Do Not Snub Me
Why I’m not angry over the whole Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig Oscar nomination snub.
Why are awards even important?
In this video clip from The View, Whoopi Goldberg gets into the hot topic of the recent Oscar snubs. I do agree with how Whoopi Goldberg explains it, she being an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) legend would know more than me about how awards actually work in the industry.
I find the whole concept of being the “best” and thus being awarded as such, to be meaningless. Nominations are called out and forgotten, everyone knows this, especially talent agents and studio execs. And winning an award certainly doesn’t pay your rent or mortgage (entertainment awards at least), nor does it imply that you are a better artist, writer, designer. If anything winning an award does get you noticed, by a specific crowd of people. Are they your people though? Maybe. Does winning an award guarantee your next piece of success? A lot of times they do not.
To dive lightly into the whole Oscars Margot-gate, I feel that it’s pointless to get ruffled over it. Margot Robbie is not depressed about it. After all she produced a feature film that was box office gold and carved a new path for women producers within the film industry while contributing something fiercely global within pop culture. Same goes for Greta Gerwig who co-wrote Barbie with her partner Noah Baumbach as well as directed the biggest box office smash hit of 2023. Both of these highly intelligent women knows that Barbie is just the beginning of their supreme reigns in Hollywood. Because isn’t writing, producing and directing a box office mega hit that has went on to be a cultural zeitgeist bigger and more memorable than an award? And all that money.
To refer back to Whoopi Goldberg’s point in the video clip, it’s not up to the general public to have a say on who deserves a nomination. It is every person that sits within the board of Academy (the majority includes past Oscar winners in every category), not me, not you, not Kayla on Instagram or TikTok. (Or as I call it “complaining for content”) As much as I am uneducated on the Academy’s nomination process, I am sure it’s quite similar to how political campaigns operate during election season. A lot of campaigning in-house, paid ads in trade papers, press appearances, media clips. And although I am more disappointed that not a single woman director was nominated (!! not this again), it’s not for me to placate over. I don’t do the “complaining for content” thing. And Margot and Greta are going to be just fine. They are rich now. In fact with a quick check on IMDB, Greta has finished writing the script for Snow White, featuring an A-list, very diverse cast. Nominations and awards didn’t bring her that opportunity, her vision, ideas, network and opening day box office money from Barbie did. As for Margot, she’s in the works of producing a new, refreshed Ocean’s Eleven film. These titles and franchises are hard to get, and yet awards didn’t bring that to her either, she’s been producing good films for years and Barbie was the marketing tsunami slash gateway drug Hollywood needed to see from her. The end game is always money.
Recognition is always great, especially for creative workers. Esteemed validation helps us to hold on to our inner confidence so that we can continue to do better and bigger things. Award or no award, you are only as good as your last project.
(And how well you treat people)
LINKED IN
Recent reads that might be of interest:
Emilia Petrarca’s How To Talk To Your Tailor is one to bookmark and refer to the next time you need alterations.
How finding a niche audience will grow and sustain your brand/business
The Mob Wives originators, according to art history
The 3-or-4 rule to getting creative work done
NOW HIRING
We’re Not Really Strangers is hiring a Content Creator (Los Angeles)
Realisation Par is hiring a Senior Graphic Designer (Los Angeles)
5 FAVORITE WOMEN FILMMAKERS
Emerald Fennell - (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn) Her dialogue and narratives speak to me. I feel like we went to private school together and she’s the rare one that I chose to stay in touch with.
Nicole Holofcener - (Friends With Money, Can You Ever Forgive Me) The Scorsese of independent filmmaking she writes and directs authentic characters that you would know in real life.
Celine Song: Admittedly, she has won me over with her directorial debut of Past Lives that I bumped Greta Gerwig off the list. She wrote and directed the most intimate ending scene of just walking and no talking that’s likely to stay with me for a long time.
Chantal Akerman - (Jeanne Dielman, News From Home) This Belgium writer and director showed the inner workings of women’s lives like no other filmmaker has. Most of her film style resembles today’s YouTube day-in-the life vlogs.
Sofia Coppola - (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Priscilla) Actually, I think she’s a better storyteller than a director, but an excellent creative director above all. A friend once questioned whether she’d be the kind of filmmaker she is if she wasn’t Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter. Growing up on the industry’s most iconic film sets had to have influenced her cinematic eyes. While that could be true, I feel her unique specialty is finding a good story and writing it from her perspective, which of course is a huge part of filmmaking.
Can someone please tell me what happened to January?
👋🏽 hello to new subscribers! Hope you all have a great week, thanks for reading!
xo,
DNAMAG