Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S4E08 - For Your Consideration: The Hollywood Oscar Campaigns The Public Never Sees

Episode Date: February 22, 2015

The Academy Awards are coming up soon - and the wins and losses on that night change the fortunes of actors, directors and films. But what the public never sees is how movie studios - and some actors - campaign to win those Oscars. The strategies used to influence Academy voters are fascinating, involving millions of dollars, trade advertising, parties, swag, the White House, law suits, and even trips to old age homes to sway elderly voters. Grab a bag of popcorn and tune in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan. You just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. In case nobody's told you, weight loss goes beyond the old just eat less and move more narrative. And that's where Felix comes in. Felix is redefining weight loss for Canadians with a smarter, more personalized approach to help you crush your health goals this year.

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and has your back all season long. From puck drop to the final shot, you're always taken care of with the sportsbook Born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM. And no matter your team, your favorite skater, or your style, there's something every NHL fan is going to love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your

hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a celly, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only. Please

play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. From the Under the Influence digital box set, this episode is from Season 4, 2015. You're so king in it. You're lovin' it and it's out. Your teeth look whiter than no nose.

You're not you when you're hungry. You're a good hand with all teeth. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. The Oscars have a long and interesting history. They are the most prized awards in the entertainment industry, and even a nomination can change fortunes overnight. Since the late 1920s, members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences

have been charged with voting for the best movies every year. The results are secretly tallied and the envelopes are sealed until the big night. In the 86 years of the Academy Awards, there have been, surprisingly, six ties. The first one was in 1931, where Frederick March, who starred in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, tied with Wallace Beery, star of The Champ.

Both took home Best Actor Oscars. The second time it happened was in 1949, two films tied in the Best Documentary Short category. It took 37 more years until the Oscar saw its next draw, when two films got the same number of votes in the Best Documentary category in 1986. Nine years later, in 1995, two films tied for Best Short Film

Live Action. At the recent 2013 Academy Awards, presenter Mark Wahlberg let Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall know they'd be taking home the same award that night, tying in the Best Sound Editing category. But the tie that most people remember

happened at the 1969 Academy Awards. As film star Ingrid Bergman went to announce the Best Actress winner, she was clearly surprised. The winner, it's a tie. The winners are Catherine Hepburn in Lion in the Winter and Barbara Streisand. Catherine Hepburn won her third of four historic Oscars, and Barbara Streisand won her first for Funny Girl.

The fact that there can be ties at the Academy Awards makes one thing very clear. It's possible to win by one single vote. Knowing that, movie studios pull out all the stops to win Oscars, leaving no stone or voter unturned. The strategies used by Hollywood movie studios to influence Academy voters is fascinating. It involves millions of dollars,

trade advertising, parties, swag, the White House, lawsuits, and even trips to actors' old age homes. And all of this Oscar campaigning has one thing in common. The public never sees it. You're under the influence. Way back in 1927, movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, the second Mighty M in MGM, was hosting a luncheon for some colleagues at his home.

The motion picture business was the fourth largest industry in America at that time and it was experiencing some growing pains. The motion picture business was the fourth largest industry in America at that time, and it was experiencing some growing pains. Specifically, there was intense competition between studios for talent, each hoarded its own technological advances, and unions were beginning to emerge. Louis B. Mayer, who, by the way, was raised in New Brunswick, suggested to the group that the movie industry needed to organize in order to deal with these issues.

That idea eventually became the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This new academy had several branches, one of which was the Awards of Merit Committee. Its mandate was to arrange an annual event to celebrate the movie industry. Not long after, on May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards were held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. While the monetary benefits of winning an Academy Award were yet to come, the behind-the-scenes influencing of voters had already arrived.

Silent film star Mary Pickford, who was born in Toronto, by the way, was a founding member of the Academy. She had been nominated as Best Actress for the film Coquette. In those early days, a handful of Academy judges voted on all the awards. So Pickford invited those judges over to her palatial home, poured them tea, and proceeded to make the case for why she should win the award. She must have been pretty convincing, because at the second Academy Awards presentation in 1930,

the Best Actress trophy went to... Mary Pickford. As each year went by, the Academy Awards became a bigger and more important event. There'll be no course to guide us when we put out to sea. We will hurl ourselves against great rocks to break or be broken. The first real Oscar campaign ad was created by none other than Louis B. Mayer. He ran an advertisement in Hollywood Trade Publications

saying that his 1935 film entitled Ah! Wilderness should be nominated for an Academy Award. The ad showed a cartoon of MGM's famous lion mascot holding an Oscar, with a headline that said, You've given so much, Leo. Get ready to receive.

