A Pandemic Pivot for the GRAMMYs
Author: Cassandra Ruff, Creative Director at Ember
It’s an awards show - it’s about extreme flattery, bad speeches, and great entertainment. And while, for me, the GRAMMYS has often felt like the same annual program on repeat, the pandemic forced a different approach and I was entertained by a few of those “pivot” outcomes...
Production Value Grade: A
Great Host
A solid host will help make or break the show and Trevor Noah carried us through a long night with humor, energy, and personality. Not to mention, delivering his remarks while on the move without getting winded or tripping up his words or footing. It felt like he was in constant motion and reporting from a wide variety of locations, seldom just the main stage norm.
It was also awesome to see him hanging with artists side stage and rocking out to whoever was on the mic. That type of footage really humanized him and other artists in a different, authentic way.
Strong Opening
The traveling opening monologue, dynamically toured us from the nominee open-air tent through the red carpet to the main performance stage. I was instantly curious on how the show, segmented between all these locations, was going to come to life.
The roving cameras didn’t stop there. It provided an engaging follow of artists and hosts throughout the night.
Continuum of Entertainment
The multi-stage performance area definitely kept the production crew busy. A rotation of 5 stage areas was uniquely set per artist - from the simplicity of black drape for Mickey Guyton to the ornate and dreamy, enchanted forest folklore-scenic for Taylor Swift to the larger than life scenic elements for Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion’s performance - no effort was spared in creating a unique and compelling environment for every artist.
The set up also offered a center stage area for artists to perform in-the-round, as cameras circulated through the various vignettes. With no “backstage” to this layout, they didn’t attempt to try to hide production crews and artists waiting between sets - instead, we saw them being real and enjoying one another’s performances in a different and authentic manner.
Call to Action
There was a recurring call to support those in the music industry affected most by the pandemic. Not only did they showcase the independent venues hit hard, but they also humanized the reality of the struggle by profiling some individuals running those small businesses as they became Grammy presenters, all while pushing #musiCares and saveourstages.com.
Powerful Memoriam
While the Memoriam segment always naturally provides gravitas to the program, this year held a different volume to it with over 800 losses to acknowledge. The mix of names, rotating on-screen with honorable cover performances by multiple artists, was thoughtful and harrowing. Appropriate for the enormity of this year.
Creative Coverage
The creativity and flexibility of the multi-stage and tent-to-stage coverage brought performers ever closer to “breaking through that 4th wall” through compelling camera work. Cameras were often moving with artists or hosts, tracking their movement and providing coverage from a myriad of angles and perspectives. It was hard to distinguish which performances weren’t live. Even BTS was integrated in a manner where one might wonder what roof they just busted onto. Certainly not one in Seoul, right?
Collaborations & Recognition
Not only were the collab performances so much fun, but also watching artists sit on their “dark” stages enjoying those at the mic offered a different perspective. Maybe it’s just where I’m at, but there was something special about the number of collaborative performances and peer shout-outs during acceptance speeches. I interpreted it as another sign we are all in this together.