Oscars: 11 scientific & technical areas under investigation
August 4, 2017

Oscars: 11 scientific & technical areas under investigation

LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that 11 distinct scientific and technical investigations have been launched for the 2017 Oscars. These investigations are made public so individuals and companies with devices or claims of innovation within these areas will have the opportunity to submit achievements for review. The deadline to submit additional entries is Tuesday, August 15th, at 5pm PST. 

The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards Committee has started investigations into the following areas:

- Systems using multiple, stabilized, synced cameras to capture background footage, with integrated playback for simulating movement in static vehicles
- Submersible, telescoping camera cranes
- Automated systems for cinema auditorium quality control
- Systems for onset digital dailies with color managed workflows
- Systems for onboard RAW recording for digital cinema cameras
- Gyroscopically stabilized camera platforms for aerial cinematography
- Systems for modular character rigging enabling large scale, complex, high quality 3D digital character animation
- Systems for digital storyboarding and story reel development
- Efficient systems for interactive animation of large numbers of high-resolution 3D characters with full surface detail
- Single surface audio platforms for automated dialogue replacement (ADR)
- Software applications to synthesize complex sound scenes from a limited set of source elements

Claims of prior art or similar technology must be submitted online at www.oscars.org/awards/scitech/apply.html. After thorough investigations are conducted in each of the technology categories, the committee will meet in November to vote on recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors, which will make the final awards decisions.

The 2017 Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018. The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.