The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, the crowning jewel for awards season in Hollywood honoring the best films of 2018, was held Feb. 24 at Dolby Theatre. Ratings were up from last year, and 29.6 million viewers tuned in — though considering 2018 saw the lowest viewership in Oscar history, the show must continue to innovate to remain relevant.
One major change was the lack of a host, a decision that drew much controversy in the weeks leading up to the show. The event was also shorter than usual, running just over three hours. Of course, half the fun of watching the Oscars is taking in the red carpet before hand. Major trends included lots of vivacious reds and pinks, and flashy metallics (superglam Jennifer Lopez looked like a walking mirror, in the best way).
From an event production standpoint, Valerie Bihet, owner of the VIBE Agency, gave the 2019 Oscars a B+. Here’s how she arrived at that grade, breaking the show down into four categories: stage design, technology, script and wow moments.
STAGE DESIGN
“I think it was a bit much. From a European perspective (I’m French), too much decor can take away the classy element that’s intended. The wave above the stage and surrounding git was just a little overboard.”
In case you missed it: The glitzy set design this year was done by designer David Korins, known for his work on Broadway hits like “Hamilton,” in partnership with Swarovski. The result: A 1,600-lb. cloud-shaped installation; a 54-ft.-wide, three-story-tall ribbon formation; and free-flowing crystal presenter backings adorned with 1,800 crystals.
TECHNOLOGY
“I loved the video mapping they did in the background. The timing on when it showed up was also great!”
In case you missed it: Projection mapping was used at various times throughout the show — such as behind Jennifer Hudson as she sang “I’ll Fight” from the movie “RBG” — to draw extra emphasis.
SCRIPT
“It’s definitely tricky to have a show with no MC — a bold move, in my opinion — but I think they did a good job by incorporating entertainment in between to keep people engaged, like Queen’s music, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s performance, etc. The end was weird though; essentially the show had no closing.”
In case you missed it: Queen and Adam Lambert kicked off the night with rousing performances, getting the audience up out of their seats rocking out to “We Will Rock You.” The momentum had tapered three hours later, however. After the final Oscar of the night for Best Picture was awarded to “Green Book,” the show rather abruptly came to a close.
WOW MOMENTS
“We have to start at the top because it was there for a reason: the Queen opening, which was spectacular. Again, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga had such an impact. I also liked how they changed the background of the stage to provide a nice variety throughout the show. Finally, the Oscar statue at the end was a wow moment for me.”
In case you missed it: The radiant chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga during their performance of “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” sent rumors flying of a romance between the two (which they deny).
