The 86th Annual Academy Awards air March 2 this
year with host Ellen DeGeneres. The
timeframe between the announcement of the nominees and the big show is a harried,
frenzy time for film publicists looking to get their nominated film in the best
position to grab Oscar gold. Major
studios pump millions of dollars into the system in order to garner a
nomination and, hopefully, a win. Big
prestige pictures such as Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Martin Scorsese’s
The Wolf of Wall Street, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, and numerous others are
released and promoted for months on end, both externally to the public and
internally at big insider galas and events publicizing the film for awards
consideration amongst the numerous awards-giving groups that help build buzz
and eventual Oscar glory. These are
films that have been talked up around inner Hollywood circles for months now in
the lead up to the big ceremony creating intricate narratives: Matthew McConaughey finding career redemption, Bruce Dern achieving respect and acclaim in the twilight of his career, 12 Years a Slave capping a vital year in black cinema.
However, there is one little film that definitely won’t be mentioned
that night but has crafted its own very unique Oscar season narrative.
The film, Alone Yet Not Alone, was announced as a Best Song
nominee with the rest of the above films.
The Christian-themed film about two young sisters kidnapped by Native
Americans during the French and Indian War had its nomination revoked by the
Academy’s Board of Governors. So, what happened here? And what lead to the Academy taking such a
major step against one of its most minor of nominees? The story behind this reveals how what could have been
considered bad news might end up doing wonders for the small Christian-themed
film at the box office.
“I'm devastated.”
The above quote is how the statement from Bruce Broughton,
composer of the once Oscar nominated song “Alone Yet Not Alone, to The Hollywood
Reporter begins. It’s an understandable
reaction from a man who is so respected in the industry, having been a former
Governor and current music branch executive committee member. When the film was first announced in the
category amongst other major studio backed fare such as Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”
from Despicable Me 2 and U2’s “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to
Freedom, there was general puzzlement.
How did a fairly minor Christian film that had an extremely limited release way back
in September (so minor it’s release that a Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic page
didn’t even exist for the film) and won't open nationwide until June later this year muscle its way in to the big leagues with U2?
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| Composer Bruce Broughton |
To this point, Broughton hired veteran film music publicist
Ray Costa “to try and get attention for the song” but found no real
traction. That is until he started a
grass roots campaign sending personal e-mails and “making phone calls to
colleagues urging them to consider the song.” (Hammond,
2014) That would be where Broughton ran into
trouble. Word of his grass roots
campaign for his little film that could spread around fast and on January 28th,
the Academy’s Board of Governors rescinded the nomination. In their statement, the Academy stated that “Broughton’s
actions were inconsistent with the Academy’s promotional regulations.” Broughton’s statement was less measured and
the man could not hide his disappointment:
"I'm devastated. I indulged in the simplest grassroots campaign and it went against me when the song started getting attention. I got taken down by competition that had months of promotion and advertising behind them. I simply asked people to find the song and consider it." (Feinberg, 2014)
Making Lemons Out of
Lemonade
Broughton, I think, saw an opportunity here. The nomination itself landed Alone Yet Not
Alone’s on many people’s radars. Movie
bloggers and awards season analysts immediately ran numerous Google searches on
this mysterious, unheard of movie. The
film’s name recognition went up just enough to garner attention. However, with the nomination rescinded,
Broughton saw a way keep the film in conversation. The composer took to his Facebook page
to lambast the decision and rile up supporters of the film to his little film’s
cause against the big Hollywood machine.
Another post-nomination narrative has begun to take shape. A look at the film’s official Facebook page
shows angry Christian fans lambasting the Academy, fulfilling just another
aspect of a long driven narrative of Hollywood versus Christian values. It also shows various posts on the media
attention this news has been getting as well as a welcome message to the new
followers the page has gotten.
While I don’t think the narrative being pushed by the Alone Yet Not Alone's camp is entirely accurate, the
Academy has certainly helped in shaping that storyline. Had the film kept its nomination, the extra
attention would have better served the film for a few weeks before its forgotten
again. With that nomination rescinded,
the film has become a rallying cry and a continuing PR nightmare for the Academy
but a huge PR boost for Alone Yet Not Alone. People are actually talking about the film
with many people rallying behind it, especially in the Christian market. The snubbed song was even featured at the 22nd Annual Movieguide Faith and Values Awards, a ceremony “honoring redemptive and
uplifting storytelling in film and TV.”
Broughton and the song’s lyricist Dennis Spiegel attended the ceremony
while Joni Eareckson Tada, who performed the song in the film, gave a live
performance for the largely Christian evangelical crowd. As
Broughton noted at the ceremony, “Once they rescinded the nomination, everyone
asked about it, and as a result, the song is doing very well…You couldn’t buy
that publicity.” (Ault, 2014)
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| (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times / February 4, 2014) |
Broughton continues to fight and reap more attention upon the film, penning a letter to Academy Director of Communications Teni
Melidonian which was then made an open letter by Broughton’s PR team. Broughton continued accusing the Academy of
unfair treatment and double standards as producers and executives behind much
bigger films have been caught in somewhat similar situations.
The composer didn’t start this firestorm but he has made
great use of it, spreading it across a Christian market that is always ready to
show for films marketed towards them.
This extra attention gives that market a cause in which to rally behind. Broughton and his PR team played things
perfectly from the initial bad news through the aftermath. The Academy acted rashly here, considering
the size of the film and the largesse of its competitors, and Broughton’s team
has deftly maneuvered the film as the little underdog kicked around by the big
leftist Hollywood machine. Though this
may not necessarily be an accurate illustration of events, Oscar season is all about narratives and both
players have performed their parts expertly.
What does everyone else think? Is this attention enough to carry it to its
nationwide June release? Did Broughton and/or
the Academy act ethically in this matter?
Works Cited
Ault, S. (2014, February 08). ‘Alone Yet Not
Alone’ Finds New Life at Movieguide Awards. Retrieved from Variety:
http://variety.com/2014/scene/news/disqualified-oscar-song-alone-yet-not-alone-finds-new-life-at-movieguide-awards-1201093330/
Feinberg, S. (2014, January 29). Academy
Disqualifies Oscar-Nominated Song 'Alone Yet Not Alone'. Retrieved from
The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-disqualifies-oscar-nominated-song-675480
Hammond, P. (2014, January 16). OSCARS: How Academy’s
Most Obscure Nominee – Maybe EVER – Managed To Beat Out Taylor Swift, Coldplay
And Celine Dion: Video. Retrieved from Deadline Hollywood: http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/oscars-how-academys-most-obscure-nominee-maybe-ever-managed-to-beat-out-taylor-swift-coldplay-and-celine-dion/
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