Oscar Facts By the Numbers

It’s that time of year folks — Oscar season. As with every awards season, the culmination always ends at one point, the Academy Awards. This year is no different, as all roads lead to the 88th annual ceremony, which is slated to take place on February 28, 2016. Just to address the elephant in the room, I’m not planning on using this article as a means of addressing the diversity controversy that has dominated the oscar news, you can hear me talk about that somewhere else. Along with this, I thought that it would be a nice change of pace to talk about something a little more lighthearted — some Oscar Facts that you actually may not know.

What’s amazing to me here is how much effort, actually goes into the making of this show that many people write off immediately after watching it. However you may feel about the Oscars, I think that there’s something to be said about this gargantuan production that from the outside seems so simple and easy. Here are some crazy Oscar Facts that you probably didn’t know about 2016’s ceremony.

 

General Info:

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307 — The number of features eligible for Best Picture this year (88th Oscars, 2015).

320 —  The number of features eligible for Best Picture last year (87th Oscars, 2014).

80 — The number of countries submitting foreign language films.

6,261 — The number of voting members in the Academy (as of 12/3/15).

60 — The number of ushers inside the Dolby Theater during the ceremony.

745 — The number of Red Carpet fan bleacher seats.

250 — The number of people who work in the Oscar telecast production office.

100 — The number of production vehicles / trailers (including press and catering).

270 — The number of crew members working during the actual telecast.

20.6 — The telecast rating for 87th Oscars.

37.3 — How many millions of Americans watched the 87th Oscars.

 

Press:

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Rapper/Actor Common and musician John Legend, with the award for best original song for 'Glory', pose in the press room during the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

225 — The number of countries in which the 88th Oscar telecast will be seen.

51 — The number of Oscar statuettes given out at the 87th Oscars.

24 — The number of competitive award categories for the 88th Oscars.

787 — The number of press organizations requesting credentials for 88th Oscars.

288 — The number of outlets issued credentials for the 87th Oscars.

1415 — Total number press credentials issued for the 87th Oscars (including technical personnel).

63 — The number of still photographers on the red carpet for the 87th Academy Awards.

1013 — The number of TV press for the 87th Oscars, including camera operators, audio technicians and other crew.

36 — The number of print reporters on the red carpet for the 87th Oscars.

 

The Oscar Statuette:

Oscar-statuettes_3197387b

3001 — The total number of Oscar statuettes presented since the first Oscars.

13 1/2 Inches — The height of an Oscar statuette.

5 1/4 Inches — The diameter of Oscar statuette base.

8 1/2 Pounds — The weight of Oscar statuette.

 

Oscar Telecast:

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34.9 — Best rating in the past 30 years for a single telecast.

March 29, 1999 — The latest telecast date in the past 20 years.

February 22 — Earliest telecast date in the past 20 years (81st Oscars held in 2009 and 87th Oscars held in 2015).

4 hour, 23 minutes — The longest Oscar telecast (74th Oscars show, held in 2002).

1 hour, 40 minutes — The shortest Oscar telecast (31st Academy Awards show, held in 1959).

March 19th, 1953 — Date of first televised show (25th Academy Awards).

March 29, 1976 — Date since which ABC has been the broadcaster of the Academy Awards (48th Academy Awards).

51 — The total number of years that ABC has broadcast the Academy Awards, including this year (ABC was the broadcaster for a 10- year stint from the 33rd to 42nd Academy Awards, in addition to its current run).

 

Oscar Venues:

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25 — The Venue that has hosted the most Oscar presentations, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with 25 Oscar shows.

15 — Number of Oscar shows hosted at the Dolby Theatre (formerly Kodak Theatre), including the 88th Academy Awards.

3,300 — Seating capacity of the Dolby Theatre on Oscar night.

500 feet — Length of the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre.

33 feet — Width of the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre.

 

Miscellaneous Oscar Trvia:

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19 — The person who has hosted the most oscar shows, Bob Hope.

32nd Academy Awards — The oldest Oscars show poster in the collection of the Margaret Herrick Library (show on April 4, 1960 honoring films of 1959).

34 inch diameter (base), 7 feet tall, 65 pounds — Size of most common set-dressing Oscar during the ceremony.

2011 — The first year that balloting rules first allowed for the possibility of between five and ten nominees for Best Picture. For the first three years, there were nine nominees. For the past two years, there have been eight.

9 — The record for the most Best Picture nominations with for an individual producer, held by none other than Steven Spielberg.

8 — The number of first-time acting nominees in 2016 (Bryan Cranston, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander).

5 — The number of acting nominees who have won previously (Eddie Redmayne, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet).

25 — The age of the youngest four-time acting nominee, Jennifer Lawrence.

6 — The number of actors nominated for the same role in two different films. [Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) and Creed (2015) Bing Crosby as Father O’Malley in Going My Way  (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s  (1945); Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler  (1961) and The Color of Money  (1986); Peter O’Toole as Henry II in Becket  (1964) and The Lion in Winter  (1968); Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather  (1972) and The Godfather Part II  (1974); and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth  (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Of these, only Bing Crosby and Paul Newman won Oscars (in 1944 and 1986, respectively).]

13 — The most nominations for Cinematography of any living person, Rodger Deakins. Charles B. Lang, Jr. and Leon Shamroy share the all-time record with 18 nominations each.

12 — The most nominations for Costume Design of any living person, Sandy Powell. The overall record in the category belongs to Edith Head with 35 nominations.

50 — The total number of Academy Award nominations of any living person (including five for Original Song). The only person with more is Walt Disney with 59 total nominations.

89 — The total number of nominations shared between the Newman family (Alfred, Lionel, Emil, Thomas, David and Randy), more than any other showbiz family.

2 — The number of original song nominations this year that come from documentaries, a first for the ceremony. Those songs are “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction  and “Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground

20 — The most individual nominations in a single category. Both sound mixers, Andy Nelson and Kevin O’Connell are tied for the record.

9 — The number of animated features to also receive writing nominations. Inside Out is vying to be the first animated feature to actually win the category.

4 — The most writing nominations for animated films, which is held by both Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton.

 

Governor’s Ball:

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March 26, 1958 — Date of the first Governors Ball, following the 30th Academy Awards presentation. Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the Grand Ballroom.

58 — Number of Governors Balls, including the 88th Oscars.

1 — The number of times there has not been a Governors Ball, since 1958 (40th Academy Awards). The ball was cancelled after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

25,090 — Size of the The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.

About Taylor Salan

Taylor Salan is a independent filmmaker who currently resides in the San Fernando Valley. Since childhood, Taylor Salan had a fascination with movies. Although he was an avid fan of film as a child, it wasn’t until his years as a young adult that his passion for the art of filmmaking truly came to fruition. A current student of the film production program at California State University Northridge, Taylor studies Cinematography but ultimately has plans to direct full time if afforded the opportunity. In his spare time, Taylor produces audio podcasts and blogs about film for ageofthenerd.com. He is also a longtime musician, playing drums for over 8 years.

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