From the Press Room at the 98th Oscars – Awards Daily

The Oscars being on my 24^th Birthday, while it being the first year spending the telecast in the pressroom was quite an experience. Witnessing both interviews of certain winners, while attempting to listen to the ceremony via radio or on the TV was stressful at times, but it really showed me how some people view the Oscars differently than people online. After having finally obtained all my credentials, I sat in my chair for a good five to six hours, seeing people from major publications attempt to ask questions, decompress, or just enjoy the show after a long season of covering these films.

Sinners had Passion, but it hit an unbreakable wall

Evidenced by the press room and certain reactions (both in there and in the dolby cinema), it was clear that the desire to recognize Coogler’s Sinners was there. Standing ovation after standing ovation, and conversations with certain people, really indicated that the film became the underdog of the ceremony, one that people would feel good voting for.

However, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another proved to be the film that just couldn’t lose. Prevailing in Six Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Penn could not attend) Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, and Best Editing), showed a wide range of above the line support for the film. The love for Paul Thomas Anderson, and to see him have this moment, was just undeniable both to American voters, and likely, to the international contingent of the Academy. Cassandra Kulukundis’s win for the film was quite the surprise, showing how this category might indicate a love for films with distinct casting choices over a beloved ensemble, or just becoming a Best Picture bellwether. It’s too early to say, but regardless, Best Picture winners are tending to dominate more and more in this era of the Oscars.

Meanwhile Coogler’s Sinners took four including Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (making history in crowning the first woman in the category’s history) and Best Original Score. It was clear that there was love for the film, but when another film has more love, that can often triumph over a film with a ton of passion already.

Fairly Consistent Guild and BAFTA Correlation

With the exception of Best Cinematography, the vast majority of wins from precursors was surprisingly high. BAFTA matched in every category outside of Cinematography, and two acting races (where its lead actor winner was not eligible, and AMPAS’s supporting actress was not nominated), but the SAG awards matched 4/4 and that ultimately mattered. Mr. Nobody Against Putin’s documentary feature win, mirroring BAFTA, showed the resistance message and the international contingency determining the win. Sentimental Value winning international feature indicated that despite the love for Brazil’s The Secret Agent, the noms for Sentimental Value were not enough.

The Shorts are the Shorts

A number of people matched 3/3 in the short categories (The Girl Who Cried Pearls and All The Empty Rooms), and in one in particular, perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, there was a tie. The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva both prevailed, and Kumail Nanjiani responded perfectly to the first occurrence of this since 2012’s Best Sound Editing, where Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty prevailed.

Feelings About the Press Room

Being able to watch the Oscars ceremony on my birthday, and alongside colleagues who covered the race, was highly unique and fairly unforgettable. It’s an experience that very much inspires me to keep following and prognosticating the race. Talking with people who had feelings for certain films (such as Irish individuals who really wanted Buckley to win), or other journalists who were looking at it from an objective perspective, was enlightening. The lag between who won and went to the room was frustrating to some, but understandable. I hope to attend one day and ask a question, but for a first year it was a truly strong experience.

Initial Thoughts on what to take away from a strong Oscar Race

This was easily the most challenging Oscar race to read and separate objectivity from vibes. In some categories like Cinematography and Casting, betting on stats was a losing game, but where it mattered like Best Picture and other notable races, stats really did make the difference. Coogler’s film was strong, and I would totally understand predicting it to win Best Picture, but Paul Thomas Anderson’s political epic was simply stronger and more unanimously praised.

In the battle of the unstoppable force vs the immovable object, the latter won partially due to the undeniability of the filmmaker, and its relevancy in the eyes of voters.

We will have more to talk about on our postmortem podcast.