Updated February 15, 2019 19:43:04

Photo: Almost 500 Hollywood leaders have signed a letter criticising the Academy. (Reuters: Suzanne Plunkett)

One of the most important roles on a film set is, undeniably, filming the movie.

Unfortunately, if you are watching the Oscars this year you might not catch who is actually considered the best cinematographer, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In an effort to shorten its telecast and win back viewers after a record-low 26.5 million people watched in 2018, the Academy decided to present four statues during ad breaks.

This week it was announced those awards are make-up and hairstyling, live action short, editing and cinematography, with "emotionally resonant" moments of the winners' acceptance speeches shown later in the broadcast.

The decision did not go down well, with a host of Oscar winners and nominees publicly denouncing the move.

Two-time winner Alfonso Cuaron tweeted his displeasure, focusing particularly on the omission of the cinematography and editing awards from the broadcast.

"In the history of CINEMA, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color (sic), without a story, without actors and without music," the director, whose film Roma is up for 10 awards this year including best picture, tweeted.

"No one single film has ever existed without CINEMAtography and without editing."

Cuaron was clearly not alone in his outrage, with almost 500 actors, directors, composers and all sorts of filmmakers signing the American Society of Cinematographers' open letter to the Academy.

The letter, signed by such luminaries as George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt and Sofia Coppola, said the "backlash" in the wake of the announcement suggested "it's not too late to have this decision reversed".

"Relegating these essential cinematic crafts to lesser status in this 91st Academy Awards ceremony is nothing less than an insult to those of us who have devoted our lives and passions to our chosen profession," the letter read.

"We consider this abbreviation and potential censorship to run contrary to the spirit of the Academy's mission.

"When the recognition of those responsible for the creation of outstanding cinema is being diminished by the very institution whose purpose it is to protect it, then we are no longer upholding the spirit of the Academy's promise to celebrate film as a collaborative art form."

The Academy replied with its own open letter, saying awards would not be presented in a manner that lessens the achievements of any of the winners.

Photo: Australian Lee Smith (left) won the Oscar for best film editing for Dunkirk last year. (Invision/AP: Chris Pizzello)

The controversy was another blow for an organisation that is trying to rejuvenate a broadcast that has been bleeding viewers since a strong 2014, dropping in numbers every year until 2018's all-time low.

Last year, the Academy announced it would introduce a Popular Film category, but a backlash forced a backflip and the category was scrapped a month later.

And the host for the 2019 show was announced as Kevin Hart before homophobic tweets by the comedian were uncovered and he stepped down.

The 2019 Academy Awards will be without a host on February 25 (local time) — the first time the show has done so since 1989.

Topics: academy-awards-oscars, arts-and-entertainment, film, film-movies, united-states

First posted February 15, 2019 19:11:04