The Conversation: Animated Acting and Oscar
In the age of "Avatar," should motion capture acting be eligible for Oscars?
March 5, 2010— -- James Cameron's "Avatar" has enjoyed huge commercial and critical success. It's up for nine Academy Awards this Sunday, including best picture and best director. Even with all these nominations, there's a glaring hole -- none of its stars were nominated for acting Oscars.
That snub from the Academy has renewed a long-running debate over what makes a performance award-worthy. If an actor works in a motion capture suit that records his movements, is it still his performance once an animation team has added all the digital effects? Directors, including Cameron and Steven Spielberg, liken the animation to digital makeup, but others in the industry aren't so sure.
When the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was racking up Oscar nods several years ago, many argued that Andy Serkis deserved recognition. He's the actor who brought the slimy character Gollum to life in a motion capture suit. So, does he believe the "Avatar" actors should have been nominated?
Today, ABC's John Berman talks with Serkis about this debate and how technology is changing what it means to be an actor. Check it out in the Conversation.