Dolby Theatre was dressed up in Swarovski crystals in Los Angeles in Oscars for the ninth year in row. More than 203,000 Swarovski crystals were used to bring sparkle to the event which was watched live in 225 countries worldwide. The set was designed with Swarovski by production designer Derek McLane for the fourth year.
For the decoration, Derek drew inspiration from old school Hollywood glamour with a color palette of gold upon gold. The designs included a massive crystal proscenium arch featuring 18 separate panels with more than 37,000 crystals studded on top of a shimmering gold backdrop. The arch weighed more than 20,000lbs and took over 650 hours to put it together before it was installed in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. There were seven crystal wave towers that appeared to float in the background, featuring more than 110,000 Swarovski crystals.
The gigantic crystal closedown wall which was put for the second year weighed over 7,700 pounds and featured 22,200 Swarovski crystals. The wall was created by nine artisans who spent 880 hours creating and assembling the 80ft by 40ft decoration. In addition, Swarovski provided a further 23,000 crystals for the theater’s eighteen crystallized opera boxes. Since 2007, over 880,000 Swarovski crystals have been used in the set design for the Oscars and more than one million crystals have been incorporated into the costume design.
The production design team for the 2016 Oscars created a special sparkling set for the performance of the Weekend’s nominated song “Earned It“. Viewers got a glimpse of the original music video before their eyes. The production design team used 10 custom designed torchieres made with 10,816 Swarovski crystals to add drama to the stage, which contained over 200,000 Swarovski crystals.
Derek McLane, production designer commented, “My vision for the Oscars this year was 1970’s glamour. I’ve tried to evoke some of that amazing architecture, design and style in this year’s design. Crystals on stage trick the eye a bit and are a magical feeling that are innately glamourous to people.”
Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, commented: “The Oscars are the highlight of the movie industry’s year, providing a glittering celebration of creative talent from around the globe. Once again Swarovski was thrilled to collaborate with Derek McLane on these stunning designs, which truly set the stage for the evening.”
Swarovski also extended its support all the way to the UK, where the company hosted the official Oscar Night® London event at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. Guests had the chance to celebrate the 88th Oscars from Hollywood on Sunday evening, with a live telecast and a midnight feast complete with espresso martinis. Swarovski designs, manufactures, and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones, and finished products such as jewelry, accessories, and lighting. Swarovski is the premium brand for the finest crystal embellishments since 1895. It is recognized for its innovative excellence and its collaborations with top-class designers and brands in the fashion, jewelry, accessories, interior design and lighting industries across the globe.
- Advertisement -