Recapping the 95th Annual Academy Awards

Our Event Experts Weigh In

The Oscars aren’t just Hollywood’s biggest night, it’s one of the biggest nights for the events industry, too.  

After all, the ceremony is about so much more than who won what or who wore it better. It’s about a communal experience. It’s about connecting an audience to a world of glitz and glamor that’s so much different than our own. And it’s all brought to life via stunning event creative and production. 

The beautiful staging. The powerful lighting. The subtle yet purposeful ways a theme is pulled through the entire experience. (And, this year is probably the first time in history where millions of people were talking about the audience’s seating arrangement!)  

With that in mind, here’s what some of our experts had to say about the creative execution of the 95th annual Academy Awards.

The Set:

The set was elegant, gorgeous, and functional. The massive moving curved LED worked wonders. I loved the smaller hidden stages that revealed music talent and secondary presentation sets. Also loved the use of the LED rails on the back of the seating that was used to accent the transitions.

Mark Wilson, Chief Creative Officer

The Fashion:

I tune in almost exclusively for the fashion, and this year’s lack of a red carpet really threw things off. All those poor white outfits got destroyed on that beige walk-in. I know they tried to offset that with a red photography tent, but it just wasn’t the same. If I were a designer, I’d be furious. It’s Oscar night, we drink champagne, we don’t walk on it.

Amanda Rockwell, Senior Program Manager

The Tech:

In using so many LEDs, the crew essentially turned the room into one big, constantly evolving set element, which I thought worked really well throughout the night. It saves time and is ultimately more sustainable than a one-and-done custom set.

Peter Padula, Associate Creative Director

The Host:

As in years past, I thought Kimmel was a great host, because he really understands the position. He never uses his own celebrity to carry the evening or tries too much to be the star of the show. Instead, he leans into the fact that he’s our conduit to the stars. It lets everything focus on content and what the night is meant to be about.

Alivia Riley, Producer

The Event Overall:

In my opinion they really went back to basics this year. It’s a simpler, less flashy show with a stage design that felt elegant but much more reserved than previous years. I also liked how they added all the categories back in. All in all it felt like this year’s show was targeted at the hard-core fans. I like the strategy.

Vincent Higgins, Senior Director, Creative Technology

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