Academy Awards: In Memoriam (and Oscar's Discussion Thread)

Zak, sad to hear a lot of your touches have been removed, but looking forward to seeing what you've done, nonetheless.

I would love to see your unedited version at some point, however.
 
I don't know if anyone's already mentioned this, and it's kind of random, but, last year the academy totally forgot about Brad Renfro, but he was sort of on the cusp of the timline, was he included this time around?
 
armisiano said:
I don't know if anyone's already mentioned this, and it's kind of random, but, last year the academy totally forgot about Brad Renfro, but he was sort of on the cusp of the timline, was he included this time around?
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please know I campaigned hard for renfro, but he's been snubbed. again. i don't know who makes these decisions but I'm getting a picture. no renfro, no harvey korman, but yes to Vampira?!?!

i've been reading the same press releases you have proclaiming "this year will be different". well you do that by bringing in new people with fresh ideas. not by keeping this disgusting, cynical slob on as head writer...

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No Harvey Korman???

So is Vilanche in or out? Of the show, I mean. Guys like that make me ashamed to be called a writer.
 
Tivo was not made for skipping commercials. Tivo was made for skipping Bruce Vilanche-penned banter.
 
I always thought Vilanche looked like Sweetums from the muppets.
 

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i want to describe the sort of thing that goes on here, but first I have to set-up the presentation.


***SPOILER***

The presentation is not just one montage projected on a screen, it is 19 screens running in sync. the center screen has the traditional montage cut with lower thirds for each person. but surrounding that screen are 6 color motion screens and 12 b/w still screens.



here is the conversation i had this morning while looking at one person's layout....

THEM: fill in some stills from his movies in the black and white screens

ME: okay. that will disrupt the established aesthetic. we have images from their films in the motion screens and images of the actual person in the black and white still screens.

THEM: yeah, I don't think anyone's going to get that.
 
Zak Forsman said:
ME: okay. that will disrupt the established aesthetic. we have images from their films in the motion screens and images of the actual person in the black and white still screens.

THEM: yeah, I don't think anyone's going to get that.
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I don't get it.
 
SPOILERS
my segment was pre-taped today. i'm told it looks beautiful. dropping by to oversee how they cut it together. as I said, my work plays over a myriad of screens that were covered in various camera moves. that footage will be edited tomorrow and played for you at home while the people in the kodak theater watch it happen live on stage. you'll see queen latifah sing for about 30 seconds and then the piece starts. so you'll be hearing queen latifah live but watching pretaped camera moves of the screens.

i have zero confidence in the director. he's an idiot who has basically washed his hands of this segment by asking me to list out what the camera should be looking at for each person. i won't know how well that was executed until tomorrow.

*and no i'm not worried about burning any bridges with the douchebags in charge of this thing. with the exception of the two producers I worked closely with, they're all tv drones and has-beens near retirement. can you tell im a little bitter about this? I was so honored to have been selected to honor these amazing actors, directors, writers, etc in a year when so many prominent people were lost. and then some old queen stands up at a meeting and says he wants bette midler singing "i'll be seeing you" with a whole bunch of little LED screens going off and on behind her. myself and the two producers i spoke of had to fight for a larger center screen as a point of focus. but even so the thing, in my opinion, is too busy and does not deliver the impact and reverence you'd expect from a segment like this. i'm sure many of you will be moved by seeing the names and faces pass by, but the form this thing was given won't be helping any. i think it's tacky to use LED screens for a video presentation like this. anyway, just know that i expect criticism and i sincerely wish i could have done more.

btw, my theme of "people exiting thru doorways and being escorted out of frame" has been butchered. only bernie mac and roy scheider still have theirs.
 
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Sorry to hear that, Zak. I know it must be tough to have your ideas butchered until they're hardly recognizable. But I'm sure it will still be a nice piece and a nice homage to those we have lost.

It's still something you can use in your portfolio, right?
 
Damn Zak it sucks how much they've really forced you to conform to this model of horse **** they've made up. I'm sure it will still be nice, but it would be nice to think that the higher ups with something as big as the oscars would actually listen to the people they hired... oh well. Kudos for you to getting the job done and fighting to make it better than it wouldve been if they had their way completely.
 
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