The Visual Effects Society (VES) joined the American Cinema Editor (ACE) in filing letters of protest last week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, objecting to this years new time saving Academy Awards telecast for select craftspeople, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
A number of Oscars were handed out to winners seated in the audience or assembled onstage with other nominees, including SPIDER-MAN 2 vfx winners John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier.
VES exec director Eric Roth wrote on behalf of his organization: "The decision to delineate between certain groups and branches by presenting awards either on stage or in the audience ended up demeaning certain crafts categories and sending the not-so-subtle message that some areas of filmmaking are more important than others. Anyone who works in our industry knows that this is absolutely untrue We encourage you [Oscar producer Gil Cates] and the Academy to reconsider this procedure for next year's telecast and create a system of presenting the awards that treats all artists fairly."
The Academy responded that the format for next years award presentation would be evaluated once a new producer is assigned.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
