Although I totally love film, what I love even more is film making -- even more specifically, the behind the scenes of film making. I can watch hours of behind-the-scenes shows without ever seeing the actual movie. (Case in point: "Gone With the Wind." Hate the movie; love all the behind-the-scenes documentaries.)I think the technical awards of the Oscars and BAFTAs, and Golden Globes should get their own show. Just think of it: A whole two hours devoted JUST to the technical aspects of filmmaking. Whole segments featuring the costumes and designs, reproductions of the sets and designs, demonstrations of the lighting effects. Wow! How fantastic would that be? (The same for the Tony Awards, plays and musicals.)
The creative elements are given short shrift during the awards shows. Remember a couple years back when the BAFTAs actually had long segments featuring the designs in the technical category? Sketches of sets transforming into the sets; swatches of fabrics morphing into the actual costumes. Wow!
What gets me about this whole subject is the vast importance of these disciplines. No matter how good the script, you will never have a movie without some kind of costumes, sets, make up, etc. Imagine a film like "Dreamgirls" with no costuming, or "United 93" without sets.
I was really thrilled at the closing credits of "Dreamgirls." No, I don't mean the cast, I mean the credits for the production elements. How cool to see sketches of the sets transforming into the actual sets accompanying the set-designer credit. They did the same for the lighting, the costumes, casting, choreography, even editing! That alone made the film a hit with me.
You can see these closing credits on the website of the company that did them.
[Thanks to Matt for this tip.]
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