Soderbergh was not your usual Oscar producer, which is why he may have been the perfect choice for this very unusual year. He and his producing partners for the event, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, eschewed Zoom and implemented enough protocols to enable a mask-free environment for the nominees.
In the lead-up to Sunday, Soderbergh kept referring to the show as a three-act film. The telecast’s writing staff included the “Surviving R. Kelly” filmmaker Dream Hampton and the veteran writer-director Richard LaGravenese (“The Fisher King”). Presenters were referred to as “cast members.” They included Zendaya, Brad Pitt and Bong Joon Ho, last year’s winner for best director.
The ceremony has typically included performances of the five tunes nominated for best song. Not this year. Those were moved off the main stage and onto a preshow, which allowed them to be performed in their entirety.
This time, however, the academy decided to hand out two honorary Oscars during the primary show. (Since 2009, honorary statuettes have been awarded during a nontelevised banquet in the fall.) The nonprofit Motion Picture & Television Fund, which underwrites a nursing home and retirement village for aging and ailing “industry” people (actors, executives, choreographers, lighting technicians, camera operators), received one. The organization, founded in 1921 by stars like Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin, also provides a wide range of other services to Hollywood seniors.
The second went to Tyler Perry, who the academy cited as a “cultural influence extending far beyond his work as a filmmaker.” Perry, of course, started his entertainment career as a playwright. Since ending his popular “Madea” film series in 2019, Perry has focused on making television shows like “Bruh,” “Sistahs” and “The Oval” for BET. He owns a studio in Atlanta.
The Dolby Theater, which holds more than 3,000 people and has been the home of the Academy Awards since 2001, was not the epicenter of the telecast. This year, with just the nominees and their guests in attendance, an Art Deco, Mission Revival train station in downtown Los Angeles served as the main venue.