Academy Award-winning movies: 5 Takeaways for directors

Academy Award-winning movies combine incredible sights, sounds, and storytelling with impressive acting. It’s why millions of viewers and nominees tune into each year’s show, anxiously waiting to hear which productions walk away with the night’s two most coveted trophies – the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Director.

At Voice123 – where you’ll find enigmatic voices for filmmaking projects  – we’re ready to help you jumpstart your Oscars 2024-inspired audio/visual projects. So, in this post, we’ll explore inspirational takeaways for directors from Academy Award-winning movies. 

And the Academy Awards go to…

What are the Academy Awards?

The Academy Awards, or Oscars, are an annual award ceremony conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize the previous year’s cinematic achievements in the film industry. The Academy conducts a phased voting process to nominate and select winners using over 10,500 members from acting, directing, writing, and other branches. While all members can vote for the Best Picture nominees, specific categories are voted on by members from a related branch. So, directors vote for directors, actors vote for actors, etc. The final winners are kept confidential until revealed at the annual show. 

Here’s a closer look at the past Academy Award-winning movies. 

Academy Award-winning movies list

1. Oppenheimer (2023) had 13 nominations and 7 wins at the Oscars 2024, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, Director, and Actor. 
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) won 7 Academy Awards from 11 nominations at the Oscars 2023, including the Academy Award for Best Director, Picture, and Actress. 
3. CODA (2021) won all 3 Oscar awards it was nominated for. The Academy Award for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, and Adapted Screenplay. 
4. Nomadland (2020) won 3 out of 6 nominations – the Academy Award for Best Director, Actress, and Picture. 
5. Parasite (2019) won 4 out of 6 nominations. The Academy Award for Best Picture, Director, International Feature Film, and Original Screenplay.  

Academy Awards: 5 takeaways for directors

1. Oppenheimer

At the Oscars 2024, director Christopher Nolan – the Academy Award for Best Director recipient – addresses human behavior through emotionally disturbed characters with moral complexity in favor of straightforward storytelling. Lesson: Create thought-provoking cinema by encouraging audiences to reflect on their perceptions of morality and reality.

2. Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Oscars 2023 director duo The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) merged genres and vibrant visuals to create an unconventional narrative. Lesson: Don’t be afraid to experiment and stretch your creativity with filming techniques that add fresh perspectives to your projects. 

3. The Power of the Dog

Director Jane Campion used innovative filming techniques to capture the imposing landscapes of Montana, which intensified the film’s psychological tension, isolation, and brutality. Lesson: Use different environments to deepen your narrative, creating symbiotic relationships between characters and settings.

4. Nomadland 

Director Chloé Zhao blended fiction and documentary by incorporating real-life nomads to add authenticity and raw, unfiltered emotion to her narrative. Lesson: Utilize real human experiences and unadulterated emotions to capture real-life experiences with honest storytelling.

5. Parasite 

Bong Joon-ho won the Academy Award for Best Director for his thought-provoking yet entertaining narrative that effectively transitioned from dark comedy to thriller to horror. Lesson: Use genres as a vehicle for more profound messages by engaging audiences through societal issues.  

Academy Award for best director: 5 inspirational directors

1. Steven Spielberg inspired a new filmmaking generation. He pushed the boundaries of innovative technology to evoke deep emotional responses from audiences in iconic films like Jaws and Jurassic Park.
2. Martin Scorsese explores complex themes like crime, sin, and redemption through gritty character development in films like Killers of the Flower Moon.
3. Alfred Hitchcock revolutionized the thriller film genre with innovative techniques to build tension through pacing and mood in The Birds and Psycho. 
4. Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. She demonstrated creative perspectives in the intense, action-packed narratives of The Hurt Locker. 
5. Christopher Nolan redefined cinema by challenging audiences with critical thinking and interpretative analysis in films like Inception and Oppenheimer. 

Academy Award-winning movies: Tips for voice over projects

• Prioritize authenticity. Belfast (2021), the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay winner, used Irish actors in a story from Northern Ireland. 
• Use voice actors with emotional range, like The Boy and the Heron (2024) cast. Robert Pattison and Luca Padovan showcased powerful emotions while exploring themes of grief and self-discovery.
• Create nuanced characters. The Joker (2019), which won Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor, showcased the impact of complex character personalities. 
• Adapt your storytelling like The Shape of Water (2017). This Academy Award for Best Picture winner, adapted its narrative from the novel of the same name. 

Need a professional voice for your Oscars 2024-inspired projects? Check out the talented voice actors on Voice123. You can request auditions from voice actors in a particular region. Or from those who only perform in a specific language or dialect for authentic character portrayals. 

Final thoughts on Academy Award-winning movies 

So, folks, the prestigious 24-karat gold-plated trophy goes to films that capture the best performances, directing, screenplay, and more. Whether you’re creating animations or documentaries, the lessons from Oscar-winning movies provide a roadmap that turns cinematic visions into unforgettable experiences. 

Ready to bring all your Oscar-winning movie-inspired projects to life? Work with the talented voice actors on Voice123. Or get the complete package with our Managed Services which handle your entire project. 

Celebrate the power of Oscar-winning movies with Voice123!  

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