Academy puts 'You're Invited' to the test

If there’s one thing the Academy wants viewers to know, it’s “You’re Invited.” With this year’s mantra, the Academy is poised to make the ...

If there’s one thing the Academy wants viewers to know, it’s “You’re Invited.”

With this year’s mantra, the Academy is poised to make the 83rd Oscars the most interactive in its history.

The theme is important to the Academy, according to the Ric Robertson, executive administrator for the Academy.

“It’s a very core mission of the Academy to reach as many people who love movies and are interested in movies as possible,” he said in an interview with The Gold Knight Blog.

The Oscars are also very important for the Academy. Robertson gave two reasons: business and mission. The first is financially, he said, with over 90 percent of annual revenue coming from the one night. The second: “Recognizing outstanding achievements and sharing them with the public is instrumental,” he said.

Technology driven
By joining Facebook three years ago, Twitter last fall and utilizing the official website, the Academy, which was started in the late 1920s, is keeping up with burgeoning technology.

In coordination with ABC and Oscar.com, the Academy developed an iPad-based application, which will allow viewers to interact with the Academy Awards on Feb. 27, Robertson said. The iPad app, launched Feb. 18, is called “Oscar Backstage Pass.” For 99 cents, the app includes the same features as Oscar.com’s “All Access” without the “360 cam” technology.

There are two levels of camera access for the evening: no charge, which is similar to past access and includes the backstage “Thank You” camera, or a $4.99 “All Access” pass. Subscribers to the latter can view eight red carpet cameras, which include 360-degree, controllable cameras, and another dozen in and around the Kodak Theatre, including the press room.

“We have really found something that is taking it to another level and developing a ‘second screen experience’ that is going to be very comprehensive,” said Robertson. “As a viewer at home, you’re going to see much more of the action than anyone just attending the show.”

Other features on Oscar.com include the “Play Along” game, where visitors answer trivia questions and predict what will happen throughout the evening to gain the most points. “It’s still all about the show but we want to create a more engaging experience for the fans,” said Janet Weiss, director of marketing for the Academy.

Younger audience
“We recognize that the viewing experience for TV in general has changed,” Weiss told The Gold Knight. “We need to bring an experience to them wherever they are.”

A more interactive show is also a push to reach out to “the younger audience that loves films,” she said. “We need to remind younger audiences that aren’t watching a lot of television” about the Academy Awards, she said.

To that end, the Academy partnered with MTV’s college channel mtvU to find a red carpet correspondent. Now in its third year, the competition searches for an up-and-coming college journalist to interview nominees and stars on the red carpet on Oscar Sunday. The winning team will be announced Saturday on the Red Carpet.

Ceremony producers took to the theme by inviting a children’s chorus, whose videos on YouTube have gone viral, to perform during the show. Fifth graders who make up the Public School 22 chorus in Staten Island, New York, will perform “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The choir’s videos went viral on YouTube and it has since performed at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and at the National Tree Lighting ceremony at the White House.

Producers also invited nominees mothers, whom they call “mominees,” to tweet about their sons and daughters, and the Oscars. Find the full list here.

The Academy itself is the most interactive ever, said Robertson. “We’re utilizing the new technology, but keeping with the founders ideals.”

Live events, including the nominations announcement and nominees luncheon, were streamed on the Academy’s website.

One thing Weiss wants people to know about the Oscars: “They have to be watching live. This really is a social event.”

Voting
While the awards like Best Picture are not voted on by the public, the Academy gave fans an opportunity to vote and influence the show.

With Designer Challenger (think “Project Runway: Oscars Edition”), 10 up-and-coming designers competed to have their dress and model featured during the ceremony. The winning designer will receive two tickets to attend the ceremony. Videos of the competition are on Oscar.com.

A portion of this column was published in Toledo Fress Press STAR on Feb 16.