Everything at the Oscars... Minus The Mainstream.
- Calan Mengel
- Apr 1, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 1, 2022
Just kidding!- it's all mainstream. Nonetheless, we will cover the Chris Rock/Will Smith situation. On more important terms, we want to highlight some really exciting, groundbreaking, and fun moments that happened at the Oscars that premiered this past Sunday.
The iconic slap that the internet went gaga over the second the moment finished. We're sure you've seen lots of memes! Photo from AFP via Getty Images on the New York Post Website.
The 94th Academy Awards Ceremony just happened this past Sunday on March 27th. Like every year, the film industry, acting industry, and general public come together to celebrate the films that made history that year with some fun competition. We crowd televisions, go to parties, and discuss on social media the event.
With every year, though, usually comes some kind of drama, whether it be because a film or individual won an Oscar, a performance, a lack of diversity, envelope mixups, politics, and even those red carpet looks. 2022's Oscars was no different- everyone knows it by now that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television after a joke he made about Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Nonetheless, since I watched the ceremony live, I'd like to take some time to look at some of the really fun moments of the night, and the monumental wins we got across multiple communities. Although the Oscars can be seen as a "glorified awards ceremony" (which I can partially agree with!), it has a special place in my heart as a filmmaker. We'll talk about Chris and Will later.
Megan Thee Stallion's Encanto Cameo
Megan Thee Stallion looking AMAZING. Photo sourced from Getty Images on Allure.
I am a huge fan of Megan's music- I actively listen to her music while pumping iron in the gym. I was absolutely stunned when she made a surprise cameo during the Encanto cast's performance of We Don't Talk About Bruno.
The performance, for me, started out so-so. There was already a beautiful performance of Dos Oruguitas by Sebastián Yatra including two lovely dancers to accompany the pieces and I was pretty content with just that performance. Mixed with Encanto's very sweet and foreseeable win for Animated Feature, I was not expecting another song from the film to be performed.
We Don't Talk About Bruno started out a bit shaky for me- you can tell the performing cast was not super used to moving and singing at the same time (or maybe a bit of nerves on stage?). You could tell the cast was extremely passionate about performing and were having a really fun time, so I didn't mind. The greatest part, though, were when those trumpets and trombones turned to get the focus on Megan, just chilling and rapping in the crowd. And such a gorgeous outfit too, I think her outfit was my favorite!
If you missed it, you can take a look at the performance, linked below. Keep an eye out for Zendaya, she matches Megan's energy so well and they have a really cute moment on the floor (especially since a lot of the older folks near the front just kind of... sat there).
Watch the performance here on YouTube. Uploaded by user reh.
Wins For Women: Jane Campion for Directing and Sian Heder for Writing Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion pulling out a piece of paper for her small speech. Photo sourced from NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES on The Hollywood Reporter's website.
For a lovely lovely close to Women's History Month, I was so happy to see two really important female wins in two really competitive areas of film. First off, we have New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion with a director win for The Power of the Dog. It's always very exciting to see a female director winning in a very historically male-dominated industry, and I'm sure many women all over watching were happy to see a fellow female filmmaker walk up on stage to receive an award. This was her first directing Oscar and she has previously won Best Original Screenplay with her 1994 film The Piano.
Sian Heder and the awesome interpreter to sign while Heder gave her speech for an adapted screenplay win for CODA. Photo sourced from Neilson Barnard/Getty Images on Showbiz Cheatsheet's website.
Sian Heder also had a big win in the writing department, being awarded the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the ASL piece CODA. What was really amazing about this win, other than Heder being a great win for women across the globe, is that she really took the time to learn with the deaf community to be a great hearing allie. During her speech, Heder had an awesome signer to come up on stage with her and transcribe her entire speech into ASL so that ASL viewers at home could understand. This wasn't just a female win, this was a win for the ASL community (who ended up with many wins though the night!).
CODA Also Winning Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture
The crew of CODA coming on stage to receive their Best Picture Oscar. Photo sourced from Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images on NPR's website.
This has been a very exciting night for the ASL community and the cast and crew of CODA alike. The Apple TV+ film was nominated for a few different categories and came home with not one, not two, but three Oscars for their movie: one for Best Adapted Screenplay (which I just covered previously), one for Best Picture, and finally, one for Best Supporting Actor.
Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur signs 'love' in ASL while holding his award on stage. Photo sourced from Robyn Beck via Getty Images on GQ's website.
