The BAFTA 2024 Film Awards returned to The Royal Festival Hall in London on 18 February, with a sparkling stage design that dutifully matched the glamour of the evening – where Oppenheimer and Poor Things were among the winners. The ceremony, hosted by David Tennant, celebrated the best of the past year’s films, with awards and speeches delivered on a stage designed by Yellow Studio (also behind Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast set, featured in our pick of stage architecture).
Discover the BAFTA 2024 stage design by Yellow Studio
The New York design studio orchestrated a set featuring an 8m-high zoetrope installation, allowing for an optimum view from all angles for the 77th awards ceremony. Studio founder Julio Himede crafted the set to pay tribute to the BAFTA mask, a symbol of excellence in the arts since its debut in 1955.
Twelve golden mask silhouettes were arranged in a semi-circle, to create an illusion of motion. Delving into the history of animation, Yellow Studio gathered inspiration from early devices such as the phenakistoscopemand zoetrope (the first form of moving image, using a series of stills, that paved the way for future motion pictures and the film industry). The result was a stage installation that paid tribute to the BAFTA mask while honouring the history of filmmaking.
Having previously worked on the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, and the 2024 Grammy Awards, Yellow Studio effortlessly worked to scale. Nodding to the fundamental features of filmmaking, such as movement and lighting, the installation formed a beautiful frame for the ceremony's winners. LED lights further highlighted the stage's silhouettes, against a backdrop of sheer drapes.
‘I am thrilled and honoured to introduce Yellow Studio's contemporary and bold sculptural approach to the prestigious BAFTA stage,' said Himede. 'Our design pays tribute to an exceptionally talented group of creatives, and being part of this endeavour is a true privilege.’
-
Watch dance, music and film collide at a unique event at Abbey Road StudiosIn this exclusive film, watch Abbey Road’s first Artist in Residence, Jordan Rakei, collaborate with industry-leading creatives to produce a dance performance in the hallowed Studio One
-
Frances Elkins gets her dues at Christie's this JuneYou can soon take home a piece of the legendary American designer’s legacy…including a $3 million Alberto Giacometti sculpture.
-
The new Phone 2 Pro from CMF combines generous scale with true affordabilityWe explore the ins and outs of the CMF Phone 2 Pro, the newest device from the Nothing sub-brand that focuses on bold design and carefully honed value engineering
-
Pierre Yovanovitch’s set and costumes bring a contemporary edge to Korea National Opera in SeoulFrench interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch makes his second operatic design foray, for The Marriage of Figaro in Seoul
-
‘As soon as I feel like somebody has worked me out, I want to switch it up’: set designer Shona Heath on staying authentic in a digital ageShona Heath reflects on her 2024 Oscar win, being named a Royal Designer for Industry and the importance of dreaming
-
Hooked on Broadway, David Rockwell's standout stage sets and intimate design ethosDavid Rockwell has created a host of standout stage sets for Broadway shows, with London’s V&A recently acquiring four for its theatre and performance collections
-
‘Air Play Moon Safari’ is an audio-visual, retro-futuristic experienceWith the ‘Air Play Moon Safari’ tour in full swing across Europe, the USA and Mexico for the rest of 2024, we explore the design of the French band's White Box stage
-
Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon puts Native American clothing design centre stageHow Osage ribbon work got top billing in Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s true-crime epic
-
‘Inside’ movie set: capitalism meets brutalism in the art- and design-filled thriller starring Willem DafoeThorsten Sabel takes us through the making of ‘Inside’, the movie starring Willem Dafoe as a thief trapped in an art- and design-filled penthouse inspired by Oscar Neimeyer architecture
-
Inside Tár: behind the scenes of the Oscars-nominated movie’s set designsWe speak to production designer Marco Bittner Rosser, behind the Tár movie set designs, to delve deep into the unique aesthetics of Lydia Tár’s world
-
What is the meaning of home? Here’s what designers say.On the occasion of World Refugee Day (20 June 2021), Danish design brand Lucie Kaas asked designers from 11 international studios to explain what ‘home’ means to them
