Oscars 2022: American Cinema Editors condemn Academy’s decision to pre-record eight award categories

In a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Cinema Editors condemned the Academy’s decision to not present eight Oscar categories in the live broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards. The letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, condemned the Academy’s controversial plan that was met with immediate backlash when it was announced on February 22.

“Treating certain categories differently from others has struck a nerve within our community, with the overwhelming majority of our membership feeling unheard, disrespected and abandoned by the very same Academy which so many of us have supported for decades,” read the message, signed by the ACE board of directors.

The Academy currently plans to present the eight Oscars — for film editing, documentary short, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short and sound — inside the Dolby Theatre an hour before the live telecast commences. They will be recorded and edited into the subsequent live broadcast, with the move following record-low ratings for ABC’s 2021 Oscars telecast.

ACE continued, “While editors can empathize with the need to balance honouring art with the popularity and viewership of the event, we must restate our belief that the decision to cull these categories in the manner described is not the solution to the dwindling ratings. There are other creative and entertaining ways to shorten a show — we know, that’s what we do! We believe that true fans of the Oscars don’t want to see an evening celebrating the highest honour in our industry reduced to a buzzy variety spectacle.”

In recent weeks, film editors have been among those who have signed multiple petitions urging the Academy to reverse its approach to the broadcast. Apart from ACE, other such groups included Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700), International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600), Society of Composers and Lyricists, Cinema Audio Society and Motion Picture Sound Editors.