Production designer Derek McLane used a jaw-hopping 45 million Swarovski crystals in this year’s stage design—which is 40 times more crystals than the past 10 years combined. The design required more than 3,250 hours to fabricate over four weeks, and weighed 15,500 pounds. This year marks the 11th year that sponsor Swarovski has illuminated the Oscars stage.
The academy’s annual Governors Ball took place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland immediately following the Oscars on Sunday. This year’s event—which drew 1,500 winners, nominees, presenters, and other A-listers—honored the award ceremony’s 90th anniversary with a celebration of the history of film. Original, seminal artifacts were on display, as well as footage and stills from iconic movies, costume designs, curated music from every era of filmmaking, and a presentation on the history of Oscar statuettes.
Overseeing the planning for the first time this year was Academy governor Lois Burwell, an Oscar-winning makeup artist. She teamed up with longtime event producer Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, who managed all details of the decor and entertainment for the 29th consecutive year.
According to Cecchetto, decor was kept simple to allow the artifacts to shine. “The tones of the entire room were calm and welcoming—I call them spa colors—so that what would pop are the artifacts that had a pivotal difference in the history of film,” she said. “All these items represented what goes into making a film. The academy even allowed us to take 12 Oscars out of the vault—four of them were Oscars that were built before 1940.”
Decor included 2,000 yards of linens in elegant color tones including Oyster Metallic Mesh, Platinum Gemstone, Champagne Metallic Nusilk, Bronzine Nusilks, Coffee Bark Taffetas, Antique Ivory Taffetas, and Champagne Halo Circle.
“It was nonstop history, but it was presented with very cutting-edge, modern materials,” explained Cecchetto. “So I consistently used lucite to give the feeling of that was then and this is now.”
Flowers from longtime collaborator Mark's Garden included 5,000 succulents mixed with roses and ranunculus arranged in gold and copper containers. The flowers will later be planted at the Motion Picture Television Fund.
For the 24th consecutive year, chef Wolfgang Puck catered. Eric Klein, Puck's vice president of culinary, worked alongside the famed chef to create more than 60 dishes, from one-bite hors d'oeuvres to small-plate passed entrees. Puck's signature dishes such as smoked salmon Oscars, potato with caviar, and truffle macaroni and cheese returned, alongside new items such as Miyazaki Wagyu beef tartare on puffed black rice, crab-stuffed hibiscus, taro root tacos with spiced eggplant, edamame and black truffle pot stickers, and black bass with salsa verde.
In a change this year, Cecchetto’s team decided that instead of having the dessert buffet on the balcony, massive dessert buffets with live-cooking demonstrations would be displayed on the west side of the ballroom. “It was such a hit,” she said.
See more about this event in our Governors Ball preview story.
Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party continued to be the most exclusive bash in town. The Sunday-night event once again took place at a custom-built space between the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts and City Hall, and was hosted by new Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones.
A wall of greenery and marquee signage created an instant photo op at one end of the bash, while the rest of the party had simple decor, allowing the unique paneled ceiling and 50-foot bar to take center stage.
Guests dined on fried chicken prepared by chef Thomas Keller, as well as 1,700 In-N-Out Burgers that were served throughout the night.
The 26th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Awards viewing party, hosted by the singer and David Furnish, took over a 40,000-square-foot tent in West Hollywood Park on Sunday night. Antony Todd Inc. handled the design and production. The event spanned several rooms, including a cocktail lounge with mirrored walls, plush gray couches, and signage promoting sponsor Bulgari.
New this year, longtime vendor Crumble Catering teamed up with the Roca Brothers of the Michelin three-star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, to prepare dinner in a space that later saw a performance by rock band Greta Van Fleet. After the Oscars telecast ended, Alexander Gilkes of Paddle8 conducted a live auction.
The evening raised $5.9 million; over the past quarter-century, the A-list event has raised more than $62 million to help people at risk for or living with H.I.V./AIDS.
The after-party also took over a space with deep-red lighting and draping, plus a dance floor and a massive disco ball. Illusionist David Jarre and DJ Johnny Dynell entertained the crowd.
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel hosted his own private party on Sunday night at the Lot in West Hollywood. The venue was transformed into a mini food and cocktail festival, with chefs from Tartine Bakery, Frankies 457 Spuntino & Prime Meats, A.O.C., and more serving Kimmel’s favorite foods and drinks from Tequila Don Julio and Ciroc.
