The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences make occasional changes to the Oscars ceremony. Sometimes there are new awards. Sometimes others are combined.
One thing they don’t do, and one which many have been asking for over the years, is to recognise stunt performers. The category is seen as one the last major piece of filmmaking the Academy simply doesn’t recognise (though casting directors are another that could be argued for).
Why that never seems to be clear. Other awards, from the Emmys to the SAG Awards, recognise, and award stunts at their ceremonies, but the Oscars have not.
Lobbying for the Academy to give out such an award has been going on for decades, with the likes of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger all voicing their support for a stunt category at the Oscars.
This week “John Wick: Chapter 4” filmmaker and ex-stuntman Chad Stahelski told The Playlist he’s willing to be an olive branch between stunt performers and the Academy in an effort to get it done:
“I’ve been in stunts for 35 years. I don’t know of a single stunt person who’s ever talked to anyone on the Academy, and I don’t know a single Academy person who’s ever talked to anybody in stunts, officially. So, okay, what does that tell you?
We don’t know whether or not they think stunts should be in the Oscars; it’s all just hearsay, right? Like, so what do you say? We all sit down and have a real chat… I just think no one’s had the talk. Somehow, we keep missing each other. If no one’s going to volunteer to start the conversation, I’ll volunteer. I’ll be the spokesperson. I’ll sit down. I’ll talk.”
He adds that stunts are one of the main departments on film but admits part of the issue is that stunts are a large category incorporating numerous elements – coordinators, choreographers, riggers, etc. so would the award be of an ensemble nature to the crew or is it more of a “concept thing”? He then says:
I think the first step is just getting representatives from the Academy to sit down with us and actually have that talk and go, ‘Hey man, no harm, no foul. We didn’t really push for this until now, but it’s time to be adults and sit down and really have that talk.'”
The comments come as “John Wick: Chapter 4” receives unanimously positive reviews from critics and is in cinemas everywhere.
Update: That conversation may have begun as according to Indiewire today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the creation of a new Production and Technology Branch to represent those working in key technical and production positions in all phases of filmmaking. Stunt coordinators and choreographers will fall under this branch alongside script supervisors, music supervisors, colorists, line producers, and associate producers.
