Build your own movie to see if you would win an Oscar for Best Picture.
1. What genre is the movie?
a. Drama
b. Biopic or historical fiction
c. Comedy
d. Action
e. Horror
f. Animated
If you chose…
A - add 10 points
B – add 5 points
C, D – add 0 points
E – subtract 5 points
F – subtract 10 points
2. What is the movie about?
a. Familial conflict
b. Race relations
c. A historical figure
d. Star-crossed lovers
e. A fantasy world
f. A superhero
g. A dystopian society
If you chose…
A, B, C – add 10 points
D, E – add 0 points
F, G – subtract 5 points
3. Is it a foreign language film?
a. No
b. Yes
If you chose…
A – add 0 points
B – subtract 5 points
4. When is the film set?
a. The past
b. The present
c. The future
If you chose…
A – add 5 points
B – add 0 points
C – subtract 5 points
5. So, costumes?
a. Detailed period-specific costumes
b. Just normal clothes
c. Disheveled post-apocalyptic chic
d. Futuristic get-ups
If you chose…
A – add 5 points
B, C – add 0 points
D – subtract 5 points
6. When did your film come out?
a. Between October and January
b. Any other month
If you chose…
A – add 5 points
B – add 0 points
7. How well did it do in the box office?
a. It was a huge blockbuster hit.
b. It did OK.
c. It flopped.
If you chose…
A – add 0 points
B – add 5 points
C – subtract 5 points
8. Did critics like it?
a. Obviously, certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
b. We did OK, just barely fresh.
c. Rotten. Straight-up rotten.
If you chose…
A – add 10 points
B – subtract 15 points
C – subtract 30 points
9. How long is the movie?
a. Longer than 2 hours
b. Between 90 minutes and 2 hours
c. 90 minutes or less
If you chose…
A – add 5 points
B – add 0 points
C – subtract 5 points
10. Is the movie part of a series?
a. Yes
b. No
If you chose…
A – subtract 5 points
B – add 0 points
11. Did any of your actors or actresses learn a difficult skill, such as an instrument, sport or dance, for a role?
a. Yes
b. No
If you chose…
A – add 5 points
B – add 0 points
Now tally up your points and read below to see if you scored yourself an Oscar win.
60 or more points: Congratulations, you won Best Picture. You have mastered the art of the Oscar Bait. You’re either a genius or a pretentious jerk, depending on who you ask.
40 to 60 points: You were nominated for Best Picture. So close, but not quite. Practice that “I’m so happy for you even though I lost, and I hate you” face for the cameras during the ceremony. Don't pull a 2014 Bill Murray losing to Sean Penn.
30 to 40 points: You made the Oscars Best Picture shortlist. Not bad, but not enough to be memorable in any way whatsoever.
20 to 30 points: You weren’t even considered for an Oscar. Sorry, not sorry.
Less than 20 points: The Academy would laugh you out of the room if you even walked in.
This quiz was based partially on a 2008 study by Harvard University and UCLA’s California Center for Population Research, Best Picture information from filmsite.org, voting and nominee information from oscar.go.com and entertainment news publication The Wrap’s voting calculations.
