The Statistics

In 1998 almost sixty million Americans watched the Oscars, the highest ever ratings for the awards show, but in 2022 it was down to sixteen million, and the trend is heading downwards. The Emmys, America’s biggest television awards ceremony, had a viewership of around six million in 2022, almost half the 2016 viewership. The BAFTAs actually seem to be bucking this trend with a recent increase in viewers (around 3 million for the latest ceremony). The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were this year broadcast on Netflix’s YouTube channel, after years of declining viewing figures, with less than a million watching in 2021.

Why?

There are many potential reasons for these declining ratings, relating both to changes in the film industry and television viewing habits. First of all, the Oscars were once event television – like the FA Cup (or Superbowl), something that people enjoyed watching en masse at the same time and event television is seemingly a thing of the past. People have too many ways to watch television, no longer restricted to a small number of channels. I do what I think many people do – the next day look up the winners and watch clips online, which does nothing for ratings.

Award shows were once a great opportunity to see actors being – more or less – themselves, not playing characters, but that is hardly the case now. Most actors have a strong social media presence, and an actor who doesn’t is flagged as somewhat unusual. In a similar way some people argue there are no movie stars anymore, not like there used to be, where the involvement of an actor would almost guarantee success, nearly universally liked and admired. Tom Cruise may be an actor who somewhat fits the bill but is hardly universally admired.

Perhaps increasingly there is also a feeling that making such a fuss about these awards shows is a little silly. By all means have awards for those in filmmaking but is the world really supposed to stop to watch them get their awards? Then there are questions about how “valid” these award ceremonies are – the Oscars are seen as the biggest film awards in the world, and it is in way assumed that the Best Picture Oscar winner is the best film of that year…but is it? The Academy has its own biases and many films are called Oscar-Bait, films that are seemingly made to tick boxes for what the Academy likes and this before dealing with issues like the OscarsSoWhite hashtag from 2015. Is the Oscars a genuine reflection of achievement in filmmaking or a select group within an industry patting themselves on the back?

What is perhaps the single biggest issue is that cinema – like most forms of art and culture – is very splintered. There are very few films that catch the attention of the majority of people; for example Best Picture Nominee Avatar: The Way Of Water was the biggest-grossing film of 2022, but the film that seemed to have the most cultural impact was Glass Onion, now even if this merely reflects different social media bubbles it still demonstrates that there isn’t a single cultural landscape for the Oscars to comment on. Also, Oscars, don’t nominate Avatar: The Way of Water for Best Picture, especially when Nope didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, or in fact, ANY Oscar nominations.

A few years ago the number of Best Picture nominations was increased to potentially ten, which was good, and it seemed in response to great films that didn’t fit the Oscar stereotype of a great film being nominated. The Shape Of Water – a film about a love story between a human woman and a fish “monster” won Best Picture, Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture which shows an acceptance of a greater variety of movies but shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is the “Best Picture” of the year. Of course, this was probably always impossible but it’s increasingly being shown up as a farce.

Ultimately the decline in audience for these events is likely to do with factors completely outside the control of the organisations behind them with the changing nature of media consumption and appreciation being the real cause.

Also Read: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As “Very Local” Does He Have A Point?

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Adam Deacon (2012)

Since 2012, the Kidulthood star and Anuvahood director had several days in court. Deacon was sectioned due to mental health troubles and received a restraining order from the now-disgraced Noel Clarke. But after beating his demons he began working again. His Righteous Villains part won him a Vegas Movie Award, he appeared in the Megan Fox film Rogue and is directing his second film Sumotherhood.

Juno Temple (2013)

Juno Temple has maintained a steady workload post-2013. Ranging from the odd Maleficent series to the experimental Unsane, and earning a lot of awards attention for her part in the beloved Ted Lasso. Temple’s work may seem small scale but no matter where she appears she’s always a highlight.

Will Poulter (2014)

His versatility was already known when he accepted his award. But since winning, Poulter was in the successful Maze Runner series, critical darlings Detroit and The Revenant, and highly considered genre projects Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Midsommar. Finally, with Poulter joining the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as Adam Warlock his star will only continue climbing.

Jack O’Connell (2015)

After his stellar 2013-2014 output Jack O’Connell’s release schedule paused. But he returned in 2016s Money Monster and he scored another performance award for the affecting short film Home. Additionally, he led the acclaimed western series Godless. And he has been cast in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s upcoming Lady Chatterley’s Lover adaptation. O’Connell has come a long way since Skins.

