An Oscars unlike any before will get underway Sunday night with a telecast retooled for the pandemic.
This year, the series will adapt to the demands of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic for a socially distanced show that attempts to follow safety recommendations while steering clear of the virtual format other award shows have adopted.
To underscore the changes due to the pandemic, there will be no host, no audience, nor face masks for nominees attending the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Union Station — this year’s hub for a show usually broadcast from the Dolby Theatre – though they will have to mask up when not on stage. And there will be COVID-19 testing as well as temperature checks.
And guests – Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya have been secured – are not able to bring guests.
There will only be about 170 attendees in all, which is far less than the 3,000 that normally attended the Oscars pre pandemic.
Covid-19 precautions: The Oscars are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic by having only 170 attendees at LA’s Union Station this year, while Zoom appearances are banned; Union Station seen being prepared for the ceremony on Friday
In contrast with the largely virtual Golden Globes, Zoom boxes have been closed out — though numerous international hubs and satellite feeds will connect nominees unable to travel.
Due to the pandemic, the audience will be significantly capped at the venues, with only 170 attendees allowed inside Union Station, according to the Los Angeles Times.
That’s compared to the usual 3,000 people that the Dolby Theatre can accommodate.
‘As soon as you open the door beyond nominees, their plus-one and the presenters, you can’t control it,’ said filmmaker and first-time Oscars producer Steven Soderbergh at a press conference last week.
What a difference: The Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards are normally held, can accommodate up to 3,000 people; Brad Pitt seen in February 2020
Taking it seriously: Steven Soderbergh and other Oscars producers told attendees in a letter that the show is being treated ‘as an active movie set’ with ‘an on-site Covid safety team with PCR testing capacity’; seen in 2019 in NYC
‘And so that was not even a question for us. Like, this is how it has to be done. [Disney executive] Bob Iger won’t be there. That is just where we are at, and that is how we are being allowed to do it this way.’
In order to keep things moving smoothly, the show will have a bevy of rapid Covid-19 testing and temperature checks on site.
‘We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site Covid safety team with PCR testing capability,’ the Oscar producers wrote in a letter to nominees last month.
In order to cut down on risks, attendees have been asked to skip going to crowded places like gyms or restaurants for the 10 days prior to the ceremony.
It doesn’t hurt that California now has the lowest coronavirus case rates in the continental United States.
Safety first: In order to cut down on risks, attendees have been asked to skip going to crowded places like gyms or restaurants for the 10 days prior to the ceremony
Blessing: It doesn’t hurt that California now has the lowest coronavirus case rates in the continental United States
The show appears to be trying to downplay the use of masks, as presenters won’t wear them when on camera, but they will be required to have them on during commercial breaks.
Soderbergh has been cagey about the use of masks, but he suggested they might play some kind of prominent role for the ceremony during his news conference.
‘Here is our quote on that: Masks are going to play a very important role in the story of this evening,’ he said. ‘And if that is cryptic, it’s meant to be. But that topic is very central to the narrative.’
He also tried to tamp down on fears by adding that the film industry has had ‘a lot of practice’ in finding safe ways to work amid the pandemic.
‘This industry was at the forefront of creating protocols to get people back to work safely,’ he continued. ‘I’m in the middle of shooting my second film during COVID. We know how to approach situations like this. It’s incredibly labor intensive. It’s incredibly complex logistically, and it’s expensive.
‘There is no universe in which we are going to ever put anybody at risk. And so we are hoping to combine safety with a show that feels like a glimpse of what is going to be possible when most people are vaccinated and, you know, rapid, accurate, cheap testing is the norm. So COVID is going to be there because it’s everywhere, but we want to put it in its place and then sort of move forward,’ he explained.
Partial masking: The show appears to be trying to downplay the use of masks, as presenters won’t wear them when on camera, but they will be required to have them on during commercial breaks; Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson seen in 2020
Shortened carpet: The red carpet is also back this year, though not the throngs; only a handful of media outlets will be allowed on site, and there will be significantly fewer stars walking; Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara seen in 2020
The red carpet is also back this year, though not the throngs; only a handful of media outlets will be allowed on site, and there will be significantly fewer stars walking.
Casual wear is a no-no. The pre-show on ABC begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT and will include pre-taped performances of the five Oscar-nominated songs. The ceremony is available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, FuboTV and on ABC.com with provider authentication.
Pulling the musical interludes (though not the in memoriam segment) from the three-hour broadcast — and drastically cutting down the time it will take winners to reach the podium — will free up a lot of time in the ceremony. And producers, led by Soderbergh, are promising a reinvented telecast.
The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh has said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to the usual 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters — including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Harrison Ford, Rita Moreno and Zendaya — are considered ‘cast members.’ The telecast’s first 90 seconds, Soderbergh has claimed, will ‘announce our intention immediately.’
Cinematic: The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters are considered ‘cast members’; pictured in 2020
But even a great show may not be enough to save the Oscars from an expected ratings slide. Award show ratings have cratered during the pandemic, and this year’s nominees — many of them smaller, lower-budget dramas — won’t come close to the drawing power of past Oscar heavyweights like Titanic or Black Panther. Last year’s Oscars, when Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite became the first non-English language film to win best picture, was watched by 23.6 million, an all-time low.
