As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours navigating the labyrinthine world of film festivals and awards seasons, I can confidently say that the art of applause analysis is more akin to deciphering the enigmatic code of ancient Sumerian tablets than it is a reliable indicator of Oscar glory.
At the Venice Film Festival on September 2nd, when Pedro Almodóvar’s philosophical drama, titled “The Room Next Door“, first premiered, the duration of its standing ovation after the screening became a talking point in various publications such as People and The Independent. Notably, this ovation lasted an impressive 17.5 minutes, marking it as the longest ever recorded at the festival.
It seems quite likely that the film starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton will be a strong contender for the Oscars in 2025, given its warm reception, doesn’t it?
Not so fast.
In recent years, people attending festivals like Cannes and Venice have turned making guesses about applause durations into something of a social media craze, sharing their findings with excitement. However, it’s often been unclear how relevant these statistics are in the real world.
To learn more, THR delved into the statistics. We analyzed the applause ratings of several well-known (as well as lesser-known) figures from recent times. Our findings were quite intriguing.
It’s interesting to note that comparisons between the preferences of enthusiastic festival audiences versus a vast number of Academy voters can become quite uncertain. However, certain trends do emerge.
Brief bursts of applause, lasting less than 10 minutes, often lead to varying outcomes. For instance, a movie like The Shape of Water managed to reach the pinnacle of Best Picture in 2018 following its seven-minute standing ovation, while other films, such as Ad Astra, struggle to make an impact and barely get off the ground.
Contrastingly, films that receive prolonged and enthusiastic standing ovations (lasting for 14 minutes or more) are seldom able to convert this excitement into Oscar nominations. Instead, the prolonged applause is frequently due to factors outside of the film itself, such as the audience at Cannes showing their support for Michael Moore’s anti-George W. Bush stance during the premiere of his movie “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004.
The ideal spot for applause falls roughly between 11 and 13 minutes into a performance. This duration conveys genuine admiration without veering into excessive, instinctive praise. For instance, notable films like “Inglourious Basterds,” “Elvis,” and the Oscar-winning “The Artist” fall within this timeframe. It’s advisable to aim for this length when submitting your film to a festival.
The analysis conducted by THR investigates the relationship between nominations and films with varying runtimes, based on a sample of 25 major film premieres from recent times at international festivals.
This tale was initially published in a special, self-contained edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine in November. If you’d like to get the magazine delivered to your doorstep, simply click [here] to subscribe.
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2024-11-17 23:24