John Boyega (2016)

Outside of Star Wars, John Boyega’s moves were sometimes unsuccessful (Pacific Rim: Uprising) but Detroit earned him praise, and Small Axe: Red, White, and Blue won him a Golden Globe. His return as Moses in Attack the Block 2, and his part in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s forthcoming The Woman King looks set to continue showcasing Boyega’s unique voice.

Tom Holland (2017)

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was a sensation. After accepting his BAFTA Holland headlined his own Spider-Man trilogy and had supporting roles in the final Avengers movies. Aside from the MCU Holland starred in the well-regarded Devil All The Time and Onward but Dolittle and Uncharted had poorer reception. With a huge profile and his recent interesting project choices, what will Holland’s future hold?

Daniel Kaluuya (2018)

Get Out and Black Panther (which opened just before the 2018 BAFTAs), showed Daniel Kaluuya’s talent to the world. But magnificent appearances in Widows, Queen and Slim, and Judas and the Black Messiah (which won him an Oscar) cemented him as one of this generation’s best actors. We will soon see him in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Jordan Peele’s Nope.

Letitia Wright (2019)

Claiming her award after universally praised roles like the MCU’s Shuri and Nish in Black Mirror: Black Museum Letitia Wright gained further awards attention for Small Axe: Mangrove. She lent her voice to Sing 2 and joined Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded Death on the Nile adaptation. Currently, she is rumoured to become the lead in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However recent controversy has many questioning this.

Micheal Ward (2020)

Michael Ward secured BAFTA recognition for Top Boy‘s 2019 series and the controversial Blue Story. Since then, he received more awards nominations for his part in Small Axe: Lovers Rock. And with a starring role in Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light alongside Olivia Colman and Colin Firth coming up he may soon be a big name.

Bukky Bakray (2021)

From her explosive debut in Rocks, Bukky Bakray went on to star in the series You Don’t Know Me. For which she again received praise. She has several projects currently in production. Including the drama Self-Charm and the class-conscious thriller The Strays. After making a huge impact so quickly, Bukky is a talent to watch.

This concludes our look at the last ten years of BAFTA Rising Star winners. Who is your favourite BAFTA rising star and who do you want to see nominated in the future?

Also Read: BAFTA: Steering Towards Greater Inclusion

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Check out episode 14 of the Big Picture Film Club Podcast below

Also Watch: Oliver Murray – Episode 13 – Big Picture Film Club Podcast

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Earlier this year, BAFTA announced that it established a new steering group that will review the lack of diversity in some the categories during this year’s British Academy Film Awards. The group will take a look at the rules, processes, and conditions regarding the nominations and votings. This might be a massive step in the right direction but won’t it be too little too late?

BAFTA and its role in the film and television industry

BAFTA has been supporting the film and television industry right from the first ceremony in 1948. Throughout the years, they haven’t only supported film (British Academy Film Awards) but also television (British Academy Television Awards) and games (British Academy Games Awards). This makes BAFTA an important player in the entertainment industry. BAFTA praises itself as the world-leading independent arts charity which gives attention and support to the UK and international creative talent. Not only with handing out awards, but also by organising learning events, discussion, workshops, masterclasses, and lectures. This year, BAFTA announced that Krishnendu Majumdar will be as its new Chair. Majumdar is an Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated television producer and director and has been closely involved with BAFTA for 14 years.

#BAFTASoWhite

The #BAFTASoWhite has been going on for a few years now. It started in 2017, the year during which La La Land was up for eleven awards. In both leading actors and leading actress categories, all the nominees were white. While the likes of Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, and Ryan Gosling were rightfully nominated because of amazing performances, BAFTA could have included Janelle Monáe and Naomi Harris, both for their stunning achievement in Moonlight, and Mahershala Ali and his wonderful acting in Hidden Figures. Moonlight from Barry Jenkins was nominated for Original Screenplay but Jenkins was left out in the Best Director category. The #BAFTASoWhite rose again this year after the announcement of the nominees for the 2020 ceremony and after Joaquin Phoenix and Prince William calling out the lack of diversity.

More inclusion because of the steering group?

