Coronavirus makeover
Red carpets of the future will look different, if they happen at all
LOS ANGELES — It could be a long while until you hear that Hollywood red carpet staple, “And who are you wearing tonight?”
Red carpets, the lifeblood of movie premieres and award shows, thrive on the buzz of glamorous actors, showstopping 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.