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Some snarkster sent this to me a few days ago. I think it deserves equal time since Nicolas Chartier’s email has gotten so much publicity:
From: Jake Sully
I hope all is well with you. I just wanted to write you and say I hope you liked Avatar and if you did and want us to win, please tell (name deleted) and your friends who vote for the Oscars, tell actors, directors, crew members, art directors, special effects people, if everyone tells one or two of their friends, we will win and not a film that grossed $6M at the box-office, we need movies that people actually see to win, like the movies you and I do, so if you believe Avatar is the best movie of 2010, help us!
I’m sure you know plenty of people you’ve worked with who are academy members, in fact many of them likely worked on Avatar which employed hundreds of people (many from Los Angeles) and did not make the movie with 6 Brits and a number of Jordanians, please take 5 minutes and contact them. Please call one or two persons, everything will help!
best regards,
Jake Sully, Pandora Films
If you never saw Nicolas Chartier’s email,
From: “Nicolas Chartier” Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010
I hope all is well with you. I just wanted to write you and say I hope you liked Hurt Locker and if you did and want us to win, please tell (name deleted) and your friends who vote for the Oscars, tell actors, directors, crew members, art directors, special effects people, if everyone tells one or two of their friends, we will win and not a $500M film, we need independent movies to win like the movies you and I do, so if you believe The Hurt Locker is the best movie of 2010, help us!
I’m sure you know plenty of people you’ve worked with who are academy members whethere a publicist, a writer, a sound engineer, please take 5 minutes and contact them. Please call one or two persons, everything will help!
best regards,
Nicolas Chartier Voltage Pictures
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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The two biggest reasons hot to vote for Avatar,
James Cameron and Jon Landau.
Ok so the point of this is? Anytime you try to say which ART is the best, either cause how cool and indie it is cause no one saw it, and it it”s our secret or vice versa this movie is so big, it must be the best cause everyone saw it.
I know they use to say College was High School with ashtrays, well. So the Oscars must be the Glee club but with rehab or lots of people who should do prehab like that dude who came out with the great idea of making a lame letter like that. He might have pure motivations, but that’s very hurtful to the whole process, the Oscars does not make movies better, only ideas can do that, not awards for them or what use to be cool.
So everyone gets mad at Cameron and says he’s a blow hard, to say he does not need it and hes ann asshole if he gets it and says he feels like king of the world. I mean you people will never be happy……unless you win a Oscar. LOL just joking. I hope you know that for real though.
the only award you can win is the one you make yourself, he made titanic and Avator, what have you done on your own level that was that much of taking a creative idea and expanded it until you can’t anymore, to push you and the others around to achive not perfection, but your idea.
That’s what a real Oscar is, and I am lucky to have one everyday. But mine is not gold. It’s like Harvey, only I can see it and that’s good enough for me. Tell you what when I do win my Oscar and if this guy who wrote the original email doesn’t get it, I will send him mine in 15 years.
Peace out
I thought the original mandate of the Academy (other than union busting) was to reward artistic achievement and expand the art of motion pictures. Traditionally, however, the Best Picture Oscar has gone to films that confirm the status quo (on the presumption that challenging it would threaten too many people). It’s not supposed to be a popularity contest but a quality contest decided by insiders. The rest of us are just visiting.
Well, maybe he has some points… Actually I think that “The Hurt Locker” ‘s main virtue in the eyes of many people is that it is not Avatar. The haters, the snobs, the envious, and other demographics seem soooo in need to “punish” Cameron and deny him another day at the Oscars that, given the success of the film, here’s one of the few places that he seems vulnerable. Truth is, very few people went to see The Hurt Locker, fine film as it is, and very few of those who now champion it as if it were a new Citizen Kane did so when the film came and nobody -nobody- paid any attention to it. Ironically, it will seem that the greatest thing about it, at least as I say in the eyes of many people, is that it can be used as a throwing weapon against the avatar tsunami. I think that is unfair to both films. Nobody will remember the hurt locker if it wins after three months. And to deny Cameron a recognition for what is a monumental cinematic achievement is a sad reflection of the subculture of envy, mediocrity and frustration that feeds this strange circuit of hype, publicity and blogs. To each his own.
