The 86th Academy Awards: Nominee Posters

An estimated 43 million people watched this year’s Academy Awards, making it the most most watched audience for the show in over a decade (2000) and the most popular entertainment event on television since the Friends finale in 2004. If you were one of them and you’re an art and design fan, you may have noticed something beyond those beautiful ballgowns and snazzy tuxedos.

For the third year in a row, a team of artists under the visual effects, animation and design studio The Mill worked together to make this year’s movies shine with amazing set designs and a clever graphics package. This year’s theme was “Heroes” and The Mill’s creative directors Manija Emran and Henry Hobson made it their mission to show what that meant in all aspects of their work. As Manija Emran stated, “We used the beam of light as our visual icon. The beam is significant in three ways: on a practical level it acts as the projector beam, it’s representative of the heroic aspect and finally it evokes the idea of a performer stepping out onto a grand stage.”

The unique set designs you saw during the broadcast included mesmerizing rows of translucent Oscar figures, a stunning wall of red roses and huge shelves of old typewriters. Some of The Mills’ best work was displayed during the announcement of the award categories like Best Picture, Best Makeup/Hair and Best Original Song in the form of customized posters. Make sure to watch the video below to see how these artworks cleverly came alive.

Scroll down to see the video.