With the new steering group, BAFTA wants to change the entertainment industry even more by reviewing policies and making the necessary changes. The steering group consists of BAFTA board and committee members, BAFTA staff, external industry figures, independent advisors, and leading diversity advocates and academics. They will take a closer look at elements such as the nominations and voting process, the role of distributors, the campaigning process, and the makeup of BAFTA’s membership. Issues such as diversity, under-represented groups, access, fairness, and unconscious bias will be talked about as well. The ultimate goal is to know which possible changes they can do to make from the entertainment industry a more diverse and inclusive one. While BAFTA mentioned that they will take into account the BAFTA Television, Television Craft, and Games Awards, they will mostly focus on the film awards.

The ‘chicken or the egg dilemma’ in film

When it comes to diversity and on-screen representation, there’s always the ‘chicken or the egg dilemma’. Is there simply a lack of black actors/directors getting opportunities or is it because black creatives don’t start a career in film because they think they won’t stand a chance? As mentioned before, BAFTA is always organising scholarships, lectures, and mentoring schemes. While these initiatives should be applauded, it shouldn’t be too hard to include more people of colour, people with disabilities, and women during the award ceremonies and the events especially when you look at international talent.

What could be done next?

While this new steering group is a massive step in the right direction, there’s still much more BAFTA and other organisers can do. Appointing under-represented people an important role within the organisations, and if the new steering group is a success, other big players in the entertainment industry should start similar groups as well.

Also Read: Lenny Henry Leads a Call For Change

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The Favourite wins big

Already a favourite among critics, The Favourite scooped up seven awards on the evening, more than any other, including Outstanding British Film, Best Actress (Olivia Colman) & Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz). Will The Favourite win big at The Oscars later this month? We’ll have to wait to find out.

Letitia wins EE Rising Star Award

The EE Rising Star Award is special as it is the only fan-voted award in the BAFTAs. This year’s winner was Letitia Wright. She had a stellar year in 2018, appearing in Black Panther, Ready Player One & Avengers: Infinity War. Letitia follows 2018 winner Daniel Kaluuya, who also starred in Black Panther

Netflix wins big with Roma

Roma picked up three awards for Best Film, Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón) & Best Foreign Language Film. Roma has been the first Netflix original film to garner such praise and recognition from the major industry awards – it is also nominated for 10 Oscar Awards. Netflix was infamously banned from The Cannes Film Festival in 2018.

First Man leaves empty handed

Despite being nominated in seven categories, First Man failed to pick up any awards. First Look tells the story of Neil Armstrong and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

See the full list of winners below

BEST FILM: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez

LEADING ACTRESS: OLIVIA COLMAN The Favourite

LEADING ACTOR: RAMI MALEK Bohemian Rhapsody

DIRECTOR: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón

COSTUME DESIGN: THE FAVOURITE Sandy Powell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: BLACK PANTHER Geoffrey Baumann, Jesse James Chisholm, Craig Hammack, Dan Sudick

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER: BEAST Michael Pearce (Writer/Director), Lauren Dark (Producer)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón

SUPPORTING ACTOR: MAHERSHALA ALI Green Book

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: THE FAVOURITE Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

ORIGINAL MUSIC: A STAR IS BORN Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Lukas Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: BLACKkKLANSMAN Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Willmott

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public): LETITIA WRIGHT

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: RACHEL WEISZ The Favourite

MAKE UP & HAIR: THE FAVOURITE Nadia Stacey

DOCUMENTARY: FREE SOLO Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

EDITING: VICE Hank Corwin

SOUND: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY John Casali, Tim Cavagin, Nina Hartstone, Paul Massey, John Warhurst

BRITISH SHORT FILM: 73 COWS Alex Lockwood

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION: ROUGHHOUSE Jonathan Hodgson, Richard Van Den Boom

PRODUCTION DESIGN: THE FAVOURITE Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

ANIMATED FILM: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord 

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: THE FAVOURITE Yorgos Lanthimos, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

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For the last #60sofFilm of 2018, we break down a few fun facts about the BAFTA awards ahead of the nominations announcement on the 9th January.

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Earlier this year Sci-Fi horror Annihilation suffered a similar fate, going directly to Netflix for its international release. And with 11 million viewers in its opening 3 days, the Netflix original Bright, starring Will Smith, was a glimpse into what a big-budget feature film can do while still being premiered on a streaming service. So, how does the rise in straight-to-Video-On-Demand platforms change how we should view the film charts? When can a VOD movie be considered a commercial success? And what does this mean for the film industry?

Where do they stand?

