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Thursday
09Oct2008

Three-Hour-Long Movie Advertisement to Allow Even More Movie Advertisements

DateThursday, October 9, 2008 at 1:03AM
In a move that surprised me simply because I had no idea there was a ban to life, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced that, beginning with next year's awards, movie ads will be allowed to run during the Oscars.

You mean to tell me that an industry as rife with self-promotion as the movies has resisted the further promote itself on its most gushingly self-congratulatory night of the year? Yes, it's true, and it goes all the way back to the first televised awards in 1953, when Michael Douglas was a gently-graying and distinguished leading man.

Cynically, the move could be seen as a ratings ploy. After all, last year's Oscars were the lowest-rated ever, and debuting big movies in commercials during the Academy Awards could bolster the number of viewers. I guess. I mean, it wouldn't be a huge draw.

Sid Ganis - who's not just the Academy President; he's also a client - told Variety, "We’ve been talking about it a lot. We’re a celebration of movies, and here is a way to get new movies out there in addition to celebrating movies from the previous year."

There are rules, of course. The movie can't be due in theaters until the last weekend in April, which is ultimately a tacky way of just pushing summer movies that already have enormous marketing budgets. The movie can't be tied to any Oscar nominee (sequel or prequel). The ads can't mention "Oscar" or "Academy Awards." You'll only see one movie commercial per break, it can't have aired anywhere else, and each distributor gets one commercial during the show.

And they still don't have an Oscar for ensemble acting, so have they really accomplished that much?

AuthorColin Boyd | | in | Print ArticlePrint Article | | CommentPost a Comment |

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