Ahead of hearing the fateful “and the winner is” this Sunday, dozens of celebrities will walk across the most iconic red carpet in the country.
The Oscars red carpet, which has retained its reputable hue for nearly a century (except for instances of champagne to shake things up), is more than just a walkway. Stretching an immense 900 feet, the carpet as well as its accompanying ambiance help set the tone for the Academy Awards themselves.
Planned a year in advance, essentially right after the previous Oscars ceremony has wrapped, the glamorous precursor to Hollywood’s biggest night comes together thanks to a production team filled with hard-working, movie-loving craftspeople.
Ahead of the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, PEOPLE spoke with individuals from the Oscars red carpet team about the extensive process it takes to literally roll out the carpet, and the pride they feel in doing so.
Joe Lewis, the Oscars’ red red carpet producer, has transformed busy boulevards and building entrances into picture-perfect red carpet settings for 16 years.
“I’m the overall producer of the red carpet arrivals and pre-shows. So I am essentially in charge of all infrastructure and staffing and crewing to get the show on air, and to get the guests down the carpet,” Lewis tells PEOPLE.
Lewis is among a 400-plus team that just three weeks before the show knocks out many hours of labor to create real-life movie magic at the Dolby Theater, which is hosting the Oscars for the 23rd time in history.
For Rachel Estrella, an assistant carpenter on the Oscars red carpet team, this is her first year helping put the famed carpet together. Though the task requires lengthy hours, Estrella says she and her peers are proud to work on such a momentous project.
“It’s a privilege that not a lot of people get, so I am very thankful,” Estella tells PEOPLE.
Loralynn Battaglia, a lighting tech who has worked across the main show and the red carpet’s lighting team for about 10 years, adds that working for the Oscars is both “a huge undertaking” and “feels like a tradition.”
“It makes me proud to be a part of it,” Battaglia shares with PEOPLE. “We have had the same crew now for the last five years, and we have all become good friends. Everyone works really well together and we keep it fun whenever possible.”
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With such extensive planning going into both the ceremony and its pre-show, and hundreds of dedicated team members working around the clock to ensure the red carpet looks its best, Lewis says the biggest challenge is one that is truly out of anyone’s hands — Los Angeles weather.
“That’s the one thing that can impact the schedule, impact a budget, impact the guest experience the most,” Lewis says. “That’s wind, that’s rain, that’s lightning, that’s all of those things.”
Thankfully even when things get challenging, as assistant electrician Cassidy Ramirez points out, the Oscars red carpet team is “incredibly supportive of one another.”
During an Oscars creative team press conference earlier this week, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan shared that one of the themes for this year’s awards ceremony is “connection” and celebrating the many people and talent that “put movie magic together.” That goes for the countless people involved in film production over the past year, as well as those working behind the scenes on the Oscars itself.
As the Academy Awards inch closer to celebrating 100 years, the many faces of the Oscars red carpet team share a similar sentiment — it is both an immense undertaking and an incredible opportunity to be a part of such a historic ceremony.
“I think I’m most proud of seeing the end result; knowing how much hard work it took as a team and ultimately seeing what an impact it has on people is truly an honor,” Ramirez says. “I also, of course, love making my family and friends proud; their support means the world to me.”
“This is where culture and entertainment all meet and take place for the biggest night in Hollywood and I pinch myself every year. It takes a lot of individuals to pull this show off, from the technicians to the craftsman to the producers, to the production assistance, to everybody involved in this,” Lewis adds. “I think what excites me is getting to come back and do this, and work with these people. And also stand here on Hollywood Boulevard and get to be a part of something that very few people get to be a part of.”
See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, hosted by Conan O’Brien and airing on ABC and Hulu.
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