Those who believe in art for art’s sake are a fools. The whole AA process is corrupted. At least this corruption is publicized. What’s scary is that this is exactlty the same sort of lobbying which occurs in State and Federal Courts across this land, without Deadline to shed light on it!
Jake:
Remake your movie with a script that doesn’t insult the intelligence of anyone who completed the fourth grade and I’ll be happy to vote for it.
Awsome!!!
In the words of Terry Bradshaw, “now that’s funny”
keep them coming
A Wald
Wald Pictures
Well I’ve seen Hurt Locker but not Avatar. So that goes against the snarkster’s theory.
Can we please stop pretending this is soooo bad… isn’t that what the word campaign means? Do you think all those ads in LA for the contenders are really for the public… no, they are for the academy voters… silly to point fingers at Chartier or anyone else who is fighting for votes… let the best movie and campaigners win…
So it’s Avatar v Hurt Locker with IB looking to sneak past them, and I had to actually stop and think what the other two nominated films were before I remembered, oh yeah, there’s ten nominated films.
Well played, Jake.
Sully’s is truly a funny comeback to Chartier
Wow. Jingoistic, too. Classy.
I suppose if the Academy refuses to step up and do something about Chartier’s flagrant misconduct in a timely fashion, I gotta take my hat off to “Jake Scully” for his taste-of-his-own-medicine retort. Good on ya!
Thank you Nikki for revealing the truth about how common this kind of lobbying is. And that both sides are equally culpable! I hope Jake Skully will be submitting an apology momentarily.
It’s pretty obvious that the email was an attempt at humor since it pretty much parrots Chartier’s email almost word for word.
Um, I don’t mean to sound like a bragger or anything… But could you be any more unprofessional about this situation? Because that Jake Sully post was a joke posted by some internet blogger… We all know how much you care for The Hurt Locker and will do anything to preserve its precious sound bite with AMPAS members. We also know how ‘unimportant’ all of this seems to you since ‘the others were doing the same’ as you mentioned last night; you were supposed to say those names aloud but didn’t.
Start acting professional. I’ve met Nicolas Chartier twice and he has a perfect American accent. He’s lived in the US almost his entire life. So to lie for him or for himself to lie about this situation and to have people trust this facade — why not just post “the complete wrap-up on why this was the worst Oscar campaign season for media manipulation” and name those names?
Wouldn’t posting those names eliminate all the debacle about this scenario? And FYI, I do vote and I know what comes in my mail box — EIGHT messages from Summit Entertainment containing a book about the filming process and ‘adversity’ that made this film what it is. And those cue cards reminding me to vote… This is exponentially more unprofessional than anything you’re ‘speculating’, but you’ve yet to provide any proof that what you’re saying actually exists outside of your imagination.
On top of this you’ve Nicolas Chartier using his “I’m from France. I didn’t know better” shtick in hopes of excusing himself from any responsibility here. Like I said above, this is all a ploy to mitigate one’s responsibility. Tell us what exactly it was that you received from whomever because this is all sounding a bit too convenient for my, and most other people’s, liking. I’ve received things from all companies, but none that were this dirty, manipulative or unprofessional.
Ha Ha! How funny. Good try at yet another smear campaign, Avatards!
Avatar employed lots of New Zealanders, not Americans! They could have gone to ILM but they chose WETA instead for all that massive CGI work. That’s literally hundreds of millions of dollars NOT spent in the U.S. The Hurt Locker, which only cost pennies on that Avatar dollar ($11 million), gauging by the IMDB listing, was made up of a mixed international crew with many obviously talented Americans, Brits and Canadian department heads, as well as Middle Easterners from Jordan and surrounding countries. It is set in Iraq and Jordan was obviously the closest “safe” location to film, being that there was an ongoing war just miles away across the border. “Pandora” on the other hand, which was all green screens could have been filmed ANYWHERE and the CGI could have been done anywhere, including in the United States (which is in a recession and which is losing major film jobs such as these big budget films to places like New Zealand). But they probably took film commission government subsidies from New Zealand to outsource the film. So that is really the pot calling the kettle black!
