I’ve received my BAFTA voting pack, and I note two interesting changes this year.
First is the increased power of voters in specific “chapters” of BAFTA. In the first round of voting, BAFTA members winnow down the hundreds of possible nominees in every category down to a more manageable 12. At this stage, everybody can vote in all categories–set decorators can vote for Best Editing, editors can vote for Best Screenplay, screenwriters can vote for Best Sound, and so on. However, the Academy is now giving a little extra weight to votes cast by members within their area of expertise. For example, as a member of the Direction Chapter, I received a letter informing me that:

…when the votes are counted in the Direction category, we will cross-reference the votes of the Direction Chapter with the rest of the Film Voting membership. If the voting differs, we will ensure that the top five from the Direction Chapter are included We hope that this will broaden the range of films considered for nomination. The distinction between films voted for by the Direction Chapter and by the membership at large will not be highlighted when the list is sent out.

The second change is that this year a little more guidance has been given to people voting outside their area of expertise. Along with my list of eligible films was a short flyer giving me guidance on what to look for when voting for various technical categories. A few excerpts:

Achievement in Special Visual Effects
In evaluating visual effects be aware not only of the noticeable effects but also subtle additions or deletions from scenes… Questions that should be asked by the voter include:
• Do the visual effects display artistry and creativity?
• Are the visual effects well integrated into the film, or do they draw attention to themselves?
• Are the visual effects natural and believable in their execution?
…
Production Design
The Production Designer is responsible for creating the most appropriate physical setting for the characters, action, and mood of the film, whether it be a location, a built environment, or a combination of the two. He or she is also responsible for the integration of the set decoration (for example, props, furniture, hand-props, graphics) and must be mindful of the integration of other visual crafts (costume design, make-up and hair and special visual effects) into the look of a film. Voters should avoid being ‘dazzled’ by the use of exotic and extravagant locations and settings if they are not appropriate for the film.

I think both these changes are very smart moves. As I’ve mentioned before, allowing awards voters to cast ballots outside their area of expertise creates a real risk that only the most unsubtle performances will take home a trophy. BAFTA (unlike the US Academy) already restricts final voting in most categories to experts in the field, which is one reason why the BAFTA awards are much less likely to result in a total sweep. With these new tweaks, BAFTA makes their voting process even more sensible, and even more likely to result in deserving nominees.