Despite a glittering ceremony performed as best as possible under the recovering state of the industry, the Oscars has come under heavy fire as irrelevant to the true state of the movie industry. Today BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Attorney dives a little deeper into these accusations, and whether they hold lessons for the industry to learn.

It certainly can’t be disputed that the nominees for this year lacked wide audience appeal. Of course, one can’t blame the industry entirely for that. With the exhibition industry shuttered for most of the eligible period, it was a harder year to gain audience traction than we’ve seen before. We’re existing in a period with bulging pipelines on blockbuster and indie content alike- but still a lot of hesitance around theater openings and festival dates. Distribution is definitely in a spotty place next to production. And no one, in the face of industry-wide mass restructuring, seems to know what to pitch where for the 2022 season.

We’ve seen some action on the issue. Disney, which spent most of 2020 on major reconstructions, has explicitly clarified its roadmap strictly to help filmmakers “make the right show for the right platforms for the right audience.” Yet we couldn’t blame filmmakers (and their agents) if they can’t fathom where ‘the right audience’ lies in these convoluted corporate structures. Studios now resemble Silicon Valley more than Hollywood hills. This has also been a year where we’ve seen programming greats exit in droves from their long-held roles. Business and content are being split, which could well prove a double-edged sword in time, and models are focusing on ‘IP’ pieces that can be mined again and again as spin-offs, prequels, and sequels.

What does this mean for passion projects and art pieces? There was a time when these delicately thematic, narrow-audience pieces could easily get greenlit for mainstream release by big-name studios. Increasingly, we see a split where studios demand marketability and audience appeal, but the Oscars rewards artiness. It’s hard not to ask, “What’s the point?”

Is this a sign that the institution is creaking under the weight of its own irrelevancy? It’s tough to tell, but 2022 will certainly prove a make-or-break experience for the iconic ceremony. BLAKE & WANG P.A, as always, will be there to keep you in the loop.

As we’ve already explored, we’ve seen a disappointing drop in female protagonists and female-focused films for the 2020 period, sending us back to pre-2016 levels. How does this play out for the representation of BIPOC people, specifically, in film for the same period? BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Lawyer dives deeper into the issues revealed by an exciting new study.

The study, funded by the Center for the Study of Women in TV and Film, focuses mostly on the representation of women in film. What does it have to say about the roles for women of color? 

Sadly, not many good things. In 2019 we saw 20% of characters in this demographic. This has declined sharply, by 15%. And of those roles, only 13% were ‘major characters’- appearing in more than one scene and playing a key role in the narrative.

Latina representation did see a meaningful uptick of 20%, although in cold, hard figures that accounts for a move from 5% to 6%. Asian women, however, declined from 7% to 6%, a 14% loss. Speaking specifically of major roles, it was neck and neck at 6% each for Asian and Latina women. 74% remained white, and 1% fell in the ‘other’ category ethnically.

So what’s the verdict? Certainly, those aren’t entirely the signs of progress we’d like to see in the industry, especially with more and more consumers keen to get their eyes on diverse content. All the same, there’s some very promising progress here. 2020 was not the easiest year for any film-related activities, so perhaps it’s not all that surprising there would be no major steps forward in that period.

With luck, the results of the study can be carried forward to help create an even better industry as we go into the next year. BLAKE & WANG P.A will be keeping an eye on developments as we go, of course.

With an undeniably victorious sweep at the SAG awards, Netflix must already be thrilled with their award-season results. Yet, with a win in the same category credited with propelling Parasite to the attention of the voting Academy, will Netflix be hoping to score as big at the Oscars? BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the best entertainment law firms Los Angeles takes a closer look at what could be, come April 25th. 

Both Parasite and Pixar’s family favorite, Toy Story 4, were expected to be noted also-rans at last year’s Oscar ceremony. Yet the South Korean film surged to a wholly unexpected Best Picture win that would make the 92nd Oscar ceremony a first in its glittering history. Namely, this would be the first time a foreign-language film would win in the category. Ironically, it unseated Netflix’s The Irishman, alongside presumed favorite 1917, and the edgy Joker, for a win no one saw coming- and much of this is assumed to be based on the late-season win and surge of interest it had at the SAG guilds. 

We saw similar in 2005, where the favorite Brokeback Mountain won at the WGA and PGA (alongside many others), yet the upstart Crash swept in late to scoop the ultimate prize. To date, we’ve seen Nomadland come in as a heavy favourite, with a compelling pattern of wins, yet at the SAGs Netflix nearly swept the board, while Nomadland had a single nomination for Frances McDormand and no wins. While the late Chadwick Boseman’s outstanding performances in Ma Rainey and Da 5 Bloods were always predicted to be awarded, the sudden surge from other Netflix properties must be filling them with a little hope for an Oscar scoop.

