"And the Oscar goes to...," my whole body tingles in anticipation year after when those words are uttered every late February.
When I was younger I wanted to be an actress. The best actress. The Meryl of the millennials. Jennifer Lawrence, I believe, has taken that title. Nonetheless, I look froward to them because it reminds that as a creative I have a place in this world. Whether as an actress or writer. Every year I would watch the Academy Awards and believe in the work the theater of talented individuals had produced. That these movies were more than just for box office dollar signs and catering to the glamorous elite. Movies nominated by the Academy host actors telling someone else's story and are created by a team or creative and brilliant individuals that spend countless hours weighing on how to edit a scene, create the perfect technology to turn a man into a robot, or write a story in a way that grip audiences to believe in more than just their world. All of this amount to a story much of the world had never heard and possibly needed to hear.
Sure it's easy to say the Academy Awards are just a big night of Hollywood patting itself on the back. If you feel that way there are plenty of convincing arguments, but I just feel there's more to it all.
I watch the awards, with the red carpets show and the shiny gold men, and remember why the arts and creatives from all over the world matter; being a creative person still has a place in this world.
During one of the montages during the show a man from another country said that movies are a universal language such as love. You can watch a movie from anywhere in the world and I would bet you could identify with at least one part of the story. Or at the very least be transported to a place you've never been before. That's magic. The magic of the arts. Arts, the movies, have the ability to tap into what makes us human. I think sometimes, especially in the world today, we look to differentiate ourselves from others. In the movies the mirror is in a sense out in front of us and we see what being a human looks like again. That we have flaws, we love and have a desire to learn and explore more. The movies and all that goes into them bring hundreds of people together to create a single piece of work that lasts less than two hours (sometimes more). People from all over the world work on films. Whether actors are on a sound stage in L.A., the editor is working in Australia and specials effects department is in Japan. They all work together to create a film that brings even more people together. Whether in a theater in Danbury or London. We have a bond, James Bond, no but seriously it's pretty cool if you think about it.
Just thinking about all the people that worked on a film as the credits go by and then all the people watching is just mind blowing. The arts have that ability to unite many under one project. And sure most of the credit and accolades go to the "movies stars" who surely had their part to play. However, watching the Oscars this year I realized that the set designers and sound mixers deserve just as much applaud as actors and actresses. Millions of people all over the world watched the global film industry meet under one roof this weekend. Giving us the ability to see all involved and to me that's why the Oscars matter. I get to see and understand that it takes a artistic and technology savvy village to raise a movie. A small part is just a great as a big part.
