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The Oscars class photo is a tradition unlike any other.
Most of them show up.
Some are dressed to the nines, others cant be bothered.
Each edition bringsfascinating juxtapositions and delightful stolen moments.
A guy sneezed inthis years!
How much behind-the-scenes wrangling does it take to produce the class photo?
To find out, I spoke to MJ Partlow, who produces the Academys special events.
I love this day so much, she says.
Its so celebratory of the film industry and the work and the global talent.
Its a big deal.
Is there a governing philosophy of how the Oscar class photo is arranged, like tallest to shortest?
Or is it just, like, herd everybody and throw them all against the wall?
When you asked about tallest to shortest, I thought,I wish it was that simple.
What happens is, our seating department, they seat the room.
Then we pick a table to start and we call them up table by table.
You feel the energy in the room, when the nominees know when their turn is next.
Theyre just waiting for it, like,Oh my God, they just got called.
Whats the philosophy of the seating chart?
We have our governors, they host each table.
[The governors are the Academys version of a corporate board.
There are55 of them; most represent a specific branch.]
The nominees from the same movie are not seated together.
Thats truly what we want it to feel like for the day in its entirety.
Because everyone is Oscar nominated.
Thats so big in their career.
They worked their whole lives for that.
When do you have that opportunity to experience it with everyone else?
Oscar Sunday, theres so much pressure that day.
But the nominee luncheon, they kind of buzz around the room and enjoy themselves.
When it comes to the photo, I see it from the back of the room.
It becomes this great moment for all of them.
What are you doing while the photo is being set up?
Im in the back of the room and Im looking at the photo unfold, everyone getting into place.
What I love to do is just double-check Ive got everyone covered.
I remember the year Florian Henckel von Donnersmarckwas nominated.
Hes like six-feet-nine, and hes way in the back.
We actually had him in a chair in the front.
How long does it generally take between getting the first people up on the risers and taking the photo?
There was a time when we did it in about 45 minutes.
It took a while.
But weve got it down to 30 minutes.
Were pretty good now.
Were comfortable, we understand it, and we have stage managers who help from every direction.
We dont ever want to rush the moment, either.
What changes did you make to get it down to 30 minutes from 45?
We used to have this graduation riser.
Its custom, but its a graduation riser, right?
And there was a time when you could see the Hilton carpet, right there next to the Oscar.
It didnt look right.
Finally, we decided this year to do a full-on set.
It is gorgeous, and its all white.
Its modernized, if you will, and it is the set piece in the room.
I rememberthe 2020 onewas all white, too.
The 2020 one was at the Dolby Ballroom and it was all white and it waslong.
Ive been wanting to do it since then in the Beverly Hilton, but we couldnt figure it out.
But this year, we shrank it and then brought it forward.
What is it like to order around people especially directors who are used to being the ones giving instructions?
I tell you, theywantto be directed that day.
For once theyre not taking control.
Theyre giving in and saying, You know what?
This is my day.
Im going to go with this and just going to do what they want me to do.
How many shots does the photographer usually take?
I dont know exactly.
Its that picture you never can get when youre with your full family.
People blink, right?
Do people ever lobby you, like, Dont use the one where I was blinking?
Actually, believe it or not, everyone is so gracious and theyre just so happy to be there.
Every year has its tone.
I mean, I love the Kobe year.
That was a great year, but thats a hard one to talk about.
I would say this year, probably.
The riser and the set itself morphed into this beautiful photo.
But my colleagueChris Leewas there mixing and mingling with the nominees.
After chatting with Partlow, I hit up Chris over Slack to get his impressions of the event.
Heres a lightly edited transcript of our conversation.
What was the vibe like in the room?
Everyone got applause; everyone was polite in that regard.
But when Paul Giamatti was announced, he got a big surge of extraapplause.
Same for Lily Gladstone.
Like, Colman Domingo didnt get that.
Bradley Cooper certainly didnt!
Who was the most popular?
Some people worked the room and some people remained aloof or just got there late.
Emma Stone seemed to be hobnobbing more than most A-listers.
Also, Snoop fromAnatomy of a Fallwas there.
Excuse me, [Neon CEO] Tom Quinn corrected me: The dogs name is actually Messi.
I was more starstruck by him.
Did anything exciting happen that wasnt caught on-camera?
I had a funny interaction with Wim Wenders.
Suddenly it became clear to me he thought I was Koji Yakusho, star ofPerfect Days.
Is your hair as long and flowing as his?
You know it is!
[Note: Its true, I do.]
Finally, did you get to eat the food, and was it good?
Vegan risotto, with weird giant mushrooms that resembled scallops.
Brussels sprouts and baby carrots topped by a drift of spinach (raw).
But it happens all over the ballot.
None of them repeated the feat at the Oscars.
The Brits just do things differently.
Nevertheless, here are three things to watch out for:
1.
Since its already the far-and-away front-runner, we should prepare for a major haul.
Could it go 13-for-13?
Except theres one potential wrinkle:Barbieis also nominated in Original Screenplay at the BAFTAs.
