Swarovski Dazzles Center Stage At The 2014 Oscars®

The Oscars 2014 3min Movie

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 3, 2014 Swarovski crystals played a dazzling supporting role when over 40 million viewers tuned in last night to watch the Oscars and took part in a spectacular celebration of movie-making artistry, telecast live from the Dolby Digital Theatre®.

Tony® Award-winning production designer Derek McLane returned to Hollywood’s most venerated stage for the second year running to create the dazzling decor. Once again, McLane collaborated with Swarovski to turn his creative concepts into sparkling scenery. This year, over 164,000 crystals shimmered brilliantly throughout the theater, marking the seventh year that Swarovski has been the key creative ingredient in the set design for the Academy Awards.

McLane ramped up the sparkle and energy in a room already buzzing with Hollywood’s top talent. It took thousands of hours to realize his vision, which comprised one grand curtain surrounded by three glorious swags, which together weighed more than 1,800 pounds. The design process began months before the Oscar nominations were announced, when McLane set about creating unique decorative set pieces. He chose to reinstate the 80 foot wide by 40 foot high crystal curtain he designed as the backdrop to last year’s unforgettable performance by Adele of her Oscar-winning song Skyfall.

His finishing touch was the six dazzlingly glamorous crystal “swag drapes”, created especially for this year’s ceremony by Swarovski technicians, which added brilliance to the stage during the performance of this year’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” from the animated feature film Frozen.

Derek McLane commented: “Working with Swarovski for the second year running was very exciting. As soon as Frozen was nominated, I watched the movie and saw the ice palace in the film. I knew immediately that this was the place to incorporate Swarovski crystal- especially the grand crystal swag drapes. The crystals act like prisms and refract light in such a way that they add an extra level of magic to the performance.”

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, commented: “We’re very proud of our sparkling heritage in the world of entertainment, having provided glamour to the silver screen for over 80 years, and we’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Derek McLane. His magnificent, swooping designs embody the drama, suspense and celebration of Oscars night and provided a brilliant backdrop to its finest cinematic talents.”

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About Swarovski
Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity that goes beyond the manufacturing of crystal. Founded in 1895 in Austria, Swarovski designs, manufactures, and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones, and finished products such as jewelry, accessories, and lighting. In addition, Swarovski Crystal Worlds was established as a unique venue dedicated to showcasing artistic interpretations of crystal. Swarovski Entertainment collaborates with established industry partners and exceptional talent to produce international feature films, while the Swarovski Foundation supports creativity and culture, promotes wellbeing, and conserves natural resources. Now run by the fifth generation of family members, Swarovski Crystal Business has a global reach with over 2,350 stores in around 170 countries, more than 25,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.4 billion euros in 2012. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2012, the Group generated revenue of about 3.1 billion euros and employed more than 30,000 people.