www.livedesignonline.com: Stepping into the world of televised awards shows, designer David Korins captures the glamour of Hollywood with his first scenic treatments for the Oscars. More than 41,000 Swarovski crystals will be integrated into the four main design elements: the Crystal Cloud, a 1,600-pound cloud-shaped installation; the Crystal Swag, a three-story high, 54'-wide ribbon-like formation; and two Crystal Presenter Backings. The Crystal Cloud and Crystal Swag are both inspired by natural geography. The Crystal Cloud is a sparkling interpretation of atmospheric clouds, with over 1,250 crystal strands floating ethereally over the stage. The striking Crystal Swag, created from nearly 400 crystal strands alongside a crystalized steel structure, is designed to look like a waterfall flowing from the ground up. The Crystal Presenter Backings, which will appear on stage behind award presenters, are free-flowing creations adorned with 1,800 crystals.
6 comments:
I kind of really didn't like this design at all. I think that especially with an award show that is so grandiose and annual like the Academy Awards, you have to constantly be raising the bar on the spectacle of the design and the feel of the entire production. This years Oscars kind of sucked to be frank- everything from the fact that they didn't have a host to the mediocre design elements to the rather bad selection of movies that came out for this year made for one of the worst years in Academy Award history to date. The article points out that this was David Korins first year ever designing an award show, and you could definitely tell. Last years stage was completely beautiful and really highlighted the Swarovsky crystals, but this year, you lost the elegance of the crystals in the laffy-taffy proscenium. I thought that the oscar cut outs and rose pedals didn't read as grand, it felt cheap and sort of like an arts and crafts project.
I have mixed feelings about this design. Being that the Academy Awards is one of the biggest televised events of the year and “Hollywood’s Biggest Night,” I had somewhat higher expectations. I appreciate the fact that it was abstract to not allude to any specific symbols, but I felt like the ribbon-like formations were large for the sake of being large. However, the Swarovski cloud was one of my favorite elements because it created a lovely backdrop for the presenters onstage. I found myself trying to compare it to year’s past, but before this year, I had never really considered the process of scenic design for an awards show—I simply looked at the space as an already existing theatre. My eyes were often drawn to the large gowns and sharp suits but not to the visuals surrounding the presenters and winners. Now that I have been exposed to these renderings, I will be sure to look with a closer eye.
Someone online said the proscenium looked like Donald Trump’s fake hair, and now I can’t unsee it. I do think the design is gorgeous to look at aside from this. I definitely think it pulled out a lot of the old Hollywood glitz and glam, which I was intrigued by but for some reason could not figure out the place for in the awards this year. I admire his dedication to showing off the Swarovski crystals. I did not know that they had a connection to the Academy, and I think Korins did a good job giving them a place in the spotlight. I personally loved the crystal drops that hung behind the presenters - I noticed one moving during the live show and thought it was amazing. My favorite one shown in these renderings is definitely the second. It looks like fabric was created by the crystals, and it looks incredible.
I think that the scenery for the Oscars is never the true or real point and usually does a decent job at representing what the Oscars is about, a bourgeois celebration of continued marginalization as well as the hollywood establishment celebrating themselves over and over again. We saw that again this year, and the inclusion of Swarovski Crystals over the past years has only made this worse. In terms of this year’s design, I thought it was alright, but it was nothing special, in all reality. But I have never truly thought much about the designs of award shows or award show sets, as unfortunately, that usually falls by the wayside in sight of all the famous celebrities present at award shows such as this. In the end, I think that way more could be done with award shows, and especially the Oscars, which likely has the biggest budget of them all.
Unpopular opinion: David Korins is not the only scenic designer the world has ever seen. I will admit, he has done some cool stuff, but do we really need to see another David Korins design? If the Oscars would like to actually embrace diversity, why do we not see an up and coming designer, a designer of color, a disabled designer, a female designer? For the love of god there are people who are dying and we are putting Swarovski Crystals in a set that will be used one time. Sammy said well with the description of the proscenium looking alike to Donald Trump’s hair. I get that this is supposed to be a glamorous night, and sure it might be nice to look at, but I think that this could have been a great opportunity to showcase someone else’s work. It is time to actually use these events to help push the industry forward. This is an opportunity to show progress, but we aren’t. Some history-making people won awards last night, but the amount of articles I have read about Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s suspected love affair has hidden the stories about those wonderful people and the work. When did we stop honoring the work and start holding these events singularly to discuss what everybody wore the next day.
A lot of people have commented saying they really didn’t like these scenic design renderings, but I disagree, I honestly love them. Apparently, I’m the only person who’s never heard of David Kornis before, but he seems like an incredibly talented artist. I understand, based on his credits, that some people are tired of him, and want to see a new designers work, but I don’t think that should discredit the fact that his work is still very impressive. I think his design for the Oscars perfectly encompasses everything that the Oscars and basic award shows are. I thought the way he incorporated the Swarovski crystals into his design was beautiful, and I love the abstract wavy framing for the whole design. It’s all simple enough to not draw attention away from the beautiful dresses and suits the celebrities show up to the Oscars in, but beautiful and extravagant enough to provide the perfect backdrop for them, neither upstaging them or letting them down.
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