, “In the current business environment of the film industry, without sufficient investment, there’s no sufficient influence.”
Martin nodded, “So by that logic, it ultimately comes down to a matter of funding.”
Tom Sherak acknowledged this point, “Funding cannot solve all the problems of the Oscars but can address some difficulties.”
The academy’s main revenue came from the Oscars and membership fees, the latter of which wasn’t much, as many members had lifelong exemptions.
The Oscars’ income was closely tied to its influence.
After pondering for a moment, Martin said, “Tommy mentioned earlier that the Oscars’ lack of influence is related to the inadequate investment by film crews during the promotional period. You three are more familiar with the overall situation in the industry than I am. In today’s economic environment, expecting Hollywood companies to increase their investment in this area is unrealistic.”
“Disney has been cutting its award-season budgets,” said Catherine Kennedy, who had been the CEO of Lucas Film since Walt Disney’s acquisition of Lucas Film.
Tom Hanks remarked, “The economic downturn has had a significant impact on Hollywood.”
Hearing this, Martin’s thoughts became clearer, “We’ve always attracted international capital for film project productions and budgets. Foreign investment has become a very important source of funding for Hollywood. Can we also strive in this direction when it comes to Oscar campaigns?”
Martin vividly remembered, a South Korean film had spent an unprecedented amount—over 30 million US Dollars—in North America’s award season expenses to seize an Oscar!
