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The Dark Knight's For Your Consideration Ads in Variety

by Alex Billington
November 22, 2008

With the Oscar season in full swing, not only do we get to see a barrage of high quality dramatic films, but we get to see "For Your Consideration" ads like these. Warner Brothers bought the entire cover of Variety earlier this week to try and push The Dark Knight for Oscar consideration. In addition to the cover, they ran two more full page ads in the trade mag, one for Heath Ledger specifically, the other pushing The Dark Knight for Best Picture. Tomorrow I'm writing an article on the actual possibility that it might win some Oscars, so we'll save that discussion for then. In the meantime, check out these ads from Variety.

Warner Brothers has also launched an Oscar website: warnerbros2008.com. You can find complete information, scripts, soundtracks, and more for both The Dark Knight and Gran Torino, if you're interested, given there's not much more we haven't already seen. Click either photo below to see a larger version.

The first thing to notice is that Warner Brothers is pushing Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor - exactly as I predicted they would. For a while, fans were arguing that Ledger was not a supporting actor, but rather one of the main actors. With the likes of Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and Benicio Del Toro in the running for Best Actor, it's a smarter move on their part to push Ledger for Best Supporting Actor - he's much more likely to posthumously win there. Secondly, I'm very excited to see them pushing The Dark Knight so much for Best Picture - but I'll save my complete thoughts on all of that for tomorrow!

Filed under Awards, Cool Stuff, Hype

From around the web:

dave

The joker was the best character in the darkknight i hope he pushes the movies chances of winning anything higher than it already is The two pictures look pretty cool
McScottsonfelds

Call me crazy, but I truly believe it can win best picture. Absolutely deserves it. And what about Nolan for best director??
andrew

see this is what i want to read on this site. please stop putting stupid twilight articles on the website. now on the article, cool that heath is getting pushed hard. did an amazing job. for best picture chances, this is my reasoning. if Titanic (a far inferior movie) can win 11 oscars at the movies because it was the biggets money maker of all time, then i think The Dark Knight (#2) should def. get the awards it's in contention for. plus, if the academy really doesn't value the genre, then they should be even more impressed at the quality of the film. no?
McScottsonfelds

I agree with #3. If the academy doesn't show any appreciation for a movie like The Dark Knight, it's the beginning of the end of Hollywood. Not that anybody respects these organizations anymore.
BadKarma

Ya we all want The Dark Knight to win buuuuutt, it will go to films like Juno or some mediocre crap thats socially accaptable, god forbid a comic movie . Hands down Dark knight was the best movie since empire and jedi dvd sales will prove it as box office. Oh yea watched Iron Man and Hellboy 2 , both are bein traded in ... maybe not Hellboy on the fence still but wtf i never was an Iron man fan Favrea an wheres the action wtf . I think the action buget went to boooze with Vince vaughn an Piven
Kenneth Van Castle

The Dark Knight Best Picture Best Director Best Supporting Actor Best Screenplay (Adapted probably) Best Make-Up Best Editing Best Sound Mixing I would add the score, but the Academy already ruled that out on a counting technicality Aside from that, these would be the seven awards I would love to see The Dark Knight be nominated for. Not only that, I truly believe the movie deserves those nominees. Overall, a stunning movie. The directing of all the actors, leading Heath to his performance, cutting the action sequences together, planning it all out, great directing! Heath, I need say nothing. Screenplay, let's take a look at how Harvey finds out Rachel died; he flips the coin on the table to see half of it was charred, the same coin he gave her before being put into the van. No one told him. He figured it out through the coin; that's intelligent writing. Make-Up. Let's take a look at how Harvey evolves into Two-Face, the bruises on the famous Bruce Wayne, and of course, the deterioration of the Joker from the beginning of the film to the end. All make-up. Best editing should go with the cutting, the action sequences, the tracking of all the shots, and following Nolan's fight sequences as well. And, of course, also add the editor the tribute of two fantastic trailers and dozens of intense TV spots. And sound mixing. It sounded genuine, gritty, intense, and absolutely delightful. Everything was put together just right. Edited visually great, and sound as well. The Dark Knight Nominated for 7 Academy Awards
Tyler

No 6 said it just right, but I am so pissed that Heath Ledger is being put up for Best supporting actor. The academy would allow him in the best actor category, and Rourke seems to be the only guy that has a performance that has received so much early buzz. Heath would stand a really good chance at winning, few actors have created such an iconic performance, not to mention many felt he should have won for Brokeback mountain. At this point people know he would have taken an award home had his life not been cut short, and this is the only chance at giving him one. This decision is just about as upsetting as the academy disqualifying the score.
Scott McHenry

I dont know why it should even be a big debate. Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor by far. Just because its based off a comic doesnt mean it should get Best Picture.
darrin

heath would win but the best picture, hell no. that film had too much much flaws
James

I'm sorry, No. 6, but WALL-E deserves the sound mixing and sound editing awards more than Dark Knight. Ben Burtt's designs for that movie are astounding. Just like he did with R2-D2 over thirty years ago, Burtt used a few mechanized sounds to give artificial characters human emotions. WALL-E would not be half as memorable without Burtt's contribution.
William

