00:00The American Society of Cinematographers has responded to the Academy's decision to
00:04present the award for best cinematography, film editing, live-action shorts and
00:08makeup and hairstyling during the commercial breaks of the telecast. And
00:11understandably, they're not happy. The organization's president, Kies van Ustrom,
00:15sent a letter to his 380 members in which he said,
00:18"...we cannot quietly condone this decision without protest."
00:21In his letter, van Ustrom argued,
00:23"...we consider filmmaking to be a collaborative effort where the responsibilities
00:27of the director, cinematographer, editor and other crafts often intersect.
00:31This decision could be perceived as a separation and division of this creative process,
00:35thus minimizing our fundamental creative contributions."
00:39The news was announced Monday by Academy president John Bailey, who belongs to the
00:43Cinematographers' branch and is an ASC member himself, in an email which detailed how
00:47this year's show would run.
00:49Bailey emphasized that the Academy is still honoring the achievements of all 24 awards
00:53on the Oscars. In the case of the four categories that will be announced during
00:56commercial breaks, the winners' speeches will air later in the broadcast, he said.
00:59The plans call for there to be a rotation each year, meaning that at least four different
01:03categories would use this format in 2020. The Academy did not immediately respond to a
01:08request for comment.
01:09Meanwhile, multiple sources have told The Hollywood Reporter that the
01:12cinematographer's branch volunteered to be among the categories that will be
01:16presented this year during the commercial breaks.
01:18However, speaking with THR on Monday, van Ustrom, who is also an Academy member,
01:22called it unfortunate that the Academy was forced to do this, but added that,
01:26"...I don't think Bailey had a choice due to pressure to shorten the Oscars broadcast."
01:30Also on Monday, Roma's Alfonso Cuaron, who was nominated this year in the
01:33cinematography category, added his thoughts, tweeting,
01:36In the history of cinema, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color,
01:41without a story, without actors and without music. No one single film has ever existed
01:46without cinematography and without editing.
01:49Meanwhile, IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb lambasted the decision in a
01:54letter which read, in part,
01:56IATSE members, including cinematographers, editors and hair and makeup stylists,
02:01are the core of any motion picture production.
02:04They create the iconic scenes and looks that make this medium so memorable.
02:08Without their work, none of the most beloved films in Hollywood history would have been possible.
02:13It is an insult to the hard-working women and men of all below-the-line crafts to push these
02:18nominees and winners out of the spotlight. We demand that the Academy reverse course and treat
02:23all categories with the respect they deserve. To read more on this story, head to THR.com.
02:28For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.
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