Academy’s Ric Robertson on New Rules: ‘We Want to Put the Focus Back on the Work’

Press coverage of parties for Oscar-nominated movies influenced the new rules, the Academy COO told TheWrap

Academy members' social calendars may not be quite as crowded next February.

As part of its annual update of campaign regulations, the Academy on Wednesday announced new restrictions on the kind of parties, screening events and panel discussions that have come to litter the awards calendar. The rules place particular emphasis on the period between the announcement of Oscar nominations and the awards themselves.

The Academy has been known to be grapping with the issue of campaigning for months, after a 2010 Oscar season in which parties and receptions were particularly lavish and numerous. Also crucial, Academy COO Ric Robertson told TheWrap, was the coverage those parties received in the press.

"For us, it was a matter of perception as much as anything," said Robertson. "To the extent that you guys were writing about parties and campaigns and things other than the work itself, that's not good for us. We want to do everything we can to put the focus back on the work."

The new regulations, which were posted on the AMPAS website, would not have affected most of the most high-profile parties and screenings from last year, including Sony's lavish DVD release party for "The Social Network" and the Julia Roberts-hosted screening of "Biutiful," both of which took place before nominations were announced.

But it would have ruled out events like the luncheon that Jerry Bruckheimer threw at the Peninsula Hotel for supporting-actor nominee Geoffrey Rush, which was a de facto celebration of "The King's Speech" attended by a number of Academy members.

"We thought it was time to put in a dividing line," said Robertson. "To treat all events and screenings the same was too broad and overreaching. Is a Labor Day event something we should be looking at? A Christmas party? But if you restrict it to what happens after the nominations, those seem clearly to be campaign events."

While the new regulations are stricter than the previous ones in many aspects, they do loosen previous restrictions in one way: in the past, Academy members could not be invited to any screening that included live participation of the filmmakers, either before or after the nominations were announced.

Under the new rules, Academy members can be invited to pre-nomination screenings of films, which can include question-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers as well as receptions including food and beverages.

According to Robertson, one of the reasons for the change was pressure from the studios, which said the ban on inviting Academy members made it difficult to fill the many pre-nomination Q&A screenings they held.

"We want our members to see movies in a theatrical context, and allowing them to be invited to those screenings will result in greater attendance," said Robertson.

Non-screening events such as parties or receptions are also permissible before nominations are announced.

Once the nominees are named, though, AMPAS becomes much more restrictive. From the time of the nominations until polls close the Tuesday before the Oscars, members cannot be invited to and are not allowed to attend any event that promotes a film or is attended by anyone associated with a nominated film.

The only exception: events sanctioned by the Academy or presented by various guilds and critics groups.

Screenings with Q&As or panel discussions can continue to take place after the nominations, but they cannot include receptions. In addition, a person associated with a particular film can only participate in two screenings of that film. And an Academy member cannot be listed as a host of a screening unless that member is directly associated with the film.

For the first time, the rules spell out that digital distribution of screeners is now permitted, as long as the delivery conforms to Academy regulations concerning advertising and additional content (which are forbidden on screeners).

In an additional change, the regulations now say that the rule against "casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film" also applies to social media as well as ads, mailings and websites. And for the first time, specific penalties are named: a one-year suspension of Academy membership for a first violation, and expulsion for any subsequent violation.

As always, the new regulations also allow the Academy some wiggle room: "It should not be assumed that any tactics or activities not specifically addressed by these regulations are acceptable," reads part of the preamble to the regulations.

The 84th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theater at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

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