Making the GrammyCam, Awards Season’s Newest Meme Machine


Awards shows are usually too polished and stiff to really have spontaneity. Unless Jennifer Lawrence is involved, there’s rarely room for surprises. But this year the folks at the Grammys have decided to welcome just a little bit of chaos into the proceedings—courtesy of the GrammyCam. 

“What’s a GrammyCam?” you ask? Let us enlighten you. The GrammyCam is a device in the base of the Grammy trophy itself that will be live-streaming audio and video footage throughout tonight’s telecast, leaving Grammys coverage literally in the hands of whoever is on stage. Yes, that’s right, this year you’ll be able to experience the Grammys from the POV of those small gold gramophones handed out to winning artists. 

And aside from the fact that you could know how it feels to be held in the hands of Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar, the GrammyCam also has the potential to deliver Internet gold. Just imagine all of the meme-able footage this will bring to the Grammys: backstage banter, lip sync battles and dance-offs, the unfortunate angles of famous people’s faces. All these are possible thanks to the GrammyCam. 

“With the simplest idea of placing a camera at the base of the Grammy Award itself, we were immediately hyped about the possibility of offering fans the ultimate point of view,” says Grammy Awards CMO Evan Greene. “The evolution of social media into Snapchat and Periscope proves that people want that first-person experience. This was a natural progression of our focus on fan engagement.”

If nothing else, the Grammys should be applauded for their bravery. A live feed is a dangerous thing in the hands of celebrities. Remember Elisabeth Moss on E!’s Mani Cam? 

Unlike the Mani Cam, though, the GrammyCam really does feel like it’s about inviting fans into the moment, rather than just finding a new way to ask “What are you wearing?!” It’s impossible to say what those moments are going to look like (one-man media circus Kanye West will be there, after all), but they’ll be compelling to watch nonetheless. 

Check out the behind-the-scenes video above to see how Grammy craftsmen and made the GoPro-camera-equipped trophy possible.
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