One Plus One Equals Two
Brandon Joyner
It is possibly the same in your home as it is in ours that each year, we find ourselves watching more than our share of television. It is that time of year when Hollywood deigns to impress the viewing public with the spectacle of the Oscars. We are all encouraged to be impressed by the choices for the multitude of categories, from Best Picture to Film Editing, all sorted out by the powers that be in the world of movies, et al.
In our home, the season takes on a special importance that other homes might not enjoy because our son is a member of the industry via his chosen profession(s). Not only do we get the full-blown immersion into the lists of all sorts of award-winners but also into those that didn’t get away because there is an abundance of tv/cable/streaming channels and services ready to show todays' audiences just what they missed by being too young to have viewed the ancient winners when first presented. Even if we hadn’t been alive to see the films when they originally came out, rest assured that we have, in fact, seen every single winner of “Best Picture” since the beginning of The Academy’s (the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) award existence, all 92 years of them. We also get to do the same as the members of the Academy by voting in all the ventures, except in our case, we cast two votes, one for our favorites as well as one for the selections we think will win, as a course of the real voting process. At the end of the night when all the stars have paraded across the stage, we take a tally and get the opportunity to see how the voting went and who the winners of our straw poll are.
Our great good fortune in this enterprise is that we win. That is, my wife and I both win. The specialty categories for the parents of those involved in the exercise I´ve described above are only obvious to other parents watching their children operate in their fields of expertise. The following are a few: Best Offspring in a Lead Role, Best Offspring in a Supporting Role, Best Direction of a Group of Friends, Best Result from a Bad Situation, etc. Of course, these are not the real categories you will see the night the awards are presented, but these are the ones that my wife and I conjure up as both our sons go through the motions and festivities of that evening.
It is a challenge to fill out the ballots Brandon provides because his mother and I will not have seen very many of the films listed. Further, we will not know many of the categories offered. So, we fill in the forms with the same level of understanding used by unnumbered students on tests given in schools across the country daily. At the end of the night, the scores are announced and, as usual, my wife and I will fail miserably while both our sons will have scored well. Brandon has a near-perfect record of winning with near-perfect scores.
To many, this might seem inconsequential, but the study involved is a large part of a professional writer's craft. It is the viewing, the reading, and the communications with others in their field that empowers actors, writers, and directors to excel and rise to the top of the heap. We have looked on through the years as Brandon has received numerous recognitions for his work. It is thrilling to watch him as he regales his friends with his informed opinion after they have spent the time to see the movie of choice for the week. He gives a rundown of the text, the camera work, the director’s design, the script content, and a multiplicity of other aspects of the project. With each factor reviewed, he then gives the overall evaluation of the film. That opinion is rendered for all who might want to see the film from the avid fan to the once-a-year attendee.
It would be improper to claim anything other than satisfaction and a certain amount of pride when I get into answering the inevitable questions from family, friends and acquaintances, “What are the boys up to?" and “What are they into nowadays?” While the details may vary slightly per category, both Jeannie and I have the same finalists for Offspring in a Starring Role. Bet your ballot reveals the same as ours!
~ David Joyner