Abstract
The annual Academy Awards pre-show, currently titled The Oscars: Red Carpet Live, has become an integral part of Hollywood’s ‘night of nights’. Produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the show captures a media event or media spectacle that has strong commercial imperatives. The pre-show is often perceived to be nothing more than an insipid commentary about stars, their personal lives and, of course, the clothes that they wear on Oscar night. However, this article argues that the pre-show is much more informative and richer than simplistic criticisms suggest. Specifically, the broadcast educates viewers about filmmaking and the field of cinema, as well as social norms and customs, presenting behaviours and attitudes that are considered to be acceptable and unacceptable. A detailed analysis of the 2013 show confirms this argument; it also finds that parts of the broadcast are inspirational – intentionally and unintentionally so – providing viewers with motivational stories and stimulating ideas.
Highlights
The Oscars red carpet pre-show is eagerly anticipated and attentively watched each year by millions of viewers around the world
Red carpet moments are often unforgettable, as Bronwyn Cosgrave (2007, vii) reminds us: ‘Oscars after Oscars, since the ceremony’s inception in 1929, it is a red-carpet look memorably modelled by an actress great that’s proved the preeminent showstopper, consistently upstaging other definitive aspects of the ceremony from the opening monologue to the speeches’
The analysis finds that the show is instructive and, in addition, is inspirational, as it presents moving stories and galvanising ideas
Summary
The Oscars red carpet pre-show is eagerly anticipated and attentively watched each year by millions of viewers around the world. Red carpet moments are often unforgettable, as Bronwyn Cosgrave (2007, vii) reminds us: ‘Oscars after Oscars, since the ceremony’s inception in 1929, it is a red-carpet look memorably modelled by an actress great that’s proved the preeminent showstopper, consistently upstaging other definitive aspects of the ceremony from the opening monologue to the speeches’. This popular event has become ‘integral’ to the entire Oscars broadcast package, according to many commentators (Halkidis 2014; Lemczak 2014; Walden 2014). The analysis finds that the show is instructive and, in addition, is inspirational, as it presents moving stories and galvanising ideas
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