Netflix dominated this year with 36 nominations, including the lead-nominee Mank, David Fincher’s black-and-white drama about Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. The streamer is still pursuing its first best-picture win; this year, its best shot may be Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7.
But the night’s top prize, best picture, is widely expected to go to Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, a contemplative character study about an itinerant woman (Frances McDormand) in the American West.
Should it be victorious, it will be one of the lowest budget best-picture winners ever. Zhao’s film, populated by nonprofessional actors, was made for less than $5 million. (Her next film, Marvel’s Eternals, has a budget of at least $200 million.)
Frontrunner: Nomadland director Chloé Zhao is the frontrunner for best director, and her film is also a top contender for Best Picture; seen with Frances McDormand on set
Zhao is also the frontrunner for best director, a category that has two female filmmakers nominated for the first time.
Also nominated is Emerald Fennell for the scathing revenge drama Promising Young Woman. Zhao would be just the second woman to win best director in the academy’s 93 years (following Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker), and the first woman of color.
History is also possible in the acting categories. If the winners from the Screen Actors Guild Awards hold — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’s Chadwick Boseman for best actor, Viola Davis for best actress; Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari) for best supporting actress; and Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) for best supporting actor — it would the first time nonwhite actors swept the acting categories — and a dramatic reversal from recent “OscarsSoWhite” years.
Several of those awards appear to be locks, particularly for the late Boseman, who would become the third actor to ever win a posthumous Academy Award following Peter Finch and Heath Ledger. Taylor Simone Ledward, Boseman´s widow, has often accepted previous honors on his behalf.
Final project: Chadwick Boseman is a favorite for best actor for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which would make him only the third actor to win posthumously
If there’s one less certain category, it’s best actress. Davis, who has won previously for her performance in Fences, is up against Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) and two-time winner McDormand. Prognosticators call it a three-way toss up.
Sunday’s pandemic-delayed Oscars will bring to a close the longest awards season ever — one that turned the season’s industrial complex of cocktail parties and screenings virtual. Eligibility was extended into February of this year, and for the first time, a theatrical run wasn’t a requirement of nominees. Some films, like Sound of Metal, premiered all the way back in September 2019.
The pandemic pushed several anticipated movies out of 2020, but a few bigger budget releases could still take home awards.
Pixar’s Soul appears a sure-thing for best animated film, and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet — which last September tried to lead a moviegoing revival that fizzled when virus cases spiked and many theaters couldn’t reopen — will likely win for its visual effects.
Foregone conclusion: Disney/Pixar’s Soul is likely to win for best animated film, as the studio usually comes out on top
But for the first time, Hollywood’s most prestigious awards will overwhelming belong to films that barely played on the big screen. The biggest ticket-seller of the best picture nominees is Promising Young Woman, with $6.3 million in box office.
Lately, with vaccinations expanding, signs of life have begun to show in movie theaters — most of which are operating at 50 percent capacity. Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong has made around $400 million worldwide, which theater owners point to as proof that moviegoers are eager for studios to again release a regular diet of big movies.
Right now, the date circled on cinema calendars is May 28, when both Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella arrive in theaters — though Cruella will simultaneously stream for $30.
Coming soon: Cinemas are hoping to see an increase in business by May 28, when a Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella are released
Tune in! The 93rd Academy Awards will begin Sunday night at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC
But it’s been a punishing year for Hollywood. Around the world, movie theater marquees replaced movie titles with pleas to wear a mask.
Streaming services rushed to fill the void, redrawing the balance between studios and theaters — and likely forever ending the three-month theatrical exclusivity for new releases. Just weeks before the Oscars, one of Los Angeles’ most iconic theaters, the Cinerama Dome, along with ArcLight Cinemas, went out of business.
After the pandemic, Hollywood — and the Oscars — may not ever be quite the same. Or as WarnerMedia’s new chief executive Jason Kilar said when announcing plans to shift the studio’s movies to streaming: ‘We’re not in Kansas anymore.’
The 93rd Academy Awards will begin Sunday night at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
93rd Academy Awards: Who are the 2021 Oscar nominees?
Best Picture
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Picture: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of the eight films nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Olivia Colman is up for her role in The Father
Best Music (Original Score)
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Best Animated Short Film
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People
Best Live Action Short Film
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye
Best International Feature Film
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Sound: Greyhound – a war film starring Tom Hanks – is up for the gong
Best Sound
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal
Best Cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Music (Original Song)
Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah
Hear My Voice – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Husavik – Eurovision Song Contest
Io Si (Seen) – The Life Ahead
Speak Now – One Night in Miami…
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is vying for the award
Best Director
Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round
David Fincher – Mank
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Steven Yeun – Minari
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami…
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Animated Feature Film
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
Best Animated Feature Film: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is nominated
Best Costume Design
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinnochio
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami…
The White Tiger
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Documentary Feature
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time
Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Judas and the Black Messiah is up for the gong
Best Documentary Short Subject
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha
Best Film Editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Production Design
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Best Visual Effects
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio