It's Surprising Anyone is Surprised by the Oscars Burying Editing and Cinematography Awards

Everyone has heard the news that the Academy Awards will present awards for Best Editing and Best Cinematography during commercial breaks this year, and there has been plenty of outrage among the community. 

The outrage is quite frankly, a bit of a surprise. 

The Shawshank Redemption. Psycho. Taxi Driver. Singin in the Rain. Se7en. 

All those movies won ZERO Oscars. 

Alfred Hitchcock in fact never won Best Director. 

The list can go on and on. The most influential camera work, and editing is rarely honored. Filmmaking is a craft, an art, and a business. The "results" are subjective. What people like varies. Sometimes people dislike something and years later it is recognized as a work of genius. Some of the greatest artists are never celebrated in their own time. 

Why do we expect the Oscars, a nationally televised celebrity event, to reflect the actual quality and impact of the art form? 

We shouldn't. It almost seems weird that anyone would still be surprised that the Academy Awards is a ratings hunt, and not even a particularly effective one at that. It would make more sense for the awards to hand out a 'best dressed' award than a best editing award. It's not really in line with the goals, and the values, of the event itself. 

We should spend less time hoping that the Oscars changes what it's about, and more time focusing on the types of events, and movies, that push the envelope and inspire us to create. 

The best movies or the year don't always win awards. 

My advice? Turn off the Oscar telecast this year, and turn on a lesser known film that people are buzzing about, and celebrate the craft that way.