After the producers of the Academy Awards stated that this year’s ceremony will be free of Zoom acceptance speeches, folks were quite upset with that choice with travel across the country is still difficult with COVID-19 still impacting many across the globe.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Academy will European Venue and will work to cover quarantine-impacted travel costs. During a Zoom with the Oscar nominees, Steven Soderbergh, one of the producers of the 93rd Oscars telecast stated,
“We can just promise you that we will be more transparent from this point forward,”
However, the producers still encourage anyone who can safely and legally travel to the ceremony in Los Angeles to do so. This will require, according to Dr. Bromage, quarantining in compliance with Los Angeles County policies, for a period that can be shortened if guests (a) travel via business or first class, (b) are vaccinated, or (c) are already operating in a production bubble.
“We have built a state-of-the-art testing facility just for the Academy Awards,”
The added cost to nominees for having to quarantine in L.A., Soderbergh said, will be covered by
“partners to the show that we have relationships with — airlines and hotels.”
Regarding the Union Station location, Soderbergh added,
“We’ve turned it into kind of a cocktail party, essentially,”
“Nominees will be rotated throughout the evening so we don’t exceed the limit in the main road.”
Nominees who have been rotated out will move to one of two adjacent courtyards, where the pre-and post-show will also take place. Those “will be fun,” Collins promised.
When asked, “Are we wearing masks the whole time, even when we are up on stage?”
Soderbergh replied,
“Bring a mask. It’s still in play. And as soon as we know more, we will tell you.” He added, “It’s that fluid.”
With three weeks go to, the longest Oscar Season in history is finally winding down.
