From Academy Bylaws:
Article III, Section 1. Membership shall be by invitation of the Board of Governors. Invitations to active membership shall be limited to those persons active in the motion picture arts and sciences, or credited with screen achievements, or who have otherwise achieved distinction in the motion picture arts and sciences and who, in the opinion of the Board, are qualified for membership.
To be considered for invitation to Academy membership as a Member-at-Large, a candidate must:
(a) have been actively engaged for the past 8 years in the theatrical motion picture arts and sciences in a key creative position for which the Academy has no branch, and/or
(b)
• have a minimum of 8 years experience as a stunt coordinator, serving as a lead- credited stunt coordinator on at least 8 theatrical feature films of a caliber which reflect the high standards of the Academy, or
• have served in one of the following positions for 5 consecutive years:
o Head of Physical Production
o Head of Visual Effects Production
o Head of Post-Production
o Chief Technical Officer, or
• have made scientific and/or technological contributions which produced leading creative tools and/or systems for the crafts involved in the creation of the theatrical motion picture experience, or
• have had direct involvement in the last 8 years, not solely in an administrative position, in the preservation and/or restoration of legacy and current content of the moving image and/or recorded sound, or
(c) have, in the judgment of 2/3 of the Members-at-Large Executive Committee, achieved unique distinction, earned special merit, or made an outstanding contribution to the art or science of motion
pictures.
Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from each sponsor which addresses, as specifically as possible, how the candidate meets one or another of the requirements above.