The funny thing is, Cameron actual used ILM as well for many of the special effects and they worked alongside WETA during production. ILM’s main contribution were the “floating mountains” and a few battle sequences.
Trivial note: WETA was so impressed with ILM’s version of the smoke trails from the missles that they scrapped their own version and let ILM do it.
Get your facts straight before you backlash.
When “Shakespeare in Love” won best picture and best actress over much better films, it was obvious that the brothers Weinstein and others were going far beyond proper ‘hyping’ of their films with lavish parties, goodie bags, and other perks to influence voters.
The Academy had no choice but to react, but we are now in the theater of the absurd in the opposite direction. This is like the three strikes law where a person MUST be sentenced to extended prison time whether that person performed three armed robberies or stole three pieces of pizza one at a time.
Both Scully and Chartier are out of line by demonstrating their winning over honor and dignity sense of decency. Perhaps, their punishment should be to have their mouthes washed with soap or a good spanking.
The problem is their behavior as childish and self interested as it is now tarnishes two excellent films, and in so doing, may actually negatively impact the voting.
I hope and believe the members of the Academy will not be influenced by this silly behavior, and that they judge the films on their merits, and not on the absolutely ridiculous behavior of these two clowns.
One would think they have embarrassed themselves sufficiently while causing distress to their fellow filmmakers. If not, they should be taken to the wood shed and have their asses kicked.
Um guys…the response letter from “Jake Sully” isn’t actually “real” you know? In fact, Jake Sully isn’t even real. He’s the main character from Avatar, remember? And in case you weren’t aware of that bit even Nikki said, “Some snarkster sent this to me a few days ago.” Just thought you should know before it get’s even more out of hand.
Um… You do realize Jake Sully is a fictional character from Avatar… In other words, I doubt the letter was written by him and is most likely a sly joke posted by Nikki…
Just guessing.
Tom -
It is YOUR opinion that “Shakespeare in Love” won best picture over “much better films.” Many of us believe it was the correct choice. It was literate, extremely well-acted, beautifully directed, and – for once in a Best Picture – very funny. Even Gwyneth Paltrow, who has never been my idea of a great actress, was glorious.
As for the oft-promoted idea that “Saving Private Ryan” should have won, because it was about World War II and, more importantly, was directed by Speilberg: perhaps it would have, had he not employed such treacle in bookending the story with the maudlin graveside scenes. He wanted to make sure that we got it, that we knew exactly how we should feel, that we knew that he was making an “important” film. Five minutes that ruined a brilliant picture.
Dear Annon,
It is interesting that you jumped all over Saving Private Ryan and assumed that was my choice when, in fact, Elizabeth with Cate Blanchette was the film that I would have selected as best picture. The acting, direction, production design, writing, and most other production elements were far superior to Shakespeare in Love…in my humble opinion.
We all have different opinions, but neither Saving Private Ryan nor Elizabeth mounted a campaign like the Weinsteins did for Shakespeare in Love…and, that was the point of my comments. It was the actions of the Weinsteins (and others) which compelled the Academy to tighten the rules for buying votes, but now, I believe it is over the top in being a bit too protective. Again, that was the point of my comments although I missed Nikki’s joke about Sully.
By the way, you have a perfectly appropriate name, Annon… and, this time I do get it.
You tell ‘em. LOL!
Oh dear. It must be really hard to not “get” the joke, Tom.
Sully is the name of Avatar’s lead character, d’oh!
It’s a joke!
Oops!
I get it.
Mea Culpa…….
Tom – Scully is a fictional character in AVATAR so as Nikki implied this is a clever point-counterpoint parody of the Nicolas Chartier email.
As a movie AVATAR sucked! As an FX demonstration, terrific.
Is there something wrong with New Zealanders working in the movie industry too? We are also humans, and like to work for a living. Americans seem to like movies made here. Perhaps some of the things you’ve seen in the movies in the last 10 years wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for New Zealanders. I don’t think Los Angeles has an unchallengeable right to make every movie. People go to movies they want to see.