Nominations

The Academy Awards has been recognizing prominent films in the industry since the first award show held in 1929. The first show consisted of only twelve categories with thirty-three nominees, but as the industry progressed in size and talent the Academy accommodated appropriately. The most recent awards marked the eighty-sixth anniversary of the Academy and its composure of twenty-four categories and over a hundred nominees, some being repeats, spoke for the industry itself in terms of its volume and value. With each category containing such self-proclaimed actors, directors, or production teams, it is no question that to receive an award, or even recognition by Academy is an honor, however, there is one category that bears the greatest honor possible; the category of Best Picture. The category is a goal sought out by an entire production and to win the award establishes the high quality of the film. At the 2014 Academy Awards, nine films, including The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years a Slave, were put up against each other in the Best Picture category. Each film different in its story, but not greatness, yet 12 Years a Slave swept the award from its eight contenders. Undoubtedly all nine films are nothing short of excellence, so what separates one great film, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, from another great film like 12 Years a Slave?

A great film stems from a great script and in order to generate a great script one simple, yet hard to achieve, rule must be adhered to. The rule is to grab the attention of the audience and to grab it quickly because if the audience is not interested from the beginning they will not dedicate their time to complete reading the script or watching the film. To effectively grab the attention of the...

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...but both achieved that honor in different ways. They both used a specific technique to capture the attention of their audience during their opening scene, nonetheless, 12 Years a Slave used a grander, more effective technique that resulted in its award of Best Picture presented by the Academy. 12 Years a Slave being based on a true story that took place during a very difficult time period in the United States presented a situation that the audience will never be exposed to and essentially drawing them in deeper for they earned to understand the past. The Wolf of Wall Street showcased a situation that any individual can one day be in, which made it a slightly less intense and interesting then 12 Years a Slave. With the additional use of set, wardrobe, camera operations, and lighting, 12 Years a Slave was able to finalize the attention and affection of the audience.