We already know they can act, but many Oscar winners still feel compelled to put on a performance when making their acceptance speech. That will all change at this year's ceremony when cutbacks are enforced`, writes KEVIN COURTNEY
GLEN HANSARD hit just the right note. He kept it short and sweet, showed his gratitude and humility and even threw in a cupla focail for the craic. There were no tears, no pointless anecdotes, no long lists of thank-yous. He got in there, accepted his Oscar for Best Song, said his piece (briefly) and got out again.
Not everybody who wins an Oscar is so considerate. Actors blubbering all over the stage (who will ever forget Halle Berry’s and Gwyneth Paltrow’s speeches?); directors getting sudden attacks of verbal diarrhoea; lighting technicians with thank-you lists as long as their cables – let’s face it, the Oscar acceptance speeches were getting a bit out of hand. Something had to be done to rein these luvvies in before it all turned into one big, wet group hug.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to head off the bad Oscar speeches at the pass. Instead of delivering one long, rambling speech, winners are being told to make two speeches – one onstage and one backstage. In the 45-second onstage speech, the star will summarise what winning an Oscar means to them and maybe thank one or two people. Max.
In the backstage speech, which can be as long as they like, the star can do all their gushing and blubbering, and thank everyone from their producer to their dog groomer, from Martin Luther King to their mother. The brief onstage speech will be watched by millions – the backstage blathering can be sent to family and friends, put up on the internet, or reeled out like a holiday video every time the star has a few friends over.
At the annual Oscar nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills earlier this week, stars such as George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges were given advice from the awards show’s producers on how to keep their speeches short, snappy and moisture-free. According to the show’s co-producer, Bill Mechanic, the endless thank-yous are “the single most hated thing on the show”. The two-speech approach is an attempt to eliminate this hated thing and ensure that viewers don’t switch over to something a little less sentimental.
The actors were advised to "share your passion on what the Oscar means to you", then were shown an "Academy's worst winners" style video, which included Renee Zellweger's notorious speech after winning best supporting actress for Cold Mountain. Let's just say you could have climbed up Cold Mountain and back before she'd finished.
Whether the actors follow the guidelines on the night remains to be seen; you can bet on one thing, though: deprived of a massive television audience for their histrionics, the stars are sure to stay cool and collected during their backstage speech.
There are plenty of people we'd like to see having a 45-second time limit imposed on them. TDs. Taxi drivers. Callers to Liveline. But what about our own high-profile awards ceremonies such as tonight's Irish Film and Television Awards and last night's Meteor Music Awards?
According to the promoters of the Meteors there is no restriction on winners’ acceptance speeches. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Lady Gaga or some obscure indie band from Co Offaly – you can take as long as you like and thank as many people as you know. Luckily, musicians tend to be people of few words, but if anyone does ramble on, there’s every chance their soliloquy will be edited out by the time the ceremony is shown on RTÉ on Sunday. The Iftas, on the other hand, go out live, and the luvvie count is high, so don’t be surprised if someone goes over the time – and over the top.
This may be hard to believe, but some stars are keen to spare their audience the pain of a bad acceptance speech, and will seek out expert advice on keeping their speech concise and to the point.
“They’ll come to us in advance of a ceremony such as the Iftas,” says Donal Cronin, director of Carr Communications, which provides training in management, marketing and media. “They want to be better prepared, just in case they win.”
Making an acceptance speech is no different from any other kind of public speaking, says Cronin. You have to keep it short, snappy, witty and not bore the pants off your audience.
“You need to remember that you’re already a winner, and that 99 per cent of your work is already done. The problem is that many people believe they have to win all over again – they must be more emotive than the other actors.”
The best winners, says Cronin, are the ones who are “understated and gracious, and make a few sincere comments”, and don’t rattle off long tedious lists of thank-yous. “You need to identify one or two key people or groups that have contributed to your award, and leave it at that.”
It’s also important to keep your emotions in check, no matter how overwhelmed you feel. “You don’t need your performance to be louder than you are. Your audience will recognise that it’s an emotional moment for you, but they still need you get on with it. You don’t have to try and win again. You’ve already won, so you don’t need to go on about it.”
