The Oscars' Best Picture Category: Ten Versus Five

In June 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it would expand the nominees for Best Picture from five to ten. The news surprised many and was considered the most radical revision of the Oscar ritual in recent history. In the past, 1931 to 1943, the Academy's Best Picture category had approximately ten contenders. However, in 2009, the change was renewed the debate about whether Oscar voters had drifted too far from the audience.

Inclusion- Quantity versus Quality?

While having a ten picture field is not new to the Oscars, the idea is now being seen as controversial. When the announcement was made regarding this expansion of the category, the Academy did confess that consideration was given to the fact that in 2008, with 300 films made, fan favorites, such as Dark Knight and Wall-E, were excluded.

They change offers opportunities for many filmmakers to have their works considered. With this broader field, animated films, documentaries and even foreign films may have a better chance of being selected.

Some believe that the expansion of the category could hurt the overall significance of being nominated or even winning a Best Picture Oscar; however, other awards, such as the Golden Globes, have not suffered from his dilution.

Oscar Ratings and More

Hollywood offers so much glamour and glitz, but that can't always be said about awards shows. Over the past several years, the ratings for the Oscars, People's Choice and Golden Globes have been dependent on clever writing, interesting hosts and sustainable star power.

Following the 2009 airing of the Oscars, the Academy considered its ratings and found something remarkable. A tribute to films not in nominated for Awards was well received. This fact brought to light that many Oscar nominated films were not fan favorites or even well known. Remembering the old anthem of Hollywood, the Academy in essence seeks to give the fans what they want and they to their favorite films recognized. And, with more fans watching, the Academy has a better chance of maintaining its status as a premier Award, maintaining revenue to continue offering the awards, and maintaining support for the industry.

2009 and Beyond

In February 2010, the nominees for Best Picture were announced. They included a wide range of works, such as James Cameron's Avatar, The biopic The Blind Side, Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, and Pixar's Up. The expansion offers some refreshing changes with the inclusion of sci-fiction, comedy and animated films, independent films and more dramatic works are not overlooked.

While there may be a number of other factors that influence that expansion of the Best Picture category, the return to the ten picture field has generated a great deal of excitement. Time will tell if this was a smart move for the Academy and if this is what the fans really want.

For more information and debate about this topic, check out the following websites:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/oscars-to-go-with-10-nominees-for-best-picture-instead-of-five/

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-10-30-10oscars30_CV_N.htm

http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees?cid=10_oscars_gridLayout_hot

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-et-oscar-notebook3-2010feb03,0,7881411.story