What are the Filmspots?The Filmspots are the annual movie awards of the Filmspotting Forum. 2010 is the fourth year of the awards. For more background info on how the Filmspots got started, feel free to trace the history through
this thread.
How does the award process work?It's basically a three-step process:
1) Keep track of all potential nominees throughout the year. To this end, every award category has a corresponding For Your Consideration (FYC, for short) thread. The first post in each of those threads serves as an index of the various nominees mentioned elsewhere in that thread. Promoting your favorite nominees and getting them added to the FYC lists is pretty much essential if they're to have a chance of making the final ballot.
2) Nominations balloting. Every Filmspotter is encouraged to submit their five favorite nominees in each category. The top five vote-getters in each category will form the final ballot. You can submit less than five nominees in a given category, and you don't have to vote in every category.
3) Final balloting. Every Filmspotter is encouraged to pick their favorite from among the nominees in each category. You can submit a final ballot even if you didn't previously submit a nominations ballot. And, again, you don't have to vote in every category.
What are the categories this year?Picture
[FYC]Director
[FYC]Original Screenplay
[FYC]Adapted Screenplay
[FYC]Actor
[FYC]Actress
[FYC]Supporting Actor
[FYC]Supporting Actress
[FYC]Ensemble Cast
[FYC]Non-English Language Film
[FYC]Animated Film
[FYC]Documentary
[FYC]Editing
[FYC]Sound
[FYC]Score
[FYC]Soundtrack
[FYC]Cinematography
[FYC]Art Direction
[FYC]Visual Effects
[FYC]Surprise
[FYC]Debut Feature
[FYC]Scene (Dramatic)
[FYC]Scene (Comedic)
[FYC]Shot
[FYC]Line
[FYC]Is there a master FYC index that lists all the potential nominees by film?Yes! Right
here.
What determines whether or not a film is eligible in a given year?Films (including made-for-tv films) are eligible up to a three-year period, starting with their first theatrical release, but with three limiting factors:
1) Once a film gains a wide theatrical release in the US (playing simultaneously on more than 100 or so screens), it cannot be eligible again in subsequent years.
2) Once a film debuts on DVD on the US, it cannot be eligible again in subsequent years.
3) Once a film earns a Filmspot nomination, it cannot be eligible again in subsequent years.
See
here for a specific questions about whether or not certain films are eligible.
Why is [this film] eligible for Best Debut Feature even though IMDb says it's the director's [nth] film?The Best Debut Feature category recognizes a director's US theatrical feature debut. Earlier films that did not receive theatrical distribution in the US do not affect a director's eligibility.
What music counts as Score and what music counts as Soundtrack?The Filmspots define Score as the original music composed for the film. Soundtrack, on the other hand, includes
all the music in a film, including pre-existing songs, new songs, the score itself, and so on.
What is the Surprise category?It's a chance to honor films that, even though they might not be Top 5 of the year material, still exceeded expectations — or came totally out of left field — and were, as the name implies, a pleasant surprise. The three previous winners were
17 Again,
Chop Shop, and
Once, which beat out nominees such as
Humpday,
Paranormal Activity,
Redbelt,
Mister Lonely,
This is England, and
Enchanted.
When are nominations ballots due?Monday, January 31 (extending to Monday sunrise in Hawaii).
How do I submit a nominations ballot?Follow the instructions
here.
When will nominations be announced?The nominees will be revealed in
a live chat on Tuesday, February 1, at 7pm Eastern (12am GMT) then posted to the forums soon thereafter.
edit: Here are the
2010 Filmspot Nominations.
When are final ballots due?Saturday, February 26 (extending to Sunday sunrise in Hawaii).
How do I submit a final ballot?Details will be available after the nominees are annouced.
When will winners be revealed?The winners will be revealed in
a live chat on Monday, February 28, at 7pm Eastern (12am GMT) then posted to the forums soon thereafter.
Where can I find the results of the previous Filmspots?The 2009 results can be found
here.
Fantastic Mr. Fox won Best Picture, beating out
Inglourious Basterds,
The Hurt Locker,
A Serious Man, and
Where the Wild Things Are.
The 2008 results can be found
here.
The Wrestler won Best Picture, beating out
WALL·E,
Paranoid Park,
Rachel Getting Married, and
Slumdog Millionaire.
The 2007 results can be found
here.
No Country for Old Men won Best Picture, beating out
There Will Be Blood,
Atonement,
Ratatouille,
Juno, and
Zodiac.
So are foreign films eligible for Best Picture?You wouldn't know it from those past results, but yes, they are.
35 Shots of Rum finished sixth in the nominations for Best Picture in 2009;
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,
Flight of the Red Balloon, and
Still Life all finished in the top ten in 2008.
Where should I ask questions that aren't addressed above?In the main
Filmspots 2010 thread.