But it was an auspicious start to Oscar campaign ads, as Leo came up empty-handed. Seldom has the screen seen a love story as romantic as that of Kitty Foyle. Directed by Sam Wood, who gave you Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and acted by a superb cast including Eduardo Cianelli, Ernest Cossett, and Gladys Cooper, Kitty Foyle brings you the in its picture entitled Kitty Foil. The ad contained something no other Oscar ad ever had before.

It was filled with positive reviews. This RKO ad also went down in history for another reason, because it was the first successful Oscar ad, as Ginger Rogers did indeed win Best Actress. This trophy has been awarded for the best acting performance of the year 1940, and it has been won by you, Mr. Ginger Rogers, for your work in Kitty Foyle.

And I'm very happy to present it to you. Thank you, Ms. Fontaine. From that point on, the practice of placing positive reviews in ads was added to every studio's playbook. Mildred, a name gasped in the night, the one last word of a dying man, but one word that tells a thousand stories of a woman who left her mark on every man she met. In what many consider the first real all-out Oscar campaign,

actress Joan Crawford hired press agent Henry Rogers to mastermind a strategy for her to win Best Actress for the 1945 film Mildred Pierce. Noting that MGM's open solicitation of votes for All Wilderness had failed, her press agent decided on a more under-the-radar approach. He planted items in gossip columns.

He suggested stories to friends in the press and made Crawford available for any and all interviews. His plan was to keep Crawford's name in the papers from the first day of shooting through to the Oscar vote, a tactic that had never been tried before. By the time of the Academy Awards, Crawford was the odds-on favorite to win. But at the last moment, Crawford panicked

and refused to attend the ceremony fearing she would lose. Press agent Henry Rogers simply told the press Crawford was at home in bed with a 104 degree temperature, then immediately dispatched hair and makeup people to her house. Crawford won, and when the press raced to her home, they found her in bed, wearing a photogenic negligee with full hair and makeup, cradling the Oscar

her press agent had slipped into her arms only moments before. The Joan Crawford Oscar strategy was a lesson not lost on the other studios. RKO became the first studio to use the words For Your Consideration in Oscar advertising in 1947. To this day, almost all Oscar marketing to the industry bears these three words.

Trade publications like Variety swell to four times their usual size, filled with for-your-consideration ads saying, for your consideration, this film is Best Picture nominee, for your consideration, this person is Best Supporting Actor, etc. The phrase, for your consideration, hit just the right tone. It hid the shamelessness of the intent and gave Academy voters the feeling the studio was merely offering up food for thought. No heavy influencing, no strong-arming, no pressure. Or so it seemed. Then, a big change swept Hollywood.

In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court forbid studios from owning their own theater chains in a landmark antitrust case. This decision had a profound effect on Hollywood, and it meant studios would have to rely much more on marketing to make a picture profitable. Hello, I'm Bert Lancaster, back visiting my old hometown, New York City. New York is just a huge collection of neighborhoods. People working, worshipping, enjoying their hard-won leisure, or trying to.

Recognize that fellow? His name is Marty. In 1955, the trailer for the film Marty featured Burt Lancaster. But Lancaster wasn't the star of the film. As a matter of fact, Lancaster wasn't even in the film. He was the producer, and his

production company became infamous when Marty won Best Picture that year, because it was the only movie in history where the producers spent $50,000 more on the film's Oscar campaign than they did making the entire movie.

Clearly, winning Academy Awards wasn't just about the merits of the film. It was also about the merits of marketing the film. And we'll be right back. born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM. And no matter your team, your favorite player, or your style, there's something every NBA fan will love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your basketball home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM,

a sportsbook worth a slam dunk, and authorized gaming partner of the NBA. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement

with iGaming Ontario. If you're enjoying this episode, why not dip into our archives? Available wherever you download your pods. Go to terryoreilly.ca for a master episode list. Winning an Oscar, or just being nominated, can mean many different things. For actors, it means they're more in demand, get access to better scripts, and they enjoy a big multi-million dollar salary jump per picture. For studios, an Oscar win means it can attract better talent. It can revive a movie that has already had its run in theaters.

It means better international sales. It means banks are more amenable to extending larger lines of credit. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the movie Chicago got a $100 million boost after it won Best Picture. Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby went from just $8.4 million pre-nomination to gross over $90 million after its Best Picture win. And even though war movies aren't typically big money makers, Eastwood's American Sniper broke all January box office records

just days after it received six Oscar nominations. When you think of the remarkable influence of the Academy Awards, it's surprising to note how small the Academy really is. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is comprised of about 5,800 people. Most of them live in Los Angeles. The median age is 62. 94% are Caucasian and 77% are male. The only way to become a member of the Academy is to be nominated for an award, or to be invited by other members.

