OSCAR PEDICTIONS - 2017

This does not reflect what I think are the best in any category, but what will actually win so you can win at your local office pools.

BEST PICTURE - La La Land

La La Land

BEST DIRECTOR - Damian Chazelle

La La Land

BEST ACTOR - Casey Afleck

Manchester by the Sea

BEST ACTRESS - Emma Stone

La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Viola Davis

Viola Davis

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - Moonlight

Mahershala Ali

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - La La Land

La La Land

BEST EDITING - La La Land

La La Land

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - The Jungle Book

The-Jungle-Book-Logo

BEST COSTUME DESIGN - La La Land

La La Land

BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING - Star Trek Beyond

Star-Trek-Beyond

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

La La Land

BEST SOUND MIXING - La La Land

La La Land

BEST SOUND DESIGN - Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge

BEST FOREIGN FILM - The Salesman

The Salesman
BEST SCORE - La La Land
La La Land

BEST SONG - La La Land (City of Stars)

La La Land

BEST ANIMATED FILM - Zootopia

Zootopia

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - OJ: Made in America

OJ Made in America

BEST SHORT (LIVE ACTION) - Enemy Within

ennemis-interieurs

BEST SHORT (ANIMATED) - Piper

piper

THE FUTURE OF HOLLYWOOD

I spoke to my films students about this last week...

WHY HOLLYWOOD AS WE KNOW IT IS ALREADY OVER

Will AI be the future? Will films cease to exist and can I simply use CGI from beginning to end? Will I finally be able to put Brando in one of my films?

Yes, yes, and yes.

2021

I do believe Facebook will be one of many locations where we watch films, but what we consider a film will shift into something more authentic and participatory.

You'll see art house cinemas gain a new following. People will show up to bars and get a dose of a DJ, film clips, a comedian, and a podcast -- all in one go.

2023

Mini Lalapaloozas will become the norm.

Microbudget features will become popular for a year or two, as the need for content grows and technology and usability meet.

Then, this will peter out

2025

Users will make films of varying lengths. In some cases, these will not resemble films but a mix between CGI, photography, voice-over, and a peeping tom look into someone's life.

Everyone will be able to animate and create effects to various degrees. 

Reality and non-reality will become synonymous.

Drones will be able to follow users into any situation, and the need for fancy cranes, jibs, steadicams, and dollies will be obsolete.

2028


Everyone will be able to make a certain type of film, and these will be the shared elements on sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

User content on YouTube will get so good you won't be able to tell what is done by a production company versus a 17 year old kid in Rochester.

2032


Physical skills, such as dancing, singing, or acting will seem as antiquated as painting or chamber orchestras.

2035

Coding and programming will be the new arts. Designers will come up with complex algorithms that will create virtual environments that can be entered and shared with other users.

(Imagine it like a Westworld, but there's no need for robots. Everything will be virtual.)

2041

Physical touching and the exchange of fluids will seem crass. Users will seek pleasure and intimacy in virtual environments and not need to leave their cubicles.

A counterculture will grow that encourages the opposite. They will be seen mostly like nudists twenty years ago and will represent 1-2% of the world's population.

2047

Memory implants and corrections have been surgeries attempted for years now, but new breakthroughs in brain mapping have allowed for a manipulation of brain receptors to be aligned with programming so the latest craze will be virtual experiences that coincide with memories and dreams that can be controlled extracted, amended, deleted, and shared.