Definitely have to add Cinematography to that list of Nominations. Since the DP's (name sadly escapes me) Photography was equally praised as much as the film itself; not as much as Ledger, but still some good praise lol. In fact, I can see TDK winning that award.
Calvin

"exactly as I predicted they would"... Pretentious ass. If there is more than one main actor they are all supporting, your such a douche. Oh to #3, yea this is EXACTLY what we need on this site is one more article on the oscar buzz around dark knight, its basically the 1st time I've ever heard this before, ever. And to #4 "Not that anybody respects these organizations anymore." and "beginning of the end" if this film gets snubbed. No one should respect you for making these idiotic comments
Keith

@11 Wally Pfister I think...
OB

Think it is correct to put Heath up for supporting actor. He is not on the screen for many scences of the movie. It was an iconic performance, like Rourke's --- but Mickey is on screen for the whole of The Wrestler. Overall though, I was impressed by The Dark Knight, but think it is a little short of best picture nomination material -- dragged and repeated itself at the end, and some of the other acting was mundane. Christian Bale was much better in Rescue Dawn.
Joker

This film might the one/last chance the Academy has left to prove that their not out of touch with the public.
Ajax

If the Oscars want to survive, they would have to at least nominate TDK. Here's why: Over the past 5 years (after LOTR: TROTK) the Oscars have gone mostly independent, little known films. Because the public has not seen them, they care little about them, and thus, lower ratings. I am not saying that they didn't deserve it, but there were a lot of more well-known films that also deserved a nomination. However, the purpose of the Oscars are to award the best film, and 9 times out of 10, they do. But, now comes TDK. It is definitely well known, and it is actually hailed by many critics as one of the greatest films of the year. The Oscars must jump on this chance: not only is there a film that deserves a nomination, but it is extremely popular, which will draw in viewers. If the Oscars want to stay relevent in the eyes of the public and movie making world, it has to nominate TDK.
Darunia

I think Ledger is a lock to win the Oscar, but i find these ads rather insulting. They are trying to push it for Oscar consideration? Wtf, shouldn't those things simply happen naturally? And Ajax, lol at the whole "If the oscars want to survive", dude how old are you? 12?
Brian

There should also be an ad pushing for the SCORE to be in the consideration as well!
david

i have to say i am in total agreement......from here on out lets have NO twilight related articles that entire world is complete and utter shite....unless i suppose you are a 11-14 year old girl, whom i will somewhat safely agree is not the demographic for this website........and sadly i don't think darkknight will win any of the major categories, sure they will pull some wins for the technical as sound editing, costuming, yadda, yadda,.yadda and so forth but the people who determine who wins are all douchbags that pass over stellar films/performances all of the damn time. so craptastic films with 'artistic-integritiy' win the major categories. altho in my heart of hearts i will wish they do win best pic and best supporting actor and best director the DK was all it should have been and then even more.......
James

Christian Bales Best Actor Oscar advertisement is also out there.
BahHumbug

Thanks Alex. Please keep posting "For Your Consideration" ads, I always enjoy seeing how the studios decide to format them.
http://www.pure-perspective.com David

I'm calling it right now. The Dark Knight will win best picture. What with the movie business slacking, the Oscars trying desperately to get people to watch them, and the unlikely timing of Heath Ledger's death with one of the most badass performances since Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal; this is the perfect money making machine.
adrian

I know nominating the dark knight would be great for ratings because it's a film that the public hold highly in their hearts but I hope they just don't nominate it for that reason alone. It deserves to be nominated on it's merit alone, which it definitely should. Even from a technical aspect the film is a masterpiece, you have to respect the gusto of a production that would choose to do the kind of stunts and action sequences they did without using constant cgi. The writing is fantastic, it's got a great sense of the characters and they never make a move outside their personalities. The plot is engrossing and it's probably the most emotionally invested I've been in a movie and it's characters in a long time.
David

Forget about who in, or why The Dark Knight should win anything, how about looking at the title of the post and commenting on the ads themselves! These posters are fucking outstanding! Two genius still images from the film, one that will be etched in everyone's mind when recalling the film(Joker standing alone holding the mask), and one that is just a great honor, testament, and tribute to Ledger. Especially the Ledger poster. That's the kind of photograph you could hang on a wall.
avoidz

Doesn't deserve Best Picture, but Heath Ledger definitely should get Best Actor for his incredible, mesmerising Joker characterisation.
sanity

Ahh! More wankers that think the TDK is the best movie ever. "Masterpiece"? That's a laugh. You guys are just like all the teen girls swooning over Twilight, you can't see objectively because TDK is specifically designed to push all your fanboi buttons. TDK is as good as Twilight, no better. Ledger did a good job, but best picture? No way!
http://url.ie/h1b?985533015 website design

Ledger could get the nominated for leading role. After all, Hopkins won for The Silence of the Lambs and was only on screen for 16 minutes.