Oscars telecast attempts to transform itself into a film, with varying success

One of the recurring references to films was the fact that live action parts of the telecast had a letterbox (note how the ABC bug extends below the live picture) into the black area, meaning the black bars on top and bottom were meant to be seen. 

Presenters and winners were typically shot off axis and off center, which meant they weren’t looking into the camera. The wider ‘live’ screen area, made slightly wider thanks to the letterboxing, could be filled with an Oscar statuette perched on a plinth next to the person to help reduce physical contact with the award being carried out from backstage. Other blocking included out-of-focus views of the audience or backgrounds. 

Color typography that blended a geometric sans serif with a vintage script serif in a variety of color schemes was used at the top of the show to mimic film credits, such as this ‘presents’ screen mimicking the studio credits that many films use.

Presenters were also listed over the single-take handheld shot of Regina King walking with ‘star’ billing.

Old Hollywood glam found its way into the tiered set that was restricted to on-site nominees and close friends or family members, thanks in large part to the gold railings and wraparound framework. The set also featured ‘live picture frames’ that could alternate with the colorful, often geometric designs that coordinated with the show’s insert graphics. These were also used to showcase historic photographs, typically in black and white.

Nominees were identified on screen with rectangular, multicolor graphics and typography matching the open. The colors of these and the box views changed throughout the broadcast, with the live video panels around the set updating to match.

Nominee feeds were put inside of boxed designs like this ‘five box’ approach. Note that most fullscreen graphic applications like this lost the letterbox. 

Awards with less nominees used a variety of layouts that also incorporated the colorful motifs.

For the popular ‘in memoriam’ segment, photographs were combined with a faceted look of blurred angles and colors in a variety of styles, some of which follow. These looks carried through the colorful look of the rest of the show’s graphics, but had more depth and parallax-style effects than the flatter graphics used elsewhere in the show.

As previously announced, nominees sat at a variety of banquet and cafe tables throughout the space, some of which had custom-designed Oscar-themed lamps. As part of the more dramatic, cinematic lighting approach, shots from the Union Station set often appeared a bit dark with little to no backlight (in fairness, the high ceilings likely would have made this challenging without bringing in extensive rigging). Despite the show’s attempts to be more diverse, this seemed to affect individuals with darker skin more. The lighting also had to account for the changing light coming from the station’s 40-foot windows, and, later in the evening, shots became even darker.