This is a market that places great importance on copyright no doubt about that but many people's awareness of copyright isn't as high as rumors suggest. That includes some of the Academy's judges. Past Oscar film piracy incidents were all related to judges' poor copyright awareness, and in Duke's opinion, this time probably won't be any different.
A typical example: Oscar judges aren't loners they have family and friends, neighbors and colleagues. If those people see a related DVD at their home and ask to borrow it, many won't refuse.
They don't understand that their actions are essentially "theft." They lend the DVD to a neighbor, then maybe the neighbor's kid uploads the resource online...
Once the DVD leaves their hands, they have no idea what will happen next.
After all, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a relatively loose organization, not something tightly knit like the FBI or CIA.
It's no exaggeration to say that every year during awards season, it's also the time when Oscar front-runner films start leaking early. Many films begin limited release in North America around mid to late December, and their DVD Screener versions are already flying all over the internet.
Though many in the industry don't believe someone who watches pirated movies would be someone who buys a ticket anyway those preparing to watch pirated versions probably weren't going to pay to see the movie to begin with it's an undeniable fact that it affects a movie's actual revenue.
This phenomenon has existed for years, but neither the Academy nor the MPAA has come up with a good solution.
"There really isn't a good solution…"
In the moving car, Duke was discussing this matter with Scarlett, who sat beside him. "Unless most of the Academy judges can be made to enter the theaters."
Scarlett curled her lips. "But that's clearly impossible."
Getting the Academy judges to responsibly cast their vote is too difficult. Not just for Duke and Scarlett even the Academy's executive committee knows that it's simply not doable.
Take Duke, for example. While mailing out the DVD Screener for Gravity, he also hosted two large screening sessions, inviting numerous Academy judges. But still, quite a few didn't show up. Not to mention other factors, the age issue alone is hard to solve. Some of the judges are simply too old. No one can expect them to spend so much time and energy to participate in such events.
"By the way, I just saw something in the newspaper."
As if remembering something, Scarlett reminded Duke, "A lot of media outlets are currently hyping the news that Natalie Portman is pregnant."
She couldn't help but admire, "She's really smart!"
Duke gently patted Scarlett's hand. "Smart people don't always have the last laugh."
News of Natalie Portman's pregnancy had reached him long ago. Duke also remembered the time she stepped onto the Oscar stage and raised the Best Actress statuette back then, he was simply happy to see an actress he liked win the Oscar, never imagining that behind the pregnancy might lie a carefully crafted PR plan.
Even now, Duke had to admit, this was definitely a trump card when it came to the Oscars.
Frankly speaking, Black Swan as a film and Natalie Portman's portrayal of a schizophrenic character were both excellent particularly fitting the Academy's mainstream aesthetic. Coupled with the inevitable bonus points that come with pregnancy, even Duke felt that Natalie Portman really should be the top contender for Best Actress at this year's Oscars.
But being the top contender doesn't necessarily mean winning the award. Too many factors influence the final Oscar results.
Even so, Duke still admired Natalie Portman. She really knew how to use her brain, her identity, and every possible circumstance to her advantage.
The car entered the Beverly Hills area. Duke reminded Scarlett, "We're almost there."
Scarlett opened the makeup mirror on the car roof to check if she needed a touch-up.
The two of them were about to attend a screening not for Gravity, but for The King's Speech, hosted by the Weinstein brothers. This film had been making headlines lately, with an endless stream of news about online piracy. For someone like Duke, it wasn't hard to see that Harvey and Bob Weinstein were clearly trying to use the piracy incident to generate buzz for the film.
The negative impact of online piracy couldn't be fully eliminated, but leveraging such industry-focused news to promote The King's Speech, boosting its visibility and attracting the Academy's attention, was also a very clever publicity move.
Duke had accepted Harvey Weinstein's invitation. Now that he was participating in the Oscar game this year, of course the other party wanted to probe him in some way. Though Duke's relationship with the Academy's core voters could only be considered average, he was now a heavyweight figure in Hollywood no one could ignore his influence.
