LOS ANGELES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has decided that winners for eight categories will be presented off air during the 2022 Oscars, a move that received instant backlash from the artistic community and the public.
On Tuesday, Academy President David Rubin sent a letter to the nominees and AMPAS members, informing them of the changes that are intended to improve the dwindling viewership numbers of the Oscars broadcast.
The 94th Academy Awards will begin an hour earlier to present eight awards categories -- Documentary Short, Film Editing, Make-up and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short, Live Action Short, and Sound -- before the live telecast starts.
The presentations for these categories will be included later in the live broadcast, reported Variety.
"After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organisation," Rubin wrote in the letter.
"When deciding how to produce the Oscars, we recognise it's a live event television show and we must prioritise the television audience to increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant. This has been an important focus of discussion for quite some time. We do this while also remembering the importance of having our nominees relish a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he added.
Rubin further said the changes will allow organisers more time and opportunity for "audience entertainment and engagement through comedy, musical numbers, film clip packages and movie tributes".
He acknowledged that the changes could invite a backlash but he stated that the goal was to find a "balance in which nominees, winners, members, and viewing audience all have a rewarding show experience".
"Moving forward we will assess this change and will continue to look for additional ways to make our show more entertaining and more thrilling for all involved, inside the Dolby Theatre and watching from home," he added.
As Rubin predicted, the decision was not taken well by the public with actors Melanie Lynskey and Patton Oswalt criticising the changes.
"Don't Look Up" star Lynskey said that she wants to see the winners of all 23 categories announced during the live telecast.
"I love acceptance speeches. I love craftspeople being honoured for what they do. Production design is the category I'm most excited about this year (except for Best Actress because anything could happen!!) I want to see all of the awards #AcademyAwards" she tweeted.
Oswalt called the Academy's move "dumb and disrespectful".
"NONE of these categories are being televised? You're giving in to short-term ratings panic and forgetting what The Oscars are all about. PLEASE re-think this, and televise these categories. You'll be bragging about having this footage in the future. BE about the future, not about the present, ephemeral froth of clicks and likes. Please," he wrote in a thread on Twitter.
Many social media users also voiced their disappointment over the changes.
Using the hashtag #PresentAll23, one user wrote, "I can't wait until ABC and the academy board realise that most people do not give a single f**k about awards, including the #Oscars.
It's our little bubble and the industry that care the most. This decision is 50 shades of STUPID.
"Another person tweeted, "Wow it's almost like the Oscars aren't really about honoring quality filmmaking and are just about celebrities and PR."
One Twitterati called the changes "the ultimate insult to the art of filmmaking".
"Without score, makeup, hair, editing, sound, production design you would have nothing. Why distort the show? ARE YOU REALLY going to Edit Joe Walker and Hank Corwin and Myron Kerstein? #Oscars" the person wrote.
This is not the first time that the Academy has attempted at bumping certain categories out of the live broadcast.
In 2018, the AMPAS had announced that four Oscar awards would be presented during commercial breaks for the 91st Academy Awards.
At the time, filmmakers Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro were among those who had criticised the organisation for the decision.
Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall will host the 94th edition of the Academy Awards, which will be held on March 27.