Oscars 2014: 10 Things The Academy Can Learn From Sunday Night
6. Don't Be Obnoxious with the Play Off Everyone knows the Jaws theme means there's an inheirant air of danger, urgency, and even a bit of a chase invoked whenever it's played. These are both the most appropriate and inappropriate feelings that should be associated with telling awards recipients to "wrap it up". It's appropriate because with all of the people that have to be thanked, the gushing and the crying, we still have to keep the night moving. Though in the case of the Best Visual Effects trophy won by the team behind Life of Pi, it was appropriate up until the point where they began to talk about the all too real plight of Visual Effects houses, specifically Rhythm and Hues. When someone's trying to make a passionate, heartfelt plea to save a vital industry to Hollywood, you shouldn't be playing louder. Keep playing, sure, but let them finish what they have to say. Better yet, when you see something like that happening, take time out of the self congratulatory proceedings and send a cameraman to meet them backstage. Capture their impassioned plea, and stick it in with the commercials, so as to draw attention without harming the proceedings. There are more practical remedies out there I'm sure I haven't thought of, but the message remains clear: don't obnoxiously turn the volume up and play a televised game of "I'm Not Listening".