Pick Your Picture

Along with ten nominees for Best Picture, the Oscars are changing how they count the votes. The new system seems needlessly complicated and won't likely make much difference. Also, what difference it will make will probably not be good.

For the previous 60 or so years, there'd be five nominees and Academy members would pick their favorite. The one with the most votes won.

Now they'll rank the ten in order a preference--a headache and, anyway, there's a good chance a lot of voters won't have seen all ten. (Some special categories require you see all the films nominated, but not the biggies.) If one picture gets more than 50% of the firsts, it wins. If not, all ballots with the least popular film listed first will see that film crossed off and the second place will be first. This will continue with each least popular film until the leader crossed the 50% threshold.

I suppose this rule change is to avoid a scenario where--now that there are ten nominees--some film that pleases a small minority but bothers a lot of others ekes out a plurality of first places. Still, in general, I'd guess this new system will usually end up meaning the picture that would have won will win anyway--it won't change anything except allow Price Waterhouse to bill a few more hours. But if a common second-placer does end up winning, what it'll probably mean is "safer," more crowd-pleasing films will be favored while challenging films that split the audience will be in trouble.