Four For Friday - Pressure

I don't think people realize just how much money the federal government contributes to the financing of movies. It can be in the tens of millions of dollars in direct aid and then a priceless amount of indirect aid such as being allowed to film permit and cost free on government lands and in buildings owned by the government. Often times that access comes with a price. Such was the case a few years ago when it came to Oscar time. There was a movie which had been raking up awards at every award show. It was an unstoppable force. The thing is though, when it came to the Academy Awards, the fix was in. No, no one at the accounting firm did anything shady, although, now that I think about it, that would probably be the easiest way to make sure things went according to plan and would require much less work.

Instead, what happened was a group of politicians who chaired committees that are the biggest givers of money to movie and television productions sent out a missive to studio heads and several hundred top directors and producers. Pass the word. Make sure you and the people who work for you do not vote for this movie to win. Apparently, because the movie cast a certain governmental department in a bad light, the politicians were not happy. They also believed that insiders from the department that was portrayed so poorly were the ones who leaked all the details. The message was clear. If the movie wins any awards we will blame you for the win and the money tree will dry up. Now, obviously it would not be just one company or producer or director at fault, but the message was clear and the word spread. A movie which had been hauling in awards, won just one minor Oscar despite all their nominations. Business in Hollywood continued as usual.