Like many film students, I closely followed press coverage leading up to the 98th Academy Awards with a keen eye on a set of films, individuals, and production units that I was hoping would win. By closely playing attention to numerous campaign strategies, I notice that this editorial publication featuring Spike Lee and Ryan Coogler for Variety magazine effectively utilizes the ethos means of persuasion to strengthen the Sinners campaign strategy. More specifically, the combination of Variety magazine’s industrial authority and the professional studio photoshoot featuring Lee and Coogler employ the ethos strategy to persuade Academy voters to vote for the films they are representing.

While I am not an Academy voter, the article’s successful use of ethos persuades me to believe that Lee and Coogler deserve to win. Initially persuaded by the publication’s credibility, then further persuaded by the conversation in the article, I am finally persuaded by the photos because of how they relate to the topics from their conversation. In the photo above, Lee represents a proud elder, representing authority earned through experience, handing down stewardship over the film medium’s future to a younger, ambitious filmmaker, Ryan Coogler. Personally, this is what affects me the most because it assures me that the tradition and legacy of cinema culture continues to persist, as someone who is eager to enter the professional film industry. 

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