Meet the 2024 Oscars 'red carpet magic maker'
LOS ANGELES -- When you watch the red carpet shine on OscarSunday, you don't often get to meet the visionaries behind the iconic Hollywood scene.
Now, we're getting a glimpse into just what it takes to pull it all together.
"Listen, we're on schedule," said Joe Lewis, the Oscars' associate producer of arrivals and pre-show.
That's technically Lewis' title, but he laughs that it's more like "Red Carpet Magic Maker."
"Like they said, we paved paradise and put up a red carpet," Lewis said.
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Transforming a busy stretch of Hollywood Boulevard into the most famous red carpet in the world is a massive undertaking.
"Seven hundred linear feet of carpet," Lewis said. "One hundred thousand square feet of carpet, 600 man hours to install it, 500 crew members, 3,500 credentialed press, 6,000 happy, smiling guests, and 32 winners."
And yes, the red carpet has been restored, after last year's champagne carpet surprise.
"Listen, the red carpet is all about the Hollywood glamour, right?" he said. "The Academy is bold enough to try new things, and they're also bold enough to come back to what works. The tried and true."
This year's red carpet is brighter, more like a cherry red.
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"This is a different red from what we've done in the past, let's just call it Academy Red," said Lewis.
The celebrity photo wall has also doubled in capacity.
"It is twice the size as it's ever been this year," Lewis said. "It's two-sided. We have two lanes, so we can keep the fashions and the flow moving."
