LONDON, United Kingdom. Ever wondered who decides who is nominated for an Oscar and how the voting works? Here’s a handy guide:
:: Who votes?
There are over 6,200 voting members who are 93% white and 76% male.
The average age is 63.
An LA Times investigation in 2012 found that while almost half of voting members had appeared on screen in the previous two years, hundreds had not worked on a movie in decades.
“Some are people who have left the movie business entirely but continue to vote on the Oscars – including a nun, a bookstore owner and a retired Peace Corps recruiter,” it reported.
The board of governors has announced action to double the number of female and ethnic minority members by 2020 in response to an outcry over the lack of diversity among its ranks.
:: Joining the Academy
The Academy is an extraordinarily exclusive club.
A candidate has to be put forward by two members who believe he or she has “demonstrated exceptional achievement in the field of theatrical motion pictures”.
They can also be considered if they have landed an Oscar nomination.
But that’s only the beginning of the selection process, which also requires the vetting of potential members by branch committees, which can recommend them for approval by the board of governors.
Beginning later this year – not affecting votes for the 2016 Oscars – each new member’s voting status will last just 10 years, and be renewed only if they have been active in movies during that time.
:: Nominations
For most categories, nominees are chosen by the members of the corresponding branch – so actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, and so on.
Certain categories such as best foreign language film and best animated feature film have special voting committees.
All voting members are eligible to select the best picture nominees.
:: Voting for the winners
On 12 February, the Academy activated the website that allows members to vote online for the winners, having already put paper ballots in the post.
Members had until 5pm on 23 February to have their say.
They are asked to rank the eight nominees for best picture, with ballots subject to a complex counting method that involves eliminating films with the least first place votes and redistributing their votes.
Voters choose one winner in a much more straightforward ballot for each of the other 23 categories.
For the past 82 years, the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has been responsible for tallying the votes, which takes days and is done under tight security.
:: Announcing the winners
The two PwC partners heading up the count have their own briefcase containing the winning envelopes and take separate routes to the ceremony, escorted by police.
The envelopes containing the cards with names of the winners are handcrafted in a process that takes 110 hours.
The cards of nominees who did not win are destroyed.
Winners receive their own copy of the envelope and card bearing their name.
The Oscars will hold on Sunday 28 February 2016.
Credit: Sky News
