The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

How does someone become eligible to join this?

By Deane Barker • •

There are 19 branches of this organization (listed below). Each branch has its own Executive Committee.

You can become a member by (1) applying and being sponsored by two existing members, or (2) receiving an invitation from the Academy (issued by the Executive Committees during each spring). These invitations have to be approved by the Board of Governors, which is made up mostly of three people per branch, plus three more (so, 57 total).

Each branch maintains their own requirements for membership. For example, here are the requirements for acting:

  1. Have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy,

OR

  1. Have been nominated for an Academy Award in one of the acting categories

OR

  1. Have, in the judgment of the Actors Branch Executive Committee, otherwise achieved unique distinction, earned special merit or made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor.

With this wording, they can essentially nominate anyone they want, for whatever reason they want.

I reviewed some of the other branch requirements, and many of them rely on film crediting, meaning that a person’s name has to appear in the credits of a movie in a specific role. For example, one of the requirements for casting directors is:

Be primarily responsible for and have screen credit as Casting Director on at least ten theatrical feature films of a caliber which, in the opinion of the Review Committee, reflect the high standards of the Academy

The qualifier of “theatrical” and the phrase “of a caliber which, in the opinion of the Review Committee, reflect the high standards of the Academy” seems to guard against people just making their own movies and trying to claim eligibility.

There are current 10,500 members of the Academy. Member has expanded greatly in recent years due to a push for diversity. Dues are reportedly $450 per year. However, most the organization’s revenue comes from broadcasting rights:

$122.9 million, or more than 83 percent of the Academy’s 2017 income, came from Oscars-related activities, primarily the Academy’s deal with ABC through which the alphabet network secures the ceremony’s television broadcasting rights.

Very rarely, the Academy will expel members, such as Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein.

Here are the 19 branches.

  1. Actors
  2. Animation
  3. Casting Directors
  4. Cinematographers
  5. Costume Designers
  6. Directors
  7. Documentary
  8. Executives
  9. Film Editors
  10. Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
  11. Marketing and Public Relations
  12. Music
  13. Producers
  14. Production and Technology
  15. Production Design
  16. Short Films
  17. Sound
  18. Visual Effects
  19. Writers

Why I Looked It Up

My daughter was watching The Oscars. She asked me.

This is item #874 in a sequence of 1000 items.

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