Oscar sets, stage get new look

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Architect and designer David Rockwell is putting the finishing touches on the sets he created for Sunday's Oscar ceremonies telecast in Los Angeles.

The first architect to design the Oscar sets said he took his creative cue from the Kodak Theatre -- which he also designed and where the awards presentation is to take place -- and crafted "an immersive environment evocative of an intimate club."

"We created a spatial and architectural solution for the 2009 Oscars that is based on storytelling, spectacle, and community," Rockwell, founder and chief executive officer of the Rockwell Group, said in a statement. "We wanted to use a surprising and dramatic integration of technology and movement to celebrate the awards ceremony, which has become one of the greatest shared rituals of our time."

Although most of the design will be kept a secret until the live event, Rockwell has revealed he created a new proscenium curtain comprised of approximately 100,000 Swarovski crystals. Instead of one giant flat screen to show movie clips and montages, there will be five LED screens that will transform and reconfigure, as well as 20 other still LED screens, the appearance and movement of which will be based on the needs of the choreography of the show, Rockwell said. An elaborate bandstand will be placed on stage for a full orchestra, with the capability to move up and down the stage, and then break apart and disappear throughout the night. Rockwell also added a thrust stage to the theater, with only four steps between the stage and seating level, in an effort to bring the presenters closer to the audience.