There are 17 branches, and the biggest, most powerful one is the Actors' Block, with over 20% of the vote. When voting for Oscar nominations, members can only vote within their own category. In other words, actors can only vote for actors, directors can only vote for other directors, etc. But when it comes time to vote for the actual Oscars, the Academy allows everybody to vote in all categories. Then there's all the various craft branches,

like sound, set design, special effects, and film editors. These blocks hold sway in the voting because there are so many of them. The Guardian once called this group the Steak Eaters. They are mostly red-blooded males who like large-scale, solid narratives, like Braveheart and Titanic. This preference is also believed to have led to Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain, considered one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history. And because of the median age of the Academy,

it could explain why a film like The Social Network lost to The King's Speech, because a movie about Facebook wasn't as relevant to voters in their 60s and 70s. Many members of the Academy aren't even in the business anymore. Dolores Hart, who starred with Elvis Presley in the 1957 film Loving You, became a nun in 1970. She's still a voting member of the Academy. All things considered, the Academy tries to make it as fair and equitable as possible

by imposing strict rules. Studios, on the other hand, are brilliant at working the angles. The number one job during Oscar season is to get Academy voters to see the nominated movies. Beginning in 1989, videotapes of all eligible films, called screeners, were sent out to the voting members. These days, it's DVDs and secure online viewings. But influencing Oscar votes involves much more than screeners. Between the time nominations are announced and the actual awards broadcast,

the Academy doesn't allow overt campaigning. So, most Oscar promotion happens in the six months leading up to the nominations. Studios stage frequent meet-and-greets between Academy members and movie casts at theater showings. There's a reason for this. All studios want members to see their movies on the big screen, instead of at home on their iPads. So, inviting glamorous actors to screenings is the best way to get members off their couches and out to theaters. Studios give Academy members lots of knick-knacks and elaborate press books. For the movie The Descendants, which was set in Hawaii, voters were sent customized ukuleles.

Studios prepare beautifully art-directed lists of their movies and personnel for your consideration. One anonymous member told The Hollywood Reporter he received so much swag for the movie Lincoln about the only thing he didn't get was Lincoln condoms. Fully bound copies of screenplays are sent to the writers' branch. CDs of nominated songs are sent to the music branch. For years, studios sent out lavish gifts to voters.

But the Academy has now forbidden that practice. Yet, studios are still very resourceful when it comes to generating Oscar votes. During the period between Christmas and New Year, studios actually set up screenings in places like Hawaii and Aspen, because that's where a large percentage of Academy members vacation. Savvy studios like Harvey Weinstein's company long ago realized that one vote can make all the difference. That's why their Oscar operation resembles the precision of a Zero Dark Thirty mission. They host endless private and by invitation only screenings in homes and theaters.

They instructed publicists to phone members at home to ask if they received the screeners, then ask what they thought of the film, until the Academy eventually forbid direct calls. So, studios hit on the idea of hiring third parties to phone members at home, until the Academy forbid that, too. Some studios even arranged screenings at the Motion Picture Retirement Home, hoping to influence the Academy members who live there, even the ones on life support, because every Oscar vote counts.

Films compete to be screened at the White House to get bragging rights to influence Academy voters. When Harvey Weinstein arrived at a screening of his silent movie The Artist, he arrived with two of Charlie Chaplin's granddaughters on his arms. The message to voters? The descendants of the greatest silent film star in history support this film. Weinstein managed to secure an astounding five Oscars for the artist, including Best Picture.

That took a massive behind-the-scenes Oscar campaign, considering it was a black-and-white, silent French film. Sometimes, actors take it upon themselves to campaign for Oscars. Back in 1988, actress Sally Kirkland took out her own for-your-consideration ads for her role in a small, obscure movie entitled Anna.

She hired two press agents, wrote personal letters to Academy members, and reportedly got her godmother, Shelley Winters, to make 150 phone calls to voters. Many in the industry were appalled. But she scored the Best Actress nomination. In 2011, actress Melissa Leo took out her own For Your Consideration ads.

