Close Up: With Governors Awards Producer David Rubin
Everyone knows what happens on Oscar night with gold statuettes handed out for achievements in film, but the Academy also gives out awards during another big evening each year: the Governors Awards, which feature Honorary Awards and, when they are selected on certain years, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. All of these awards have long been a part of Oscar history, but in recent years the move to give them a separate show to give a longer, brighter spotlight to the honorees has created a new Academy tradition.
In 2016, the Governors Awards honor Jackie Chan, Anne V. Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman, a reflection of the wide range of talents and crafts celebrated each year. This year the November 12 ceremony is produced by David Rubin, a veteran casting director and a 2012 Emmy winner for Game Change. We caught up with him in the final week of preparations for the show to find out what it’s like producing one of the biggest nights in Hollywood.
“The essential spirit of the Governors Awards has not changed appreciably in the past seven years,” Rubin says of the show’s evolution. “It has always been a comparatively intimate event, by invitation only, where tribute is paid to those who have made an indelible mark in motion pictures or in the area of humanitarian efforts. I do think the production of the event itself has benefited from the collective wisdom gained from multiple years of the same enterprise. Each year it keeps getting better, runs more smoothly and as a result is more and more fun.”
The honorees each year are selected by the Academy’s Board of Governors, an essential component Rubin intends to address. “In reviewing video of the past seven events, I noticed that the presence and involvement of the Governors was never a vital element of the evening,” he notes, “and this year we are correcting that. For each of the honorees, the first presenter will be an Academy Governor from the honoree’s branch, who will speak about their achievements from the unique perspective of a professional colleague. I anticipate those particular speeches will have a personal resonance and a sense of appreciation that will be truly memorable.”
“With these Governors Awards,” he adds about the evening’s format, “we are not honoring excellence in connection with a single motion picture, but rather a career or a lifetime of remarkable achievement. Having an entire evening devoted to only three or four awards allows us to spend a well-deserved length of time focused on each honoree, learning about these notable lives and extolling their accomplishments. Also, these Awards are not televised and attendance is by invitation only, so there is an intimacy, a sense of privacy, and a singular, personal touch that make it different from every other Hollywood awards night.”
Combining elements of a major awards show, a dinner party, and an elegant get together, the Governors Awards has its own unique set of demands and rewards. “Of course there are many moving parts to an event like this,” says Rubin, “and the producer is directly involved in every aspect. That has included the selection of presenters, musical entertainment, set and lighting design, the writing of presentations, the producing of tribute videos, the seating chart, the dinner menu, and even the table linens. I think selecting the table linens was the biggest surprise! But the support provided by the incredible Academy staff and the experienced event-planning team at Sequoia Productions has made it a real pleasure. The only real challenge has been the limited lead time in advance of the awards night. It is indeed a fast moving train, but it somehow manages to arrive at the station each year in grand style.”
The choices of honorees also have a strong impact on how the show is put together each year, with the pioneers of the 2016 recipients representing a huge impact on cinema in many ways. “Lynn Stalmaster was the very first independent casting director in motion pictures,” Rubin notes. “Anne V. Coates, who initially aspired to be a director, approached her craft as an equal to the directors with whom she worked. Frederick Wiseman created an entirely new form of documentary — no narration, no interviews. He puts his camera lens right in the center of social and political institutions and lets ‘real life’ unfold, to essentially tell its own story. And Jackie Chan incorporated his love of the great screen comedians Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd to create a new brand of martial arts film and as a result became a globally popular phenomenon. This year’s awards will be about game changers.”
Unlike the Oscars, the Governors Awards is not televised live; it’s an intimate, private event, but highlights do appear online and as part of the main Oscar telecast. “There is a tremendous amount of press and publicity surrounding this event,” he explains about the event (which includes a star-studded red carpet), “and by shining a bright light on these honorees, several of whom are not household names, we are without question furthering the mission of the Academy to promote and celebrate outstanding achievement in the motion pictures arts and sciences.”
The end result is a celebration unlike any other, which Rubin is determined to give his own creative and unique stamp. “My goal is to throw a party that people remember, long after the last pop of a champagne cork,” he says. “And I’m most looking forward to the unpredictable, emotional, funny, inspiring moments that occur when talented, creative people celebrate other talented, creative people. There’s nothing quite like it.”
The 2016 Governors Awards will take place on November 12, 2016. Learn all about the honorees on Oscars.org and follow along the Academy’s Twitter feed for updates live from the night.
