Tom Fleischman, the Oscar-winning sound engineer best known for his longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese, has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over its controversial plan not to present eight categories live during the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards. It is reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
A move that was met with a storm of criticism, the Academy plans to award Oscars for Documentary Short, Film Editing, Makeup/Hair, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short, Short Film, as well as Fleischman’s own discipline, sound, inside the Dolby Theater in an hour before the broadcast on March 27, recording and editing them for the subsequent live broadcast.
The music community’s oldest statesman, Fleischman won an Oscar for “Hugo” Scorsese, and was also nominated for “The Silence of the Lambs” by Jonathan Demme, “Reds” by Warren Beatty, and “The Aviator” and “Gangs of New York” by Scorsese. His long list of works with Scorsese includes The Goodfellas, The Irishman, and the winner of The Departed. He first worked for Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker, doing temporary dubs for Raging Bull.
Fleischman also has a long working relationship with Spike Lee, having directed films including Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X and BlacKKKlansman.
The son of legendary film editor Dede Allen and documentary filmmaker Stephen Fleischman, he has also worked with directors such as Ron Howard (Cinderella Man) and Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers) and has worked on documentaries including the Oscar-winning Free solo”. Fleishman’s spokesman confirmed to THR that he had stepped down.
The Academy was under pressure from ABC to create a more entertaining show, but many people, guilds and societies called on the Academy to reconsider its approach. Among them, Film Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) President Alan Heim said, “We understand the Academy’s desire to make a more exciting show… [but] The Oscars should be a night to celebrate all the hard work and skill that comes together to bring stories to life on screen, and we think the deserving craftsmen more than deserve their time in the spotlight.”
Motion Picture President Sound Editor Mark A. Lanza said, “The mission of the Academy is to honor the craft of filmmaking in all its facets. Excluding certain categories from the live broadcast worsens this mission.”
While accepting the Hollywood Critics Association’s Filmmaking Achievement Award on February 28, Guillermo del Toro urged others in the film industry to oppose the move. Earlier this week, the Academy further explained its decision, emphasizing that all Oscars will be presented at the Dolby Theatre.