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If you love movies and dream of attending Academy Awards events, there’s hope. While you might not make it to the red carpet, you can still brush shoulders with the industry’s elite.
I attended two of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science events through the San Diego Cinema Society. There are several ways to toss your hat into the ring to watch the stars as they enter the Awards. Also, it’s not too late to plan a trip for the 90th anniversary of the Oscars in 2018! It’s bound to be one of the biggest galas ever. (See links below.)
My brush with cinematic greatness began modestly early the Saturday before the Academy Awards. Our bus left at 7 am. By 10 my Cinema Society pals and I stepped into the Academy Headquarters, tickets in hand for the Foreign Language Symposium. We had a block of seats reserved in the spacious, plushly red Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Over the next few hours, we were introduced to the directors and their co-directors of the five nominated best Foreign Language Films. It was a tickle to hear about their processes and challenges. I’d only seen one, Tanna, a long-shot for the Oscar, but an unparalleled film. It was shot using solar batteries over the 7 months the director/camera man, his sound editor, and producer-wife lived in a remote village amongst the Tanna Island people. TANNA is available on Netflix.
Tanna Tribe by Charles E. Gordon Frazer (1863-1899) – Bonhams, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17330887
Over the months of filming over 100 hours of footage and endless discussions with the tribe, a story emerged based on an actual event. The Romeo and Juliet tale incorporates an active volcano and no CGI effects. It’s a remarkable film that I’d love to see win the statue. Several of the Tanna villagers attended the Symposium. Seeing them was an experience none of us will forget.
The original Farmers Market in full Mardi Gras mode on a Saturday afternoon
Between the two Symposiums, we rode up to the Central Farmers Market for lunch. Love that place! The historic, open market was percolating with a Mardi Gras vibe. Several bands, cafes, and restaurants competed for our attention.
Hair and Makeup artifacts from Suicide Squad
The Hair and Makeup Symposium opened my eyes to the vast art and hard work it takes to create the creatures as well as age actors for the big screen. Three films were nominated this year: A Man Called Ove, Star Trek Beyond, and Suicide Squad. The first ever Oscar winner in this category is Rick Baker who won for his 1982 film, An American Werewolf in London. He stood to wave to the adoring crowd.
The teams behind the nominated films took the stage. Ten-minute clips of each film that the Academy members voted on in the ‘Bake Off’ reels were shown and the session ended with a Q&A from the audience. It was fascinating to hear about the 56 alien creatures designed for Star Trek, the wig-making and prosthetics created for Ove, and the creative inspirations behind the comic book, wild ride film, Suicide Squad.
A few of the prosthetics created for Star Trek Beyond.
I’m already planning on a return trip to soak up more of the grit behind the glitterati that the Academy Awards provide. Maybe I’ll be cheeky enough to take my pictures with the big gold guy.
Want to go to the Academy Awards (and other Academy events)?
- Sign up for the Academy newsletter and be among the first to get notices about special screenings and events. Enter the Oscar Night Lottery!
- Join the lottery for bleacher seats along the red carpet route. The website, The Gold Knight, covers the specifics and offers tips on how to win.
- Join the Cinema Society and attend Academy Oscar Week events on a day trip to Hollywood. Join as a member (San Diego, Scottsdale, Arizona’s West Valley) or sign up as a guest. There are probably other groups attending but this is how I reserved a seat at the Foreign Film and Hair/Makeup Symposiums.
- Follow the People Magazine Oscar Fan Contest and enter for a chance to win.
- Visit the original Los Angeles Farmers Market day or night.
- If you can’t make it to the Academy Awards or related events, don’t despair. The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences is opening a state of the art museum that will be open to the public in 2019.
Proud member of these linkups full of great travel stories:
Oh this is some helpful info! I did a WB studio tour in Hollywood and loved that. always fun to look at the inside of the movie making. sometimes I wish i were a production assistant back in my day:)
How cool is this?! I love seeing foreign films, and being able to listen to movie directors and producers talks about their passion and film-making ups and downs would be unforgettable. The Hair and Makeup artistry is incredible, though a bit creepy. 😉 Still, a magical experience all around that I’d love to enjoy one day too.
Interesting post, I didn’t realize that regular people could partake in it, although I have a friend who is a seat filler and gets called every year to fill a seat! The hair and makeup is the most interesting – I would have loved to be in that prosthetics room for Star Trek
What a very cool experience! Didnt know that not just actors and actresses can attend Oscar Awards but also regular people like us can attend! Wooow! Someday, I would like to attend and watch how beautiful and handsome my favorite actresses and actors are on their gowns ang suits.
This is so fun! I’d love to do this someday. I love the prosthetics that were created for Star Trek Beyond!
Interesting to read this post again, Elaine. Did you enjoy the Oscar Award Ceremony last night?
I so enjoyed watching with friends. Did you?
How nice is it to be able to attend such a great film event. I would especially be interested in the symposiums. It’s nice to see how all the make up comes together while making a movie. It looks like it was all organised perfectly and made like a very special day out.
That’s so awesome you got to enjoy this. It’s always nice to see the behind-the-scenes stuff and learn about all the work and time that goes into one simple film. Would be nice to try this one. I got to go The Voice filmings and it was pretty awesome, so i want to do more things like this and other shows to be a part of.
Attending an Oscar award night is indeed the stuff of dreams. Never knew that it is possible to attend one without yourself being a VVVIP! I was fascinated reading about the hours of labour that goes behind the scenes by the makeup artists. What we see on screen is the finished product and we just see the glitz and glamour and do not know about the long periods of hard work, grit, and determination that have gone in.
