It was the most unusual Golden Globe Award since 2008, when the writers’ strike forced producers to cancel it in favor of a press conference. But this year, the show endeavored to be, in the words of executive producer Barry Adelman, as “Golden Globe” as possible.
That meant embracing unpredictable moments, such as when Catherine O’Hara’s husband added sound effects from his phone to the acceptance speech of the “Schitt’s Creek” star, or when Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah” star, accidentally put mute your laptop (something that was quickly fixed).
“There were a lot of surprises throughout the night when suddenly people came up in situations that you had no idea what was going on,” said Adelman. “I found the program extremely interesting. Suddenly, you saw children entering the painting, you saw dogs. Jodie Foster and his wife and dog were a total surprise and a wonderful image. “
Critics were not so kind, giving the television program bad ratings, and the ratings dropped to 2008 levels, as the public may have grown tired of watching celebrities accepting prizes in Zoom boxes. (The Globes have remained firm in the ratings until this year, but all bets are wrong in these COVID times).
Still, this year’s ceremony had its remarkable and memorable moments, such as the emotional speech of Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward Boseman, who accepted the late star’s award for best drama actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”.
“There were about five or six moments that were extremely memorable and that will make any feature film at Golden Globe shows,” said Adelman. “Even in a virtual world, we were able to obtain humanity and we were able to obtain emotion. Which is always for me, along with humor and unexpected moments, the highlights of any award program. “
Variety asked Adelman, executive vice president of TV at Dick Clark Prods., And Linda Gierahn, executive vice president of shingle production, to share some snacks and answer burning questions about the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards for Sunday night. The highlights:
• Fiber optics is everything. Anyone who has been on a call from Zoom knows that it is impossible not to step on the other while speaking, but Globes hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have managed to avoid this, even though they are on opposite sides. (The only noticeable hiccup was when they both introduced acceptance of the Norman Lear Carol Burnett Award.) Part of that was thanks to the ultra-fast fiber between the two backs that kept the time gap in a third of a second.
“With our hosts on the different coasts, we wanted to keep it as uniform as possible,” said Gierahn. “And really what that meant was so much preparation with an army of technical producers that we had been working on both coasts. We expanded our schedule to ensure that we had adequate time to go over everything, to make sure it was working. And we made it look similar in both places so that, at the beginning of the show, it could look perfect. “
Adelman added: “It’s easy with them, because they have incredible chemistry with each other, that 3000 miles means nothing. The time remains the same. If you are going to do this with any two people, it is the two that I would choose. “
• Globes typically crowd hundreds of participants in every corner of the Beverly Hilton ballroom. This year, the audience was only 42 in Beverly Hills and 32 in New York’s Rainbow Room. The mix of rescuers and essential workers was previously examined and made up of a wide variety of people, including teachers, flight attendants and restaurant and grocery store employees.
Gierahn said the public’s reaction was not subdued because “they were very excited to be there and very excited, and they were talking loudly”. They were not fed, however. “We just aren’t able to do that right now under LA county rules,” she added.
• All nominees received their own isolated food at home. Some virtual participants required additional equipment, while others used their own computers. Producers had the ability to mute and unmute people at home, but there were occasions, such as the Kaluuya mute laptop, that were beyond their control.
• Most of the thanks went live, but some had the option to pre-record – including Lear’s speech. “Norman Lear, obviously 98, as I said soon last night for 99, we wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for him,” said Adelman. “He is still sharp and vital as he showed last night. But we thought it would be a more comfortable arrangement for him to record it beforehand, and although it was recorded, he certainly enjoyed the moment to the fullest ”.
• Before most commercial breaks, those nominated in various categories were shown talking to each other. This was the idea of director Louis J. Horvitz, who launched the concept of showing the competitors of the category together in a virtual waiting room and organizing it so that they could talk to each other.
“What we were trying to do there was, in some way, establish the same fun and camaraderie that you get at Globes when it’s happening live in the ballroom,” said Adelson. “Some of the favorite parts of people on the Globe are watching people jumping around the table and talking. Everyone is a fan of each other. They all know each other’s work, and it gave them a chance to do it as if they were going to see each other on the show. “
Gierahn said the production team was communicating directly with each nominee and making it clear when they were or were not. “Often, of course, they were nervous, so they wanted to ask and check, ‘am I on or off?’ But we definitely communicated with them throughout the process, ”she said.
• Some of the winners’ choices during their acceptance speeches surprised producers. When “Soul” producer Dana Murray and co-director Pete Docter accepted the award, they also held an iPad with pre-recorded thanks from co-director Kemp Powers. Fortunately, the audio worked, but “I had no idea what was going to happen,” said Adelman.
Ditto, as mentioned above, O’Hara’s joke in accepting his award for best TV comedy actress for “Schitt’s Creek”. Said Adelman: “Her husband, who had the phone, was playing applause for her or a song that was not an audio translation for us, but they were having something going on there that we had no idea. It was totally improvised and we didn’t know where that sound came from. We knew it wasn’t in our system and we finally saw what it was doing there. That’s the fun of live television. “
• Face-to-face presenters had the option to stay in their cars and then jump and follow a specific and socially distant path to the Globo stage. In some cases, if someone was needed more than once for the show, a waiting area was offered where they could wait. “We really try to keep our number as small as possible and have an essential team on site,” said Gierahn. “In fact, it was all about the individual situation and what people were comfortable with. But, in most cases, get in and out as quickly as possible. “
• TikTok star La’Ron Hines was recruited by Poehler and Fey to do a segment with preschoolers giving their opinion on film titles. “La’Ron has a lot of followers on TikTok and online, and I think Tina and Amy met him,” said Adelman. “They love them and said that we have to do something with this young man. They talked to him and had this idea, which seemed great to us. Linda and her team made sure it was safe for COVID. “
• Poehler and Fey made the decision to address the HFPA controversy over the lack of black members on their own. “I will say that we have a policy of non-intervention in monologues,” said Adelman. “As soon as we hire our hosts, they can say what they want. Just like our presenters, as well as anyone who will give an acceptance speech. That’s part of our philosophy on this show, and that was all Tina and Amy, they said what they wanted to say and we let them say it. “
• HFPA also made a brief promise to improve the inclusion of members during the segment that they broadcast annually in the broadcast. “HFPA always has a time in the program when it can address any problem it chooses to solve,” said Adelman. “There were a number of them. This goes back almost decades now. They addressed other issues that were timely in those speeches in the past and this was a timely issue and it is in its place.
• Adelman is not opposed to trying the bicastal configuration again. “I am open to anything in that area,” he said. “I don’t want to leave Linda sleepless, but I would consider doing it again under the right circumstances. Obviously, we did it because of the unusual circumstances of this year … if it makes sense again, I’m open to anything. “