14 DAY TRIAL // The Academy Awards ceremony, while still maintaining some of its former glory and prestige, has taken quite a hit in recent years in terms of ratings, mainly because of audiences’ shift towards what is generically known as “popcorn” productions. One solution that would represent the best of both worlds would be the inclusion of new movie trailers during the ceremony, The Hollywood Reporter says.
One such trailer / unseen footage could be from the upcoming “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” for instance. Having Robert Pattinson on stage for no more than 2 minutes to present a first glimpse at the upcoming installment of the film, part of what’s undoubtedly the most lucrative franchise of our times, would mean a boost in ratings the Oscars couldn’t get otherwise. Even better than this idea is the fact that the chances for that to happen are actually pretty good, an awards insider says for THR.
“Think about it. At five strategically timed slow points in the ceremony, a major star could appear to introduce a two-minute clip of never-before-seen footage from an upcoming film. […] Can you imagine what kind of interest there would be if Summit revealed the first glimpse of June’s ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ during the telecast? Actually, we don’t have to speculate. Exclusive footage of ‘New Moon’ – including the first shots of the film’s shirtless werewolves – aired during the MTV Movie Awards in June, and the show’s ratings shot up 92% in the target demo, its best performance in five years,” THR writes.
“Including trailers probably would force producers to cut musical numbers or shorten presentations of some awards. There also might be some drawbacks. I’ve mentioned this idea to several awards insiders, all of whom liked the concept but instantly said the Academy would never go for it. […] Introducing a little popcorn to the festivities does nothing to diminish the Oscars themselves. Plus, the Academy already has shifted in that direction, last year dropping the 50-year ban on film advertising during the show. Now studios that don’t win the lottery would be free to buy their way in via an ad (subject to the Academy’s same restrictions on spots touting movies up for awards or in current release),” THR further explains.
Thus, in a context in which the Oscars are no longer the uptight ceremony they were many years ago and are shifting their attention towards a broader audience, why not include the young segment as well, the publication goes on to ask. Of course, there’s no better way to do that than having an exclusive video of the hottest films out there for this demographic. However, whether this will actually come to be is yet to be seen.