The Academy Award As An Award For Achievements In Cinematography
The Academy Award
The Academy Award
Award is a kind of a prize which is usually given to people for some outstanding works in this or that field of a human activity. Oscar, another name is the Academy Awards, is given to people for prominent achievements in the sphere of cinematography. This prize is given by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Beginning of the Academy Award
The first ceremony of the Academy Award was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929. Only twenty six people were present at that ceremony and only fifteen statuettes were given. The winners of the award were announced in different newspapers at eleven in the evening after the ceremony. But one day the Los Angeles Times spread the information about the winners before the ceremony. That is why nowadays winners names are kept in secret until the ceremony which is symbolized by white envelopes in masters of ceremony hands.
At first there were no specific nominations. But beginning with the fourth ceremony awards for the director, the best soundtrack, the best first and secondary role, and other nominations appeared.
The Design of the Oscar Statuette
The statuette of the Academy Award portrays a knight who holds a sword. The knight stands on a reel which has five spokes. Each of them symbolizes the fields of cinematography: actor, writer, director, technicians, and producer. This statuette is made of gold and black metal. This is interesting to know that the World War II the Oscar was made of plastic.
The Name of the Academy Award
Nobody exactly knows why the Academy Award was named Oscar. There are various versions. Some are connected with the field of cinematography; others scarcely can be associated with the world of films. There is a legend that L. B. Mayer when he saw the statuette for the first time said that it bore resemblance to King Oscar II.