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Red carpets, the lifeblood of movie premieres
and award shows, thrive on the buzz of glamorous actors,
show-stopping gowns and screaming fans.
But as Hollywood grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, the red
carpets of the near future will look very different - if they
happen at all.
Crowded with photographers, A-list stars, publicists and fans
begging for selfies, red carpets are a crucial element in the
Hollywood publicity machine. But what makes them so compelling
to watch is what makes them so difficult to manage in the era of
social distancing.
"Everybody is desperate to get back to a normal version, where
we get to be with people in person, shoulder to shoulder," said
one Hollywood publicist who preferred not to be named.
"I don't see it coming back fully until we've got some kind of
vaccine. Who knows when people are going to want to engage
physically in personal interactions, let alone the travel to get
to those places?," the publicist said.
A big test will come in July when Christopher Nolan thriller
"Tenet" for AT&T Inc's Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Co's
live-action "Mulan" are scheduled as the first big film releases
since the new coronavirus shuttered movie theaters worldwide and
studios moved the rollout of dozens of films to the end of 2020
or into 2021.
Warner Bros. and Disney have not announced their publicity plans
for the two movies, nor have the organizers of television's Emmy
Awards, which are due to take place in Los Angeles in September.
PLEXIGLASS AND PENS
Los Angeles event planners 15|40 Productions, which has designed
more than 200 Hollywood premieres, is consulting with several
studios on plans that incorporate social distancing.
"We took the red carpet and we had to re-envision how it would
work post-quarantine and keeping people apart," said Craig
Waldman, president of 15|40 Productions.
TV crews and photographers, who usually elbow for room, would be
separated into pens divided by plexiglass, while distance
barriers would keep media people at least six feet (two meters)
away from actors. Celebrities would interact with fans via giant
LED screens.
"Having a live fan element is going to be a thing for the
future, once a vaccine is found," said Waldman.
That means a big reduction in media outlets on the carpet, and
plenty of masks.
"I don't know that we will see Emmy-nominated actresses walking
the Emmy red carpet wearing masks," said Hollywood Reporter
writer Chris Gardner. "I do think some people - maybe
photographers, also journalists - may have to ask questions
through masks."
The biggest unknown is whether A-listers will turn up.
Mike Zimet, whose New York security company's client list
includes actors Alec Baldwin and Lin-Manuel Miranda, says tight
safeguards will need to be in place.
"I know one (celebrity) I'm protecting right now is staying away
from everything," said Zimet, who doesn't expect red carpets to
return in New York until fall, or possibly winter.
Zimet said celebrities "have to decide if your health, of the
family and yourself, is worth it."
Meanwhile, publicists have been getting creative with virtual
premieres and interviews in which actors appear on Zoom or Skype
from their homes.
It's worked well for small-budget films, cutting travel costs
and allowing actors to be more relaxed.
"They are not in an uncomfortable chair with lights all around
them. It's more like chit-chatting with a sort of new friend
they have just met on their computer," said a publicist who has
organized several virtual events.
But it's a far cry from the excitement of a bustling red carpet.
"This virtual premiere is quite, quite strange," British actress
Kristin Scott Thomas said on Zoom from a sofa at home, promoting
her film "Military Wives."
"It's just as frightening but just a hell of a lot more
comfortable because you're wearing your own dress," she giggled.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine and Alicia Powell;
editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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