NewscastStudio: The 72nd Emmy Awards will likely go done as one of the most unique shows of all: Forget experimenting with no hosts, multiple hosts and other gimmicks — this year’s ceremonies were changed due to necessity thanks to (all at once now) the coronavirus pandemic.
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I've got to say, watching the Emmy's was actually very exciting because I think that people are getting really creative and adapting to the circumstances we're in- in a really organic way. I had the same thought when I watched the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. The great part about award shows is that it brings people together and honors good work, and I think that in a time where you can't really get together, its important to still honor people for the work that they've done and really prove that it isn't all for nothing and we haven't lost anything. I know that my house, who really never watches the Emmy's or really gives it any thought in any other year- we were very excited to sit down and watch Schitt's Creek win every Emmy that they were nominated for. It really is an interesting year and to have this type of entertainment, even in a format that is nothing like we've seen before, it helps and is healing for the industry.
I guess its true that you can’t keep Hollywood down for long. As much as celebrities say they don’t work for the awards, having an award show in the middle of a pandemic seems a little contrary to that belief. While I truly believe they did everything in their power to keep Hollywood’s elite safe and sound, and love the bits with the fake audience, having the award show now just seems like an unnecessary risk. I’m not sure that this type of gathering is a good message to send to the public when there are still so many restrictions in place. While I understand that people are craving normalcy again and can’t wait for the day they can watch a full red carpet show or any other live event, if these events happen too soon we may have to wait for them for a much longer time. While I love a good award show night myself, I felt a little discouraged to see the Emmys went on as scheduled this year.
The ingenuity and adaptability of the design for the Emmys offers an exemplar of what is possible when media design is utilized as it was here. With great care going into every element of the overall design of the Emmys, and plenty of attention also being paid to the smallest details, the Emmys were clearly a technical success, demonstrating the many contributions that the media design field makes to the industry. Often perceived as somewhat of an afterthought or separate from the overarching title of design, video and media design have obviously been heavily relied upon during the pandemic. I think the increasing reliance on video and media design is a positive for the field, demonstrating how critical they are to what theater is right now, and what it could potentially become in the future. As we look to new ways to present “live” and “physical” versions of theater, it is likely that the video and media field will continue to expand, and hopefully this is a change that is here to stay.
The Emmy’s seem to have done a really great job with redirecting their focus and making the show really work with the circumstances they were working around. Of course being such a well-funded event it did have a plethora of resources that not everyone in the industry can rely on, nonetheless it is nice to see something done so particularly well. The impact that this must’ve had on the design process I find very compelling because I think what might be considered the “traditional” roles of team members much have been blurred quite a bit. I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall in artistic meetings. I also think that it offered opportunities to people that had never been considered never mind available before, like being the DJ for the Emmy awards is incredible and something that got to see a new approach taken to something that had always been standardized. And the Jason Bateman bit among cardboard cutouts is just a very much needed opening moment comedic relief.
It is absolutely amazing the way the entertainment industry is tackling this pandemic and doing anything they can to overcome it. I do think Hollywood is handling the pandemic a lot better than Broadway is currently but I also think the transition is harder for Broadway as everything is live theatre. I think the fix for the Emmy's was amazing as it was still able to put on a beloved tradition and honor the artists within the industry just in a different form. The small gags sprinkled through out the show also gave a sense of ease to viewers and still allowed for the sense of humanity that can be easily lost when everything is virtual. I think the design team and the technicians that put on the Emmy's deserve a huge shoutout as it ran so smoothly and still kept the standards that we are used to from the usual live show. The media team was able to handle the insane amount of live streams that were from all the nominees and put them up on the big screen. The set designer created a set in a space not usually used for award shows all while creating a space for social distancing. Most impressively the lighting designer was able to keep an interesting design all while not having a single glare of light on the massive screen projecting all the nominees. These designers and technicians were able to overcome and adapt ultimately making this entire show possible.
The design of the Emmy’s was really interesting and I appreciated this deeper dive into the details. I guess I’m just still unconvinced that this could be done in a truly safe way. It seems like to create a production of this magnitude, especially the in person elements, would require so many people. Is it worth putting them at risk so we can have our awards show. I’m not at all trying to say that I didn’t enjoy it. In fact it sparked quite a bit of joy. But when I see “bubbles” being created like this, I fear that they are not as safe as they might wish to believe.
Creating a true bubble is so incredibly difficult. Is it worth putting everyone involved in creating the Emmys at risk? Awards shows are not a necessity. Neither are sports or Trump rallies. It's just interesting to see America quickly trying to start believing that the pandemic is over when our country is still suffering so severely.
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