The bump-in at The Star kicked off on Sunday for the 63rd Logie Awards.
The producers certainly have a big week ahead as Seven hosts its first Logical in 28 years.
“We have rehearsals on Friday and Saturday. In the room I think we have about 15 cameras, a spidercam on the roof, we have an arm hanging off one of the balconies,” says Digby Mitchell, Network Executive Producer for Seven. TV tonight.
“We have a camera in the front, which has never been done before. It’s something they’ve employed at Oscars. It’s a motorized camera that sits right in front of the stage to get you a little closer to the action.
“It connects the viewer to what’s going on, on stage, rather than feeling like we’re all in the back of the room watching.
“It’s a huge red carpet”
“Bump-in for the Red Carpet begins at 2am on the morning of the event. This comes together very quickly. It’s a huge red carpet that we’re putting down and hopefully it will be quite impressive.
“We are surveying the entire driveway from the Darling at one end to the other end of the building. The entire red carpet will be 70% of that driveway.
Sonia Kruger and Chris Brown host the Red Carpet from 7pm on Sundays.
Other changes in the move from Nine to Seven include the return to a single host, comedian Sam Pang, and the appointment of ITV Studios Australia to produce the event.
Head of content for ITV Studios Australia Beth Hart says the network hopes to bring a touch of class to the event and celebrate the whole industry, through free-to-air and subscription TV.
“I think the message we’ve had clearly from Channel Seven, since we started working on the show, is that this is a celebration of our industry,” he says.
“We make brilliant television, world class TV”
“We make brilliant television, world-class TV, some of the best versions of the best formats in the world, and we should definitely celebrate that. So I think it’s an overwhelming tone of positivity.
“We have a few surprises planned for the evening, just to freshen up a bit.
“It’s the first time the show has had a host in many, many years. I think that’s a really big difference. He agrees with our tone while still really being Sam Pang.
Even though viewers sometimes have a love-hate relationship with all things logiePang remains respectful of logie history.
“When we first spoke to Sam, he had that enthusiasm for the Denton years and hosting Micallef. He was such an amazing roster of comedians and he was thrilled to be a part of that story,” says Mitchell.
“For a long time, Australia has really struggled with Tall Poppy Syndrome. If you raise your head, it is knocked down. I think it’s changed a bit in the last few years with the television standard that the country is creating. There’s a lot to celebrate about the shows, especially the expansion from network TV to streamers. If you look at the nominees this year, there’s a huge field of shows at play, and being able to celebrate all that great content is what we’re really trying to achieve overnight.
“I think that’s another reason people have a love-hate relationship Logical and award shows is that people care passionately about who wins and who loses,” suggests Hart. “If your favorite didn’t win and you’ve devoted yourself to watching, you know, every single dancing with the Starsand was deleted from The voice or something else, I think people really care about that.
“We wanted an act that would set up the room”
The producers were kept on their toes by the US actor’s strike, but confirmed all their hosts, revealed Foxtel’s Brian Walsh for Hall of Fame and announced musical acts Amy Shark and closing act Peking Duk.
“We wanted an act that would set up the room and give an injection of excitement towards the end of the show,” says Mitchell.
A musical act for In Memoriam and the “suitable” secret person to present the Gold logieit will be one of the many surprises of the evening.
Another change sees live voting for gold continuing until 10.30pm on Sunday and bringing fans into the room for the first time since the 1960s.
“This is the night of nights and people have a chance to be a part of it. She also appealed to Sam when we spoke to him about it. That vibe is going to try to bring the viewers into the room,” Mitchell explains.
Tony Martin will not be returning as announcer this year.
“With a host all the time, I think Tony’s voice isn’t as necessary to be consistent throughout the night. The V/O will be much more functional. We have Sam providing the laughs.
“We’re Doing the Show for the Spectators”
For Mitchell and Hart, the night is about ensuring a celebration of television across the board.
“We’re not just doing it for Channel Seven,” says Hart. “It was made both for viewers and to celebrate the industry.
“It’s going to be a huge night. There’s a huge team of people with a thousand moving parts and a lot to tackle overnight.”
Mitchell adds, “I can’t say enough about how amazing Sam was to work with. He really, really has a passion for this side of the industry and a respect for what’s come before him.
63rd Television Week Logie Awards 7pm red carpet / 7:30pm ceremony Sunday on Seven.