She had already won the Critics' Choice Award, a Golden Globe, and the SAG Award for her role as the boxing-managing mother in the film The Fighter. But she wasn't getting onto the covers of any magazines leading up to the Oscars, as many best-supporting actress contenders often do. The lack of media interest, according to Melissa Leo, was because she was in her 50s. So, she paid for ads that showed her in glamorous dresses with the word, Consider, at the top. The campaign created quite a controversy.

Many Oscar consultants felt it was overkill and unseemly, saying Academy voters tend to be repelled by anyone who actively says they want to win. But when the envelope was opened at the awards that night, the winner was Melissa Leo. This has been an extraordinary journey in getting to know what the Academy is about. And first and foremost, thank you, Academy, because it's about selling motion pictures and respecting the work. Thank you so much. All viewers at home saw was Melissa Leo hoisting her Oscar.

What they didn't see was the campaign she hoisted to help get her there. In case nobody's told you, weight loss goes beyond the old just eat less and move more narrative. And that's where Felix comes in. Felix is redefining weight loss for Canadians with a smarter, more personalized approach to help you crush your health goals this year. Losing weight is about more than diet and exercise. It can also be about our genetics, hormones, metabolism. Felix connects you with online licensed healthcare practitioners who understand that everybody is different and can pair your healthy lifestyle with the right support to reach your goals.

Start your visit today at felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. BetMGM is an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League and has your back all season long. From puck drop to the final shot, you're always taken care of with a sportsbook born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM. And no matter your team, your favorite skater, or your style,

there's something every NHL fan is going to love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a sellie, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only.

Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Air. While the Academy tightens its rules every year, the drive to win is powerful. And no story sums that up better

than the case of The Iron Cross versus Variety magazine. Back in 2010, Calibra Pictures, the studio behind the film The Iron Cross, which would turn out to be actor Roy Scheider's final picture, claimed that Variety convinced it

to spend $400,000 on an Oscar campaign in the trade magazine. The promotion would include front-page ads, online ads, targeted DVD distribution, and inclusion in an awards screening series sponsored by Variety. But once the campaign started running, Variety ran a review of the movie that called it, quote, Hackneyed, preposterous, mediocre, choppy, and uncertain. Calibra was incensed.

It immediately charged breach of contract, fraud, and unfair business practices. Clearly, Calibra couldn't believe Variety would help them plan a $400,000 Oscar campaign in the same pages where they would

eventually trash the movie in a review. But when the Supreme Court ruled on the suit, it found in favor of Variety. Advertising and editorial are church and state,

it said, and Variety's review was protected under free speech. Pro state, it said, and Variety's review was protected under free speech. Proving, once again, that all is fair in love and Oscar warfare. Police say Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday in his Greenwich Village apartment. He was 46 years old.

That's how news reports of Hoffman's death began on February 2, 2014. Winning an Oscar brands a person for life. While it only costs $500 to make an Oscar statue, the possession of one can attract untold millions. While it only costs $500 to make an Oscar statue, the possession of one can attract untold millions. As we sit at home and watch the Academy Awards unfold, very few of us witness the incredible behind-the-scenes campaigning that has led up to that night. Because if a film can win Best Picture with a single, solitary vote,

studios will scorch the earth looking for that voter. As the fate of movies and careers shift on Oscar night, it's remarkable to think those results are voted on by a very small group of industry people. And one none. All of whom have been in the crosshairs of multiple Oscar marketing crusades. It could be argued that the point of the Academy Awards ceremony

isn't to announce the best movies of the year. The point is to create a big, glamorous, four-hour ad for the film industry. So, the next time you see an unlikely film win the Best Picture award in an upset, it might not be because it's the better film. It just might be because it had the better Oscar campaign. When you're under the influence.

I'm Terry O'Reilly. Chill, chill, chill Chill, chill, chill Chill, chill, chill Chill, chill, chill Chill, zip, zip. Zip, zip, zip, zip. Zip, zip, zip, zip. Hello, Mr. O'Reilly. I'm calling to say thank you for the incredible package you sent me. I'm just stunned.

A pair of tickets to the opera, a bottle of expensive champagne, a signed copy of your book. Amazing. The water skis were a particular surprise. Anyway, thank you. I've got lots of time to enjoy them now that I am no longer a judge at the radio awards. Thanks again. Under the Influence was recorded at Pirate Toronto.

Series producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound engineer, Keith Ullman. New theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Research, Margie Gilmore. Um, do you wear clothes when you listen to our show?

If so, have we got a t-shirt for you. Go to terryoreilly.ca slash shop. See you next week. New year, new me. Season is here and honestly, we're already over it. Enter Felix, the healthcare company helping Canadians take a different approach to weight loss this year. Weight loss

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