Recently there has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the Academy Awards and how the best films are chosen. After a report showed that not every voter had bothered to look at the nominations for best film, a new rule was introduced that meant voters had to look at each nominated film in a category they had voted for.
However, according to a new piece from Variety, it now appears that some have already found loopholes around this new rule, such as watching a movie in the background or with the sound muted while performing other tasks.
“The app just needs to see that you watched it.” said one voter. “It doesn’t know if you’re sitting there.” Another admitted to pressing play before leaving the house to go to work.
Even if the rule is followed by most Academy voters, there are other factors at play when it comes to casting a vote. One executive revealed that professional loyalty often determines how they will vote. “You think I’m voting against my own campaign? I’m voting for my stuff”, they said.
While the changes have been mostly welcomed by Academy members, it may not be that they will see huge changes for which films win Oscars in the future.