Before the screening began, Duke exchanged a few brief words with the Weinstein brothers. It wasn't the right time for a deep conversation, but the brothers' probing intent was clear. And some things weren't hard to guess. Harvey and Bob Weinstein wanted to see which categories Duke was aiming for. These Jewish brothers were definitely well-informed in Hollywood and knew full well that Duke himself wasn't very interested in the Oscars. If they could align on some matters, it would benefit both sides.
After agreeing to talk more in-depth after the screening, Duke walked into the hotel's dedicated screening room with Scarlett on his arm to watch The King's Speech.
During the previous Oscar submissions, Warner Bros. had entered Inception, Gravity, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 for Best Picture. Judging solely by subject matter or content, The King's Speech clearly had more of a Best Picture vibe.
It's no secret that the Oscars favor inspirational films. The subject matter of The King's Speech meant that it was a work destined to be favored by the Oscars. Films about the British royal family tend to receive strong word-of-mouth and the attention of major awards. From Elizabeth to The Queen, this has consistently been the case. Even Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which had poor reviews, still managed to snag a Best Costume Design Oscar just to save face.
And The King's Speech itself was of unquestionably high production quality a textbook Weinstein Oscar assembly-line film. Add to that the lingering goodwill many Academy members had for The Queen, and it was only natural for this film to become a frontrunner for Best Picture this year.
In a way, it was also a film that followed all the rules but such films often have an advantage during awards season.
Just as good films don't always make a lot of money, good films also don't necessarily get Oscar recognition.
The most classic example being Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption. Even now, many people believe that if Forrest Gump hadn't existed, The Shawshank Redemption would've been the biggest winner at that year's Oscars.
There's no doubt that The Shawshank Redemption is a good movie. But without Forrest Gump, the winner of that year's Oscars still wouldn't have been it. Even if you threw it into the same year as Shakespeare in Love, The Shawshank Redemption would still have been just a bystander at the Oscars.
It's just like how a subject matter like The King's Speech is naturally favored by the Academy, whereas The Shawshank Redemption's prison theme has never been a genre the Academy truly liked.
Moreover, there are simply too many factors that can influence the results of the Oscars, to the point where sometimes the weight of the film itself can be so light it's almost negligible.
For example, in the previous Oscars, James Cameron and Avatar were completely defeated by Kathryn Bigelow and The Hurt Locker. That was a classic case of a political victory.
In recent years, the Oscars have been increasingly affected by politics. Politics has never been far from Hollywood, and The King's Speech is also a typical political-themed film. The protagonist of the film is none other than the stuttering father of the current occupant of Buckingham Palace.
Whether it's due to public relations or a rumor spread by the Weinstein brothers, there have been recent media reports claiming that Queen Elizabeth II herself is a big fan of The King's Speech…
"I did send a copy to Buckingham Palace…"
Inside a lounge, Harvey Weinstein said to Duke in a seemingly frank manner, "It's said that the Queen herself has seen the film and nodded in approval."
Duke was well aware that whether or not the Queen herself liked the film actually didn't matter. Elizabeth II remained silent most of the time, and the film portrayed one of the proudest moments of her father. Buckingham Palace wouldn't easily refute such a statement.
Duke lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa and said to Harvey Weinstein on his left, "I also think this film is quite good."
"Really?" Harvey Weinstein revealed just the right amount of surprise on his face. "It's not often that a film wins your approval."
"Harvey…" Duke couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush and asked directly, "In your plan, which categories is The King's Speech mainly targeting?"
Harvey Weinstein put away his smile and said very seriously, "Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor—those are the three primary awards!"
He was able to invite Duke because he clearly understood what Duke wanted. There was no major conflict of interest between the two, or this meeting would've been nothing but a joke.
Duke remained silent for a moment. Harvey Weinstein thought for a bit and tentatively asked, "Online, your Inception has been getting a lot of buzz."
"Oh?" Duke turned his head and slightly raised an eyebrow. Harvey Weinstein continued, "Inception's storytelling is unparalleled."
"Don't joke around, Harvey." Duke couldn't help but shake his head. "We both know the Oscars have never been interested in good stories."
.....
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