I covered the 98th Academy Awards in-person on Sunday. Re-reading that statement alone sends a rush of adrenaline through my body still, and in reflecting on that experience, it feels less like something that’s over and more like something worthy of more mental processing. Hence, this piece is a reflection of my very experience and notes from within the Oscar Press Room and around the red carpet.
I arrived at the In-n-Out, which was the closest I could get to Ovation Hollywood, where the Oscar Press Room was snugly tucked away. Rather than taking the shuttle, I was instructed to cross closed-down Hollywood Blvd on foot, and walk down a stretch of the Hollywood Walk of Fame to finally reach the Ovation. Following a very well-staffed security screening process, I found my assigned seat in the back of the Press Room.
Whilst the audience, stars, and Oscar nominees enjoyed the show from within Dolby Theatre, the press room in the Loews Hollywood Hotel became its very own audience throughout the night. In between juggling live updates from within the room and preparing questions for potential winners, never once did I not feel part of an authentic Oscar-viewing community. This was the most defining and unexpected characteristic of my experience.
As the show began at 7pm, almost every press room member was glued to the screens as Conan O’Brien ran through scenes from several of this year’s featured films, with tens of young children trailing behind him in reference to the Weapons plot.
The room came alive each time a nominee’s name was called as the winner, which was a refreshing reaction amongst an otherwise busy, deadline-concerned crowd. When Amy Madigan won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Weapons and strolled across the gold and rosé backdrop in the press room, she was met with a wave of loud sustained applause. As Madigan once again thanked her husband in the press room, we responded with a collective murmur of appreciation. Even better for me in the room, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a mix of first-timers like myself in addition to Oscar press veterans.
Beyond the atmosphere of the room, I carefully began to draw themes in acceptance speeches, which mostly circled around representation, identity, and contemporary global challenges. Winners like Maggie Kang, following KPop Demon Hunters’ win for Best Animated Feature Film, called on Korea and Koreans, full of gratitude, for taking “so long to win this award.” Representing Timid, I felt pride in seeing her then later walk across the press room stage.
One of the biggest challenges of the night, beyond the amount of multitasking in the room, might have been separating emotion from journalism. Journalists are told to isolate emotions in most reporting situations, but I found it difficult to truly separate the joy I felt in moments like when Autumn Durald Arkapaw won her Oscar for Best Cinematography. I was even responsive to smaller things like a Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans reunion, partly because of the novelty of the whole experience.
Awards then flew by. Best Animated Short Film, Best Costume, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Casting. Unexpectedly, Best Live Action Short Film was a tie. For an already historic night, this year’s Academy Awards found, in typical Oscar fashion, a way to keep the room on its toes.
By the ninth award of the night for Best Adapted Screenplay, nearly halfway through, more and more journalists gathered around the coffee and beverage tables, while others lined up for dinner. Although cheese, crackers, and select vegetables were laid out earlier, energy-deprived journalists like myself were revitalized by the staff’s constant bringing out of chicken skewers, birria eggrolls, and mushroom dumplings, along with pasta and deli sandwich options.
As more awards passed and winners passed through the interview room, I heard F1 won the Oscar for Best Sound. By this point in the night, some of the award announcements drifting through the room’s television speakers appeared to blur into background noise for some of the room, but as a longtime fan of the sport, hearing F1 take home an Oscar was anything but. In fact, it was among the best sounds I’d heard up to that point in the evening. Of course, that was later matched by hearing KPop Demon Hunter’s win for Best Original Song and Arkapaw’s win for Best Cinematography, among others.
In previous years covering the Oscars for Timid, I worked out of the virtual press room, since in-person access is limited to those 18 and older (fun fact!). My first year in virtual press, the 96th Academy Awards, I had the fortune of interviewing Christopher Nolan and the Oppenheimer Creative Team. I knew it would be difficult to top such an experience, but with F1’s win, I saw an opportunity for another memorable interview.
Raising my placard, #367, I was called out in a sea of journalists and raised cards. My prepared question regarded how the sound team, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta, balanced their audience’s expectations, given that most viewers were already familiar with the distinctive sounds of Formula 1 and entered theaters anticipating a certain level of authenticity. Rizzo stepped up to the microphone and distilled the craft down to what it truly is: a meticulous process of choices, where every layer of sound is refined until it feels authentic—a truly herculean task worthy of an Oscar.
Arkapaw finally made it to the press room, after what I can only imagine was a whirlwind of still photos in the room next door. Loud applause erupted in the room, rightfully so, for the first woman and woman of color and Asian descent to win this trophy. After her interviews, it became clear that we, as journalists, had again momentarily set aside our roles in the face of her emotional reflection—that “a lot of little girls who look like [her] can sleep really well tonight because they’ll want to become cinematographers.”
Pressing forward, “Golden” won Best Original Song, and while the press room filled with excitement, I watched the television screens as EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park were abruptly cut off during the acceptance speech. Fortunately, the press room provided a meaningful opportunity for the crew to finish their remarks—another moment filled with emotion for the winners and press alike.
With Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture still ahead on my program, I felt a steady buzz—part caffeine, part anticipation—fueled by what had been such a fiercely competitive year in film. Paul Thomas Anderson’s win for Best Director led the final charge, followed by a historic win for Michael B. Jordan, having played literally two lead characters in Sinners. Jessie Buckley in Hamnet delivered a performance of such intensity that, when her name was called, it felt less of a surprise and more of a long-awaited recognition. With a tremendous end to the night, One Battle After Another created an eruption of energy in the press room following moments of deep, quiet suspense for the final award of the night.
The press room closed at 9:30pm, but my Oscar Sunday hadn’t ended yet. I gathered my belongings, I stowed away placard #367, and headed to the entrance of the red carpet, where the Academy’s running shuttle for press waited, in addition to the stars’ chauffeurs. To my pleasant aromatic surprise, baristas were stationed in the area, serving uniquely crafted, complimentary lattes, likely for afterparty goers; but in my deprived state, I ordered a Tahini Salted Caramel Latte anyway.
Waiting for my drink, I watched as winners walked by with physical awards in hand—Academy Award of Merits, formally. In a split moment, I spotted Gareth John, the winner of Best Sound for F1, whom I had interviewed earlier that night. Covering awards shows, you almost never get a second encounter with the people you interview. Ultimately, in a conversation I unfortunately can no longer remember, I managed to snag a picture with the newly-inducted Oscar winner and even hold the Academy Award of Merit. In case you’re wondering, it is an unexpectedly heavy item—8.5 pounds to be exact.
I guzzled the remainder of my latte and prepared for home at around 11pm, heart still racing from a night that never quite slowed down. Having followed this particular awards ceremony for years, the Oscars now had never felt so real. Journalism, at its best, doesn’t distance you from the story and, in some cases, can make you a small part of it.
