Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the best of the best of the films made that year. The Academy makes its pick of the litter to see which film is best in each of the 24 categories. The last couple of years I have watched the Oscars and followed them, trying to watch as many of the nominated films as I can. But I'm not sure if they are good for the film industry.
In one way, the Oscars are great because they generate a lot of attention for the movie industry and gain a lot viewers. The Oscars are also important because it focuses the attention of the media on some of the better films of the year, such as 12 Years A Slave, Her, Dallas Buyers Club, and Nebraska. At the same time attention is being drawn to problematic films such as Gravity. This is why the Oscars are problematic for me, I know they do some good while still doing harm. In this sense the Oscars are good for those who are already successful, and detrimental to those who aren't.
Independent work is not honoured at the Oscars. The most recognition it gets is the short film categories. This is problematic for the film industry because the large majority of independent films are not receiving the recognition they deserve. Mainstream audiences are more likely to be turned away from independent film, especially if it doesn't have the "lucrative" title of an Academy Award attached to it. This keeps independent producers and directors from achieving acclaim and wider audiences. Anyone who is interested in film will recognize that the Academy Award doesn't mean anything, but to the public who is not well versed on film, the effects of the Academy Awards are detrimental.
Another problem with the Academy Awards is the big show they make of themselves. The entire night is a spectacle that only mirrors commercialism in it's grandiose musical performances and over-the-top comedy. I don't know who they're target audience is, anyone seriously interested in film laughs at the performance, and anyone who is not interested in film won't have seen any of the nominated films anyways.
Also the only real recognition given out is to pre-existing superstars. No one watches the Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Sound Editing, not mainstream audiences anyways. People tune in for Best Actor and Best Actress, further cementing the societal notion that those are the only important roles in film. People watch the show to rank the best actors and then they do away with it. This is
This is why the Academy Awards are terrible. They don't really benefit artists, the ones who need help anyways, and they make a mockery of awards shows. In this sense they are bad for the film industry, or the aspects of the film industry that need help anyways, and are beneficial for the people who are already rich. That is my problem with the Academy Awards.