Stephen Rivkin, president of the American Cinema Editors organization, has issued a statement denouncing the Academy’s plans to present four Oscar categories during the commercial breaks and air the moments in condensed form later in the telecast.
The Academy’s plans “will not amount to enough running time to save more than a handful of minutes,” Rivkin says. “Although we understand the tremendous pressure put on the Academy by the ABC Network to shorten the show to three hours, we cannot agree with any idea that diminishes the effort for which we have fought so hard: to promote and recognize Film Editing as the key creative position that it holds in the process of making a film.”
ACE’s sentiments echo those of the American Society of Cinematographers and Cinematographers Guild, as well as an open letter signed by an increasing number of filmmakers aimed at discouraging the Academy from moving forward with the plans.
See Rivkin’s full statement below.
The American Cinema Editors has been dedicated to elevating the perception of the art of film editing for nearly 70 years and we remain deeply committed to that core mission. Although we understand the tremendous pressure put on the Academy by the ABC Network to shorten the show to three hours, we cannot agree with any idea that diminishes the effort for which we have fought so hard: to promote and recognize Film Editing as the key creative position that it holds in the process of making a film.
Compressing four categories and presenting them in a shortened version later during the Oscar telecast, will not amount to enough running time to save more than a handful of minutes. This is hardly enough to be worth the amount of negative sentiment expressed by our ACE membership and the industry as a whole. We respectfully ask that the Academy and ABC please consider an alternative to this decision and equally honor the people who actually make the movies.
Stephen Rivkin, ACE
President, American Cinema Editors