Architectural Digest: There’s always a reasonable expectation of spectacle at the annual Academy Awards presentation, from the fashion on the red carpet to the stage where the proceedings unfold. For the Oscars this year, the task of conjuring a suitably glamorous backdrop for the show of shows fell to Emmy Award–winning designer and creative director Jason Sherwood.
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The design for the Oscars is incredible every year. However, this year I am blown away. The cyclone design has over 40,000 crystals from Swarovski. That is absolutely incredible and I wonder how much it costed to create this amazing display. I also wonder how the set was loaded in. It seems like many of the crystals seem like they were hand strung on the set. The amount of man hours to do this boggles the mind. I know the Oscars are the biggest event for film throughout the year, but I always forget how much glamor is associated with it. It's become the norm for me to see a glittery, golden stage that is massive with the stars decked out in clothes worth more than my family's house. Yet, this years glittery display blows me away and reminds me how much of Hollywood is built on glamor and wealth. I cannot wait to see the Oscars, if only to stare at the stage in wonder.
The Oscars is one of the few award shows that I am always super excited to watch, not only because I am curious about the winners but also because for me, it is the biggest spectacle event of the year, with a wonderful and astounding stage, which almost blinds me.
This year's design has made me more excited to see the event, because it seems like the intricacies that were talked about for in this article require so much thought and precision in the first place that one can only imagine as to what the final outcome of the design would be.
This article also highlights the high stales that a production of this sort requires and how the various departments mist ensure that communication has been established between everyone so that there are the least number of problems when the final outcome is being worked towards, which I believe a lot of people are excited to see.
I will be honest- I am fascinated by most if not all of Jason Sherwood's design. His production design for Rent Live was easily the only enjoyable part of the entire show, especially considering the actor's performances and general energy of the show was very off. The production design, however, was incredible. He blows me away. This Oscars design is no exception. After seeing David Korins' design for last year, which - ill be honest - I didn't particularly love or understand, this is pretty much the most epic thing I've ever seen. I saw Sherwood's instagram post describing his thought process, and I love how he accounted for the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood with the gold and sparkly aspects, and completely broke open the traditional structure of the proscenium arch. He said the cyclone represents the huge range of motives that came behind film this year, and I love that he incorporated and nodded at the art that was created that is being celebrated at the ceremony.
I heard “oohs” and “aahs” when I opened this article and saw the photograph of the design for the Oscars in the header. It is gorgeous! This partnership with Swarovski to make award shows out of their crystals for the last couple of years has truly been stunning. This design throws me into such a red carpet mindset, as it very much mimics the fall and folds on a red carpet gown. I definitely see Jason Sherwood’s idea of blending Hollywood glamour and filmmaking artistry into a “cyclone.” I wonder how long and how much engineering it takes to string or embed or in general immobilize all of these crystals for the set of the show. With 40,000 crystals, it must take a significant amount of time. It must also be an anxiety-inducing nightmare to transport all of it so as not to tangle or break anything, but I am sure they have it down to some kind of science by now.
As disrespectful as the Oscars are about the awards to designers, the award show itself does present plenty of cool design opportunities. The fashion is extremely and glamorous, as is the location. This design appears to perfect capture that aesthetic of a luxurious presentation. The news of this design introduced me to the work of Jason Sherwood, which led me to his website where I could explore his past designs. I found myself in awe of the sets he was able to create and quickly fell in love with his style. There are a lot of negatives to the Oscars, but something it has always been good at is exposing new films and artists to the public. As an aspiring designer, it has introduced me to plenty of names that are often ignored, but it has shown me the faces of the artists behind some of my favorite pieces. It’s fun to think of the Oscars as a play in need of a set design and fancy costumes because at times that is exactly what it feels like.
Jason Sherwood has truly knocked this one out of the park. I read a little bit about this design in a different article, but I am so impressed with the rationale behind his ideas. I feel like it could be really easy to just come up with a design for this show that just looks “cool” especially with the connection with Swarovski. It could get easy to just make something that’s pretty, but I feel like Sherwood has really captured what this show means. There isn’t a direct storyline to base his design off of, so I could see how this would be a huge challenge, but he encapsulated the cyclone shape which demonstrates the wide variety of work being displayed in an awards show like this one. Even with the meaning behind the design, however, this is something that is just so visually stunning. I love the elegance of the crystals combined with the massive structure that crosses beyond the proscenium arch, breaking that wall for the audience to collaborate more directly with what is happening on stage. I think viewers are really going to appreciate this design.
What caught my attention was the mention of 40,000 Swarovski crystals that will make up the glittering cyclone of a stage at the Oscars this year. My first thought was, "Well, what the hell kind of a budget is this?" Undoubtedly huge, but just how huge is a question my little amateur theatre brain cannot comprehend. I really cannot wait for this set to be realized. This will be the first Academy Awards I will view since getting deep into theatrical design, and I could not be more excited. Having only seen the rendering of the stage, I am eager to find out how the different elements of theatre interact, i.e.: how light interacts with the crystals, how sound moves about the space, how outfits complement people, etc. I have found that I really enjoy examining design, not for the deeper meaning, but just for the aesthetic and how I feel about it.
Jason Sherwood has outdone himself. This is...gorgeous. I genuinely cannot comprehend the amazing feeling of movement made by this design. It really feels like you're in a whirlwind. It reminds me a lot of movie reels twisting. The twisting really assists in the movement of the whole design. The shining of the crystals is so incredibly beautiful and I love them. Obviously, I've never worked in the medium of crystals, so I really wonder how they differ from other materials in all aspects of a design. The light hits them beautifully, but I wonder how the other aspects of design like sound and the nominees and presenters' fashion works with or against this design. I guess I'll find out tomorrow! I also wonder how much they cost, but I know the Oscars is a partner with Swarovski, so maybe it's free. I love the Oscars and I love movies! I'm so excited! So, analyzing this design is very fun for me as it combines a lot of things I love!
I was excited to see Jason Sherwood’s design for the ninety-second Academy Awards Ceremony on his Instagram when it was time to unveil it. I enjoyed reading his thoughts and interpretation of what he was going for in terms of a message or a meaning. I am very excited to see how this design comes to fruition during the ceremony, I know we will all be watching. I wonder how long and complicated a load in is for this ceremony that occurs for one night only. I also wonder what his design process was like and how long it took for him to settle on this idea. I know it may be a little preemptive, but it also leaves me wondering what kind of design we can expect for next year, and who from! I also wonder how well it will translate to the television screen since the awards ceremony is one that is probably designed with the television viewing format in mind.
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