Later, a 14-piece jazz orchestra called Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band took the stage, followed by performances from Snoop Dogg, Rita Ora, and Bebe Rexha.
Mercedes-Benz held its annual viewing party on Sunday night at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The evening, which was designed and produced by Sterling Social, offered comfortable seating and big screen TVs, plus passed hors d’oeuvres, a photo booth, and a makeup station. It drew celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Jane Lynch, and Christoph Waltz.
Sugarfina provided a candy bar with boozy treats such as champagne-filled gummy bears.
Guests at the viewing party could vote for their picks for Best Picture.
Rolex sponsored the Academy Awards green room for the third year, and designed the decor to celebrate the brand’s Swiss heritage. The 100-square-foot space, which was located backstage at the Dolby Theatre, was meant to evoke a chic mountain chalet, with an arched ceiling, velvet sofas, and plenty of wood and bronze details. Photos of celebrities wearing Rolex watches decorated the walls. Event Eleven handled production.
Virtual windows in the space looked out on the Matterhorn and other snowy mountains.
The magazine hosted its 11th annual Black Women in Hollywood awards on Thursday at the Beverly Wilshire. Intended to honor and celebrate Hollywood's most impactful African-American women, this year's honorees included Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish, Danai Gurira, and Tessa Thompson. The full gala was televised on OWN on Saturday night.
While last year’s event switched to an evening gala to honor the award show’s 10th anniversary, this year returned to its standard luncheon format. “The luncheon format is what makes the event distinct,” explained Jovanca Maitland, director of live events and experiential for Essence. “Guests build their schedules around our daytime event, making it a priority.”
Show development and production—including the overall design and fabrication as well as the eye-catching stage backdrop and set design—was handled by AgenC in partnership with the Essence event team.
“Each year we build our event around a theme that is celebratory of our honorees,” Maitland said. “This year, with all the buzz around black women leading and directing box office films from action to sci-fi to comedy … we began the creative process with one word in mind—badass. We worked collaboratively with our production partners at AgenC and designed with a color palette of burnt gold, cashew, and botanical greens in mind to give the event a fresh, modern, and bold daytime look and feel. The bold colors are represented in our invitation, step-and-repeat, table decor, and florals, and are key to the stage design.”
Sponsors such as L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, and Walmart created eye-catching, interactive stations for luncheon guests.
Typically held the day before the Oscars, the Film Independent Spirit Awards honor indie filmmakers. This year's ceremony, held Saturday in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, handed out top honors to Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The ceremony took on a blue and orange color scheme, and sponsors included Lindt Chocolate, Fiji Water, and Bulleit Frontier Whiskey.
The award show’s sponsor, AT&T, expanded its activation this year with a pop-up hospitality suite dubbed the DirecTV Bungalow. Designed and produced by Best Events, the venue served as a pre-awards cocktail station and a place to have trophies engraved after the show.
The pop-up, which overlooked the Santa Monica pier, was designed to evoke the feeling of a house in the Hamptons. The AT&T logo was incorporated in a visual way throughout the space.
Held at a private residence in Beverly Hills, WME’s pre-Oscar party took place on Friday night. The event drew WME executives, agents, and clients such as Denzel Washington, Octavia Spencer, and Guillermo del Toro, and was designed by Tom Ford Designs and produced by 15/40 Productions.
Women in Film, a professional organization focused on recognizing and promoting the visions of female creators, held its 11th annual pre-Oscar cocktail party on Friday. Designed and produced by Event Eleven, the event moved to Crustacean Beverly Hills this year—and also marked the opening night for the newly renovated seafood restaurant.
Emma Stone hosted the event with Women in Film president Cathy Schulman, and A-listers such as Viola Davis gave impassioned speeches about the strides women have made in the industry and the work left to be done. The design, which extended to the tented step-and-repeat, had a feminine color palette of teal with pink florals.
The floral-heavy design also tied into the photo booth from MirMir.
On February 27, the lifestyle website Icon Mann hosted a pre-Oscars dinner at the Beverly Wilshire. While the brand’s dinner typically celebrates black men in film, this year’s event also honored former Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs with the inaugural Icon Mann Legacy Award. The dinner was hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, and celebrities such as Halle Berry, Kobe Bryant, Common, and Quincy Jones helped honor Isaac’s accomplishments.