I personally believe Troy Kotsur's speech was the best one given at the 2022 Oscars. Kotsur, who is deaf, signed the entire speech, which had a lot of heart. While he thanked many people, he also mentioned that this was not just a win for him, but also for the deaf community, the CODA community, and the disabled community. Additionally, he mentioned the love he has for his father, who is also a signer that was paralyzed in a car accident.
These wins for CODA, specifically Troy Kotsur's win, was a monumental moment in Oscar history, and was a beautiful one at that.
Billie Eilish Performing No Time To Die (And Winning Best Original Song!)
Billie and Finneas accepting their Oscars on stage, look at that excitement! Photo sourced from ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images on Pitchfork.
Billie Eilish is a well-known and very popular American singer-songwriter. One of Sunday's performances was Eilish performing her original song for the newest James Bond movie, No Time to Die. This was a really nice performance! For myself as a viewer, it wasn't extremely flashy or crazy, but very dramatic and beautiful. I absolutely adored her voice in the song, which brought an extra ounce of longing and passion to the piece. I'm sure many others, including myself, understood why she won and Oscar that evening! It was also very sweet to see her so excited over winning an award alongside her brother, Finneas.
If you'd like to watch Billie's performance, check out the video below:
Watch the performance here on YouTube. Uploaded by user Billie Eilish.
Dune Absolutely SMASHING it with 6 Oscar Wins
The Dune dudes with their awards. Photo sourced from DW's website.
I don't need to say much here; Dune won 6 Oscars, bouncing back with a piece that blew the 1984 film out of the water (if you have PTSD from the 1984 version, that is!). I personally wanted to throw a shoutout here to the team for amazing work on a science-fiction film.
Finally, yes, we'll briefly talk about Chris Rock and Will Smith
This meme sums it up perfectly. Posted by @emirinori on Twitter.
I'd like to end this article with the Chris Rock/Will Smith slap. I'm sure many of you have seen the clip and heard the news: basically, while introducing the documentary portion of the evening, Chris Rock made a joke on stage about Will's wife, calling Jada Pinkett Smith the next "G.I. Jane" due to her bald head. Unfortunately, Jada is dealing with alopecia, to which Will stood up, walked on stage, and slapped Chris Rock. On his way back to his seat, he promptly said to Rock, "Keep my wife's name, out you're F#&!ing mouth!". This was all bleeped on live television where the audio was cut (at least for me watching live). There are some other details, but this news has been soaring across headlines, so many of you should know the deal.
Now, feel what you must about the situation: some people advocate for Will and Jada, some for Chris, some for neither. The point I am trying to make with this article is that there were so many amazing moments I listed before this one: Megan's appearance, wins for women, wins for the ASL community, and some beautiful performances, that this slap should not be taking over the media (as funny as the memes are, I will admit). And yes, I know that the Oscars has had it's fair share of problematic cases over the years, and yes, it really is a glorified awards show, but as a fellow filmmaker, this holds a dear place in my heart.
Many of these creators have worked on these pieces for months- for YEARS- for them to come to fruition. Grips have broken their backs, producers have spent long hours fixing call sheets, miles of crew members have spend day after day on set to bring you these stories, and young, precious PA's have slept little to none. All of this for what? To keep the storytelling and magic of cinema alive. Unfortunately, all it took was one moment with two actors to completely take the main stage.
As the meme above shows, many folks who aren't even into watching the Oscars knew about the slap, and it is what it is. It's just hard to see that some of these folks also don't know about some of the most monumental wins we've had in filmmaking during this night as well. I say we turn our heads for a moment and focus in on these wins that showcase what filmmaking is really about.
Here's to hoping the future of Oscar shows with diversity, fun, edge-of-your-seat kind of health competitions. Cheers until next year!
Sources:
15 Biggest Oscars Controversies Over the Years by KRISTYN BURTT and LOUISA BALLHAUS on SheKnows.com: https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1138399/biggest-oscars-controversies-over-the-years/
The 94th Academy Awards on the Oscars Official Website: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2022/?
Oscars 2022: How Sian Heder Had a Major Breakthrough With Her Win for CODA's Adapted Screenplay:
CODA Star Troy Kotsur Just Made Oscars History With His Best Supporting Actor Win: https://www.gq.com/story/coda-oscars-2022-troy-kotsur-best-supporting-actor-win
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