How to Receive an Oscar Nomination

Although there are surprises every year, studios look to surefire trends and take excessive measures to procure Academy Award nominations, which will be announced this year on February 15. Here are some ways you can increase your chances of receiving the highly coveted Oscar nod.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Begin preparations for campaigning in August, the starting point for many studios. View rough cuts of yet-to-be-released movies to get an idea of potential nominees.
2. More often than not, think conservatively. The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are notorious for their traditional tastes in film and their affinity for commercial successes - remember "Shakespeare in Love" and "Titanic."
3. Time the release of the film for the last three months of the year. The academy's members tend to have short memories for movies.
4. Start a rumor. Have your publicist circulate reports of potential Oscar nods as your film is released.
5. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Starting during the holiday season, take out the biggest and best spaces money can buy in "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Variety," as well as general newspapers. Warning: A full-page black-and-white advertisement can cost $4,500; a color ad can cost as much as $7,000.
6. Tout the talents of potential best and supporting actors and actresses by featuring them in your movie ads. If the individual has mastered a foreign accent (Gwyneth Paltrow, Meryl Streep) or portrayed someone who is mentally challenged (Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks), the Oscar nod is more likely.
7. Make sure you've gotten a good viewing. Send out videotapes of your film, especially if it is a smaller picture, to academy members. And for the more traditional lovers of the big screen, provide a press-free screening of the film in New York, Los Angeles or London.

Tips & Warnings

• How much can you shell out? Major studios have spent six figures or more to promote their films.
• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional group of about 6,000 men and women; each holds a distinction in the arts and sciences of motion pictures and has joined by invitation from the Board of Governors. Each member votes on the nominees for best picture and for his or her specific craft.
• Then final votes are sent to the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which tallies the votes and keeps the results secret until Oscar night.
• Are you willing to do some mudslinging? Studios have been known to resort to occasional negative campaigning.