The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the creation of the Production and Technology Directorate, made up of 400 people who were previously classified as full members.
The new branch, which comes 10 years after the founding of casting directors in 2013, represents members working in key technical and production positions in all phases of filmmaking, from pre to post-production in Hollywood. This will broaden the Academy’s perspective in Board discussions and help start important conversations about how the Academy can continue to advance in the industry and ensure new voices and professions are represented. .
Branch members include directors of technology, department heads of technology and creative services, and preservation and restoration specialists. Additionally, credited production roles including stunt coordinators, script supervisors, choreographers, music supervisors, colorists, line producers and associate producers will be part of the branch.
This now brings the total number of Academy branches to 18, which represent all areas of the film industry. One chapter member will be elected to the Board of Governors for 2023-2024.
The news comes after Friday’s meeting of the 54-person board of governors for its annual post-mortem which takes place after the telecast to discuss areas of opportunity and potential changes going forward.
There’s been a lot of talk regarding studios and strategists who have bent or broken Academy campaign rules over the past year, including “Top Gun: Maverick” and especially “To Leslie.”
This year’s 95th Academy Awards drew nearly 20 million viewers with A24’s sci-fi comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with seven statuettes including Best Picture.
Information regarding membership and added statutes of the Academy is below.
Excerpt from the statutes of the Academy:
Article III, Section 1. Membership is by invitation of the Board of Governors.
Invitations to become active members will be limited to those active in the motion
imaging arts and sciences, or credited with on-screen achievements, or who have otherwise
has distinguished himself in the arts and sciences of cinema and who, in the opinion of the
board of directors, are qualified to become members.
To be considered for an invitation to become a member of the Production and Technology Branch of the
Academy, a candidate must:
(a) have been actively engaged within the past eight years in the theatrical cinematic arts
and science in a key creative or technical position, and meet the criteria in one of the following areas
two rankings.
(ai) Production
• have credited roles in at least eight theatrical feature films which, in the opinion of the
Executive Committee, reflect the high standards of the Academy, in the following roles:
o Stunt Coordinator
o Script Supervisor
o Choreographer/Movement Director
o Music supervisor
o Associate producer
o Colorist (lead only if several colorists)
o Associate producer responsible for the post, or
• have held for five consecutive years a production manager position such as:
o Responsible for the production of visual effects
o Responsible for post-production
o Responsible for virtual production
o Music Manager
o Responsible for sound
o Editorial manager
o Responsible for production services
o Head of title design
o CEO or product development manager at key industry vendors, or
(a.ii) Technology
• have held for five consecutive years a position of technical manager such as:
• Responsible for preservation and/or restoration
• Head of Technology
• Technical Director, or
• have made scientific and/or technological contributions that have produced cutting-edge creative ideas
tools and/or systems for the professions involved in the creation of theatrical film
experience, or
• have received a scientific and technical prize from the Academy, or
• have had direct involvement over the last eight years, not only in an administrative position,
in the preservation and/or restoration of legacy and current moving image content
and/or recorded sound, or
(b) have, in the judgment of the Production and Technology Executive Committee,
obtained a unique distinction, obtained a special merit or made an exceptional contribution to
the arts or sciences of cinema in the fields described above.
Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from each sponsor addressing, as specifically as
possible, how the applicant meets any of the above requirements.