Chapter 933 - 4 Flat and 8 Stable

The awards ceremony is in full swing, and the annual event is unfolding before the audience. After the opening, the winners are announced one by one: Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Short, Best Animated Feature, Special Honorable Mentions, Best Foreign Language Film... All the golden statues have found their rightful owners.

For most of the audience, after the excitement of the opening, this part of the ceremony begins to plateau. These awards—often the ones receiving less attention—belong to the third section of the event. However, for film professionals, especially those focused on artistic creation, these awards are invaluable.

Though short films, documentaries, and animated works receive little to no mainstream attention, it's precisely these behind-the-scenes filmmakers—those who labor tirelessly to create—who form the cornerstone of the film industry. Many top filmmakers began their careers in these areas, such as Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino.

While many people yearn for instant success, fewer are willing to start from the ground up and put in the painstaking work. In today's fast-paced world, the allure of rising to fame overnight is undeniable. This temptation extends beyond film, touching all artistic fields, including music and beyond.

Renly, however, is not bored. On the contrary, he is engaged, following the nominees and winners for each award. For instance, among the five nominees for Best Documentary Feature, "The Return of Hell" stands out—a familiar title that premiered at Sundance alongside "Crazy Love." After a challenging year, it's now reaping the rewards.

Renly isn't alone in his interest. Ryan and Jessica, seated beside him, also show great enthusiasm for these works. The three of them exchange thoughts and occasionally share their perspectives, deepening their appreciation for the Oscars. This adds an unexpected layer of enjoyment to the evening.

One particularly noteworthy award is for Best Animated Feature Film. Without Pixar in the running, Warner Bros. joined forces with "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski to create "Rango," which triumphed over "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots."

The competition for Best Foreign Language Film was much less tense. Since last year's Berlin Film Festival, "A Separation" from Iran has dominated the category with an overwhelming advantage. It deservedly claimed the honor of being the first Iranian film to win Best Foreign Language Film.

The Best Original Song Award saw only two nominees—"The Muppet Movie" and "Rio Adventure." "The Muppet Movie" came out on top. In the Best Makeup category, "Iron Lady" claimed victory over "Androgyny" and "Ha Lee-Porter."

In comparison, some awards lacked fierce competition, which slightly diminished the overall impact of the ceremony. However, the announcement of the Best Visual Effects Award reignited the audience's excitement.

The nominees for Best Visual Effects this year include "Transformers 3," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)," "Iron Fist," "Hugo," and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." The competition was intense, with one technological innovation standing out: motion capture.

Directors Robert Zemeckis and James Cameron have long been advocates for this technology, believing it will reshape filmmaking. Zemeckis, after working on films like "The Polar Express," "Beowulf," and "A Christmas Carol," struggled to make the technology mainstream despite several attempts. Meanwhile, "Avatar" also utilized motion capture, but its groundbreaking 3D visuals garnered more attention.

Over the last decade, motion capture technology, alongside innovations like 3D and IMAX, has dominated industry discussions. The successes of characters like Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and King Kong in "King Kong" spurred further development of this technique.

In 2011, motion capture technology saw significant breakthroughs in films like "The Adventures of Tintin" by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," which featured an "Avatar" special effects team. The recognition of motion capture has sparked debates across the industry: Can it truly transform filmmaking?

The nomination for Best Visual Effects generated immense interest, as it could signal a shift in the industry toward this new technology. Could "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" win the award? The other nominees use traditional computer-generated effects, which are still the industry's standard.

When the award is announced, however, it goes to "Hugo."

This outcome is surprising, but not entirely unexpected. "Hugo" showcases the power of traditional special effects in a stunning manner, overshadowing the motion capture-driven "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Does this mean "Hugo" is on track for Best Picture? Could it signal a surprise victory for Martin Scorsese? Or perhaps indicate that the Weinstein brothers' strategy is falling short?

When we look at the major categories, "Hugo" has yet to truly shine, so it remains to be seen whether it will challenge for the top honors.

The first half of the ceremony concluded with a mix of surprises and disappointments. As the second half begins, the pace picks up, with the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards up next.

Melissa Leo, who won Best Supporting Actress the previous year for The Fighter, steps onto the stage to announce the Best Supporting Actor nominees. The five contenders are Christopher Plummer for Beginners, Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn, Jonah Hill for Moneyball, Nick Nolte for Warrior, and Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

This is the least suspenseful category of the night. Throughout the awards season, Plummer has dominated the race, and the others are far behind. The competition is almost nonexistent.

As expected, Christopher Plummer wins the award in a landslide. At 83 years old, he becomes the oldest actor in history to win an Oscar, marking a significant milestone in his illustrious career. The audience gives him a standing ovation, and the moment becomes one of the most emotional of the evening.

The Best Supporting Actress award, too, holds little surprise. Octavia Spencer, nominated for The Help, is the clear frontrunner. While the other nominees—Melissa McCarthy, Jean McTeer, and Jessica Chastain—are deserving, Spencer's performance and support for The Help make her the strongest contender.

The award is announced by Christian Bale, who declares Octavia Spencer as the winner, capping off the evening with another well-deserved victory for a talented actress who has long been a fixture in American film and television.

The awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Visual Effects, and the acting categories have all gone according to expectations—without much suspense or surprise. If this trend continues, the Weinstein brothers are likely to continue their dominance at the Oscars.