The Academy of Motion Picture Arts of Sciences

How it Began:
In 1927 M-G-M’s studio chief Louis B Mayer decided he wanted to start an organization to benefit the entire film industry. He held a dinner at the Ambassador Hotel in LA for 36 people to give the proposal. The group supported the idea and by mid-march articles of the incorporation were presented and the first officers were elected, with Douglas Fairbanks as the president. On May 11, 1927 the first official organizational banquet was held, they initially decided on 5 branches: producers, actors, directors, writers, and technicians. That night the Academy also awarded the first honorary membership, to Thomas Edison.
The Birth of the Academy Awards:
One of the first Academy committees was Awards of Merit. The seven-person committee suggested to the Board in 1928 that awards be presented in 12 categories. The first Academy Awards were officially presented at a black-tie dinner at the Roosevelt on May 16, 1929, honoring achievements between August 1, 1927 and July 31, 1928.
The Academy’s Early Intitiative:
The Academy published its first book in 1928 – Report on Incandescent Illumination, based on a series of Academy-sponsored seminars attended by 150 cinematographers. A second book, Recording Sound for Motion Pictures, was published in 1931, based on a lecture series on sound techniques.

In 1930 the Academy developed a program to train Signal Corps. officers in the various aspects of motion picture production for the purpose of producing military training films. Years later at the start of World War II, the Academy’s Research Council arranged for major studios to produce training films on a non-profit basis. Over 400 training shorts and related featurettes were delivered to the armed services.

A new Academy publication, the Screen Achievement Records Bulletin, debuted in 1934 when the Writers Branch began publishing a bulletin of screen authorship records. It listed film production titles and complete credits for directors and writers.

In the late 1920s and the 1930s the Academy was active in industry politics and labor-management issues, with mixed results. In 1937, during Frank Capra’s time as president, the Academy rewrote its bylaws and moved further away from involvement in labor-management arbitrations and negotiations.

The Continued Growth:
A scholarship program for film students was established in the mid 1960s; starting in 1968, grants were awarded to film-related organizations and colleges for internships, film festivals and other projects. In 1972, the Academy began the National Film Information Service to offer access to library materials for historians, students and others outside Los Angeles. A year later, the Student Academy Awards Committee was established to recognize and encourage promising college and university filmmakers.