Oscars Gives Update on New Venues and Additional Covid Safety Protocols
The Oscar nominations are in and are sure to make for a night to remember.
While the award shows of the pandemic have been mostly (or all) virtual, the 2021 Academy Awards will forgo Zoom calls and forget to unmute yourself.
Producers for the awards attempt to wrangle the “mind-numbing” logistics of the show; they will be adding new venues in London and elsewhere for participants unable to travel due to COVID restrictions.
It was also announced that all performances for the Best Original Song category will take place in Los Angeles, and that attendees at the awards will be required to meet strict quarantine standards, including at-home testing provided by the Academy.
Dr. Erin Bromage, who is coordinating COVID, protocols for the event alongside L.A. County public health officials admitted, “The situation is very fluid.”
Meanwhile, studio and personal publicists will not be allowed to attend, and nominees are asked to arrive with their guests in the same car, with no stylists on site for any touch ups.
Only 20 outlets will be licensed to broadcast from the red carpet, with only four credentialed photographers, in order to limit
“London is 100 percent confirmed. We’re in negotiations with the location. We cannot share it with you yet. There are no more tickets…It is nominees plus one,“ producer Stacey Sher told the meeting attendees.
In a letter obtained earlier this month by ET, Oscar nominees were told they will not have the option to video-call in to the live show.
“For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about travelling, we want you to know there will not be an option to zoom in for the show,” the letter said.
Producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Sher added, “We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”
Nominees and their guests will be tested on-site as well as other precautions just like “an active movie set.”
The letter also sent out rules regarding dress code and speeches.
“You’re wondering about the Dress Code (as well you should). We’re aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not,” the letter adds.
And don’t think about making your speech too long, telling people, “It is our belief the show isn’t ‘too long’ because of the speeches. HAVING SAID THAT” they want people to “READ THE ROOM” by thanking people by their name only, not title, and to “tell a STORY.”
“The audience leans back when they see a winner with a piece of paper in their hand.”
The 2021 Oscars take place on April 25.