W.P. Miller Special Events handled design and production, drawing inspiration from the recent movie Black Panther. Seating in the dining area was designed to form an oversize “X," a nod to the film.
Tablescapes featured floral arrangements in hues of burgundy with gold accents; the floral design came from Autumn Vine Design, Ron Carter, Eddie Zaratsian, and Tic-Tock Couture Florals. Candlelight accented the custom velvet table linens, and burgundy draping from Pipe Dream Events added an elegant vibe to the entire room.
“Icon Mann represents men of color who are at the top of the respective professions,” said William P. Miller, founder of W.P. Miller Special Events. “In my sixth year of producing this event, I stay creatively inspired. It is always an incredible feeling of honor to design an experience for such legends and change architects, and also to be recognized as an Icon Mann myself.”
While the magazine is most known for its Sunday-night party, Vanity Fair also hosted its annual weeklong series of Oscar-related events for the 19th year. Teaming up with Barneys New York, Genesis, Lancôme Paris, Proenza Schouler, and Apple Music, the magazine hosted six invite-only events, including a cocktail party for Call Me By Your Name, a nominated-films celebration for 20th Century Fox, and a private awards-viewing party with Nespresso.
On Thursday, Vanity Fair and Lancôme Paris toasted women in Hollywood at Soho House West Hollywood. The event, which raised money for the Time's Up movement, had a step-and-repeat made from magazine covers.
The fourth annual Toast to the Arts, an intimate dinner hosted by rapper and actor Common, was held on Friday at a private location. Designed and produced by MVD Inc., the evening honored Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya and Mudbound's Mary J. Blige, Dee Rees, and Charles King.
MVD worked with La Petite Gardenia to build a wall structure that greeted guests, while Tic-Tock Couture Flowers handled floral arrangements for the rest of the event.
The U.S.-Ireland Alliance hosted its annual Oscar Wilde Awards on Thursday at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot studio in Santa Monica. The 400-attendee celebration took on an appropriately green theme, with shrubbery on stage and a “red” carpet made from green grass. The night honored Mark Hamill, Barry Keoghan, Paula Malcomson, and Catherine O’Hara, and Colin Farrell and Martin Short served as presenters.
While the gathering typically expands to the roof of the studio, rain forced event producers the O’Neill Group to make some last-minute changes, including adding tents from Town and Country Event Rentals to the entrance, the outdoor bar area, and the stage where Irish band The Academic performed. SenovvA Inc. provided extra screens to broadcast the program throughout the venue, while Kensington Caterers served traditional Irish fare such as mini shepard’s pies to pair with Teeling Whiskey.
On Friday, Cadillac hosted its “Never Stop Daring” Tastemakers Dinner to celebrate the brand’s partnership with ABC Television and the Oscars. The event, which was designed and produced by JJLA and honored Ava DuVernay, hosted 60 guests at a private estate in the Hollywood Hills.
“The modern design complemented the aesthetic of the home and captured the elegance of the Oscars with accents of glass and gold throughout,” explained Jeff Consoletti, C.E.O. of JJLA.
Rentals came from JJLA, Taylor Creative, and Town and Country Event Rentals, while Seed Floral Couture handled flowers, Ultimate Lighting handled lighting, and MS Event Production handed the audio. Guests were entertained by electric violinist Rachel Grace and DJ Alex Merrell, and dined on a three-course menu from Republique.
The event showcased Cadillac’s CTS-V sports coupe and sedan, and unveiled a first look at the brand’s Oscars TV spots.
The luxury car brand also hosted its annual Oscar celebration on Thursday night at Chateau Marmont, drawing a crowd of celebrities including Allison Janney, Tiffany Haddish, and Sarah Silverman. Event Eleven handled production and design.
On Friday, Janelle Monae and Belvedere Vodka hosted an intimate brunch at Catch L.A. in support of the singer's Fem the Future organization. A panel including Alicia Quarles, Danai Gurira, Stacy Smith, and Lacey Duke led a discussion about their hopes for the future; other attendees included Lupita Nyong’o (pictured), Rosario Dawson, and Ava Duvernay. A lush wall of greenery served as a step-and-repeat.