What a really cool day! We’re waiting to watch the awards in 3 hours, TV remotes ready from over here in Australia! I had no idea that these science events took place, but would love to attend one – the Hair and Makeup Symposium sounds like it would have been most fascinating – they really do SUCH an incredible job in this field; how incredible that you got to see the prosthetics created for Star Trek Beyond and other films! Signing up for the Academy Awards newsletter, and will stalk out the LA Farmers markets on my next Hollywood trip. Thanks for the tips!
Wow, what a wonderful event to attend! It must feel great getting to brush shoulders with the stars….
The central Farmers Market sounds really good, anything with a Mardi Gras feel sounds full of energy. I think I’d love it 🙂
I didn’t know ordinary citizens of world too could attend such high class events. Seeing the stage in real must be a goosebump moment, no?Th story of the masks was interesting.
How cool, we always watch the award shows on TV. I thought only movie industry people are invited to attend Academy Awards. Would love to attend someday!
This is so interesting! I’ll have to look up that Tanna movie on Netflix it sounds amazing. It’s so cool seeing the hair and makeup props! It is amazing what those talented people can do!
To attend an Academy Award event has to truly be a fun adventure! I would love the meet and greet with the people nominated for awards especially the costume awards. They are so inventive and creative! This looks like it was truly a fun trip!
I love the Oscars! Every year I try to watch all of the Best Picture nominees. I have even participated in an Oscar pool or two. I didn’t know that “normal” people could attend the Oscars. Definitely saving this.
How cool! I really like Q&As with directors – we have them at Edinburgh’s film festival each year but its such a scrabble for tickets that I rarely get to go to any of them. I’d really love to see behind the scenes at the Oscars – I wonder if they do a backstage tour – it would be great!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movies and always wanted to attend the Oscars. I had no idea that was actually possible as a regular person. Thank you so much for this article!
This is really interesting. I thought only industry insiders are invited to attend Academy Awards. Would love to attend someday. This year Oscar was full of surprises 🙂
This year was full of great movies.
What an experience to be able to go to one of those events! I never really thought non-celebs could experience this, so cool!
I loved attending with a hairdresser and makeup artist.
Well how fun, I always wondered how “normal” people got access to these events. I might just have to sign up! Very cool story, thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed.
I did not know that common people could get an entry to the awards show. The experience must be enthralling. I would love to experience the glitz and glamour in person.
It wasn’t a glitzy symposium but very grand. Loved seeing the building and the theater.
Whoa what a great idea! I didn’t even know attending events like the Oscars where possible. I would love to go and going to sign up for the lottery. Thanks for the info.
Fun right?! I heard about the Symposiums years ago and am so glad I finally went.
I would love to attend the red carpet of any awards! I think the atmosphere would be absolutely incredible – the stars, the fashion – it would be hard not to get caught up in it all! And The Oscars 90th Anniversary bash would certainly be a great event to attend too – I wonder how much a ticket would cost for that?! (if you didn’t win the Oscars Lottery!)
You have to win the chance to buy a ticket! Depending on where you sit if you win a ticket costs nearly $400 and up!
I am a huge film fan you have no idea how jealous and happy I am of/for you. This is just brilliant and such a wonderful way to celebrate the art of cinema. Oscars are everything cinema and love them or hate ém you simply cannot get away from the craziness that leads up to them. I really wasn’t aware that there were so many opportunities for us mere mortals to experience the offerings of the Academy and it is definitely something to keep in mind if and when i’m in the region.
Thank you for the grand comment, Raghav. It was really a matter of signing up for the bus trip and buying a ticket! I’m truly lucky to be based in San Diego and close to so many movie events.
This is a very handy guide. Lucky you that you made it there. This must have been an unforgettable experience.
Truly unforgettable to then see the crew from Suicide Squad get the Oscar the night after I went to the Symposium.
This is so cool! I love movies so I would love to do this. If I were in the states I would sign up for the lottery for sure.
The Oscars are always a big deal for me too so having a chance to experience even part of it was a trip.
If I was in the area I would want to attend this, but after the f-up recently, do I really want to go to a Mickey Mouse show? 😀 😀 😀 That really overshowed everything and tanish the show 🙁
One moment of human foibles and you’d give up going to the Oscars?!
How exciting! I didn’t know that “regular people” had access to these events. Since you had so much background info from watching the Hair & Makeup Symposium, what did you think of Suicide Squad’s win? I need to watch that Tanna movie as I have a friend on Vanuatu whose family owns a coffee roasting company, and the coffee comes from Tanna.
I agreed that Suicide Squad deserved the Oscar. The other biggest contender, Star Trek Beyond, had impressive work but not the variety in SS. How wonderful that you know someone from Vanuatu. I’d love to visit.
While attending an Academy Awards ceremony is not on my bucket list, I have to say that I read your post with a lot of interest. I have a fascination with movies and the way they are made. Watching the ceremony last night was a little disappointing. What happened to the good movies in Hollywood?
I’m a fan of the Oscars but only hope to be one of those mothers on the red carpet one day when my son gets a nomination for motion graphics! I loved the movies nominated this year and was pretty pleased with the way the awards were dispersed. Too bad the snafu at the end colored the celebration.
I would love to attend the Academy Awards or just the Red Carpet. Seeing the fashion is definitely my favorite part of the night. Would be amazing to experience it in person. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
I’m with you and would love to attend one year. Thanks, Anisa.