Will their dreams of Oscar domination pan out as well as at the SAG Awards? Only time will tell-but rest assured BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment lawyer Los Angeles will be on hand to keep you up-to-date.

With a lot of hype around how the freshly released Oscar nominations will pan out in this unprecedented year for the movies, it now seems like a disaster may be on the horizon. With rumors flying about substantial changes to the show format, could this be yet another award season disaster for the Oscars? BLAKE & WANG Entertainment lawyer Los Angeles takes a look at the current situation, and why it’s beginning to fray tempers. 

The Oscars this year were always billed to be ‘fluid’, even as they announced the latest date the show has ever seen, April 25th, in the hopes of the global situation stabilizing enough for some overall certainty and sanity. Yet it seems like people are going sour on the lack of clarity, especially given Trades keep ‘revealing secrets’ of moves that are only possible, not confirmed. 

Nor is the situation helped by fears of a ‘fourth wave’ of the global health crisis coinciding with the ceremony date. We have, sadly, already seen hotspots and calls for mask-wearing to be reinstated. 

This is exacerbated by the fact an unusual amount of this year’s nominees are situated in European cities having the same issues and requiring lengthy quarantine periods to enter the U.S that have to be planned ASAP if they are to be able to attend. All of this, of course, is hardly the fault of the Oscar ceremony itself, but it will inevitably tarnish the event a little.

Despite this frustration, many of the first-time nominees are keen to embrace the chance at experiencing the full might of the Oscars first-hand, win or lose. Will their excitement win out, or will we see soured feelings and drama? It’s too early to tell, but BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment attorney Los Angeles will be on hand to keep you in the loop. 

The verdict is in- and it’s looking surprisingly positive. Moviegoers are returning to cinemas even as key areas in New York City and Los Angeles finally get to open their doors again. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Law Los Angeles takes a look at this most encouraging development.

Brandon Blake– Managing Partner at Blake & Wang P.A

Released just this week, key statistics from the National Research Group suggest that moviegoers’ confidence has reached a point that parallels the last working weekend pre-pandemic, March 15th, 2020. In fact, the top tier of respondents, those who felt ‘very comfortable’ attending the cinema, is a little higher than it was at that point. Current statistics suggest that we could cross a key milestone, 60% of moviegoers having confidence in the safety of the venue, by as early as April.

This comes as movie attendance metrics continue to rise, too, again setting pandemic records. We’re also seeing more consumers becoming aware that local cinemas are back to work, too, with a 6% jump to 48% of people surveyed. Even more positively, almost 70% of respondents want to see a movie in a theatre within the next quarter. The best news of all? These stats have been rising steadily, with no sign of a setback. As vaccine rollout continues to accelerate, we anticipate seeing even more buy-in from consumers, too. 

While it’s still a difficult time for the exhibition industry, especially while draconian occupancy limits remain in place, the news of this encouraging improvement certainly deserves celebration. With no identified case of cinema transmission for the virus, either, it’s a sign that the public can safely come back to the Silver Screen- and that they’re more than happy to do so, too. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment attorney Los Angeles hope for a wholescale recovery across the board for this vital cornerstone of the movie industry. 

With the House of Representatives narrowly passing the American Rescue Plan this weekend, we see the first steps towards the U.S’s largest COVID bail-out to date. If it passes the Senate as well, this bill will hit President Biden’s desk, making it his first major legislative achievement to date. For the entertainment industry, it’s one that’s been a long time in coming, and, in some aspects, desperately needed. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Attorney take a closer look at this historical milestone.

At 1.9 trillion, there’s little wonder that the bill didn’t draw any Republican votes. More surprising, there were 2 democratic representatives to also vote against the bill. However, it’s been immensely popular with the public at large, especially those suffering under the current COVID-19 restrictions.

This includes, of course, a disproportionate amount of the entertainment business. This is primarily due to the fact that many in the industry report as freelancers, contractor, or ‘gig worker’, sectors for whom accessing state-run programs have historically been hard. Despite copious attempts to keep people working (and some efforts to get sets reopened from Q3 last year), a huge segment of the entertainment industry has had to rely on Washington to support them through the current hardships. Most of the Entertainment industry works as contractors or freelance artists, and since regular benefits like unemployment have not been reshaped to include them, this is hardly surprising.

A vast segment of the bill focuses on testing schemes and vaccine distribution, as well it should. Luckily, there’s also provision made for the businesses and workers suffering under current conditions, which we will look at in more detail later. Overall, it moves in a very positive direction for the entertainment industry. Combined with further moves from President Biden to make accessing relief easier for workers, there’s definitely a more positive horizon opening up for smaller players in the entertainment industry. As always, BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles will keep you informed.