The basic cinema experience hasn’t changed in the last 100 years. Major film companies like Warner Bros & Paramount Pictures have primarily worked based on a theatrical release of a film. This has meant we’ve had a fairly consistent measure of what the current popular films are as a measure of revenue generated at a cinema’s Box Office on any given week. For the UK cinema Box Office, this information has been collated by analytics company ComScore since 1991. Cinema admissions in the UK have remained fairly stagnant over the last 10 years, with most annual admissions in this timeframe being between 165 million – 170 million. Therefore, the growth in domestic ticket revenue has been driven by higher ticket prices and premium cinematic formats such as IMAX & 3D cinema.

On the other hand, by the start of 2018, over 11 million households in the UK held a subscription to Netflix, Amazon or NOW TV, up 25% from the same period the year before. This represents just over 40% of UK households signing up for a Subscription Video-on-Demand service. More notably, streaming revenue is expected to overtake traditional Box Office revenue in the UK by 2020.

Although both industries have their differences, comparisons can be drawn from the music industry. A key watershed moment in the U.K music industry landscape was in 2004 when digital downloads were included in the charts, which saw Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” land the number 1 spot from digital downloads alone in 2006. 10 years after the introduction of digital downloads, the UK’s Official Charts Company incorporated streaming data into the charts for the first time in 2014. While the music industry has arguably had a tougher time monetising its music and avoiding piracy, it has in recent years been more receptive to changing its measures of success to better reflect how people are consuming music. Although the Box Office remains the gold standard for measuring the commercial success of a film, the growth of Netflix, Amazon Prime and others will surely begin to question how we measure success within the film industry.

A measure of success

As part of the eligibility criteria for feature-length films, both BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Awards) & Oscars require films to have a commercial theatrical release, with films that have had their first exhibition on streaming platforms ineligible for consideration. Smaller, more niche film awards like the Streamys & The Webbys have emerged in an attempt to fill this void. This resistance of the ‘old guard’ to acknowledge new media is nothing new in arts and entertainment. The recent banning of Netflix at the Cannes Film Festival is further proof of this. Despite opposition, the Venice Film Festival is bucking the trend and will screen 6 Netflix films this year. Whilst it’s a risky move for the festival, ultimately it is one that would see it on the right side of history in years to come.

In a world shifting towards Netflix & Amazon, great talents within the filmmaking industry are still not properly being acknowledged for their work on those platforms. A large part of this issue is what our measure of a successful film is in this day and age, an intermediate solution might a secondary industry-recognised film chart based on streaming. Or maybe we should look into adopting a version of the music industry model?

In the immediate future, expect the Box Office chart based on cinematic ticket sales to remain. However, in an industry where money talks this discussion will continue, particularly as the revenue and influence of subscription streaming platforms continue to grow. If the music industry has successfully amalgamated digital, streaming and physical retail sales into a chart to accurately reflect the most commercially successful films of the moment, surely the movie industry can too?

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1. “The Sisters Brothers”

Directed by Jacques Audiard; starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Joaquin Phoenix

Brady: Upon first reading the novel of the same name I instantly fell in love with the writer Patrick De Witt and immediately bought all of his novels (as well as enquired about the rights!). Add this delightfully wicked and charming story to a director who I consider one of the greatest around and surely we’re on to a winner!! But most appealing is to observe what Audiard will do with the comedic tone of this story when all his other films have very little to laugh about. A very appealing prospect to behold and what I hope will be a fantastic move for two very talented storytellers.

2. “Ready Player One”

Directed by Stephen Spielberg; starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke

Nick: I guess the only film I’m really looking forward to is Spielberg’s Ready Player One as I’m a big fan of the book and all round eighties nostalgia geek. From the trailer it looks like they’ve nailed the look of the ‘stacks’ and the virtual Oasis environment – can’t wait!

3. “A Wrinkle in Time”

Directed by Ava DuVernay; starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine & Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Molly: I am eagerly awaiting the release of this film as I am a huge fan of Ava DuVernay, a brilliant director who leads the film with a strong female cast, writers and her as a director.

4.“Breakthrough”

Directed by Harry Hitchens

Molly: Breakthrough is an independent documentary funded through Kickstarter by the production company Studio Everyday. It is a wonderful documentary by Harry Hitchens following other artistic people and why people make art.

5. “The New Mutants”

Directed by Josh Boone; starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Maisie Williams

Dan: I’m really looking forward to New Mutants and it’s array of characters. That alongside a rumoured horror vibe sends the anticipation levels through the roof. This will be awesome.

Big Picture Film Club would like to thank Brady Hood, Nick J Barrett, Molly Boughen & Dan Horrigan for their contributions.

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