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American Morning

Look Inside Oscar Factory in Chicago

Aired March 20, 2002 - 08:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The 74th annual Oscar awards ceremony is coming up this weekend and New York based movie maker Miramax picked up the name Oscar factory because of the recent successes.

But as CNN's Jeff Flock reports, the real Oscar factory isn't even in New York or Hollywood, but Chicago?

Jeff, explain that.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You may not have known, Fredricka, but I think the movie industry started in Chicago many, many years ago before it moved out to sunny Hollywood.

This fellow right here. I don't want to get in your way. You have to do your thing. He is pouring right now an Oscar mold. I'm with Scott Seagal (ph) who runs the R.S. Owens (ph). Your grandfather founded this company. You've been making a lot of Oscars over the years.

SCOTT SEAGAL: We've been making about 50 to 60 each year.

FLOCK: What's he pouring in that mold right now?

SEAGAL: He's pouring a metal called britanium.

FLOCK: And why is it britanium that they're made of?

SEAGAL: It's the highest grade pewter available, with a few extra secret ingredients.

FLOCK: Wonderful.

Now I want you to go ahead and take me through process here, Scott. Go ahead, because we have got a long way to walk across your company here today. The next step is over it looks like some guys with some buffers. What are they doing?

SEAGAL: They are polishing each Oscar to a mirror finish.

FLOCK: So basically when it comes out of that mold, it looks a little bit rough, correct.

SEAGAL: It's definitely rough, and then it has to be sanded down. And here, it's polished until there are no flaws.

FLOCK: I want to walk over and see what Lollo (ph) has got over there, because he has one that's kind of a little but rough.

Rick, go ahead and follow me around here.

This one -- this one looks pretty rough that he's doing right now.

SEAGAL: He's just starting to polish it, so he has a lot more polishing work to do on that.

FLOCK: How long does it take to polish these things?

SEAGAL: About an hour.

FLOCK: How long does it take to make an Oscar, just in general?

SEAGAL: Each one takes about a week and a half.

FLOCK: Take me to the next step which is -- that's the britanium, is that what it is, the finish there?

SEAGAL: Yes.

FLOCK: And then what gets put on it?

SEAGAL: In electro plating, it gets plated with four different finishes. It gets copper, nickel, silver and a heavy layer of 24- carat gold plate.

FLOCK: Let's poke our heads in here real quick and see that process. These are giant vats in here, is that what these are?

SEAGAL: Yes, these are all different plating solutions.

FLOCK: Let me see then, you talked about the various -- Hi, Bill.

You talked about the various ones that go on it. What are these?

SEAGAL: This is what it looks like when it's polished. And it's hand dipped in copper, and then hand dipped in nickel, silver and then heavy 24-carat gold plating.

FLOCK: OK, let's back on of here and get to the final stage of this process, which is putting these things together. Now we should point out to our viewers that the ones that we are seeing made today, these are not the ones that will be presented on Sunday. You try get to way ahead on this, don't you?

SEAGAL: Right, especially after two years ago when they were stolen. We're a year ahead now.

FLOCK: I think we finally made it all the way to the last step. And this is Sarah (ph) over here. You've been -- how long have you been assembling Oscars?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-eight years.

FLOCK: Thirty-eight years. That's a lot of Oscars. Don't let me stop you. Go ahead and do what you've got to do there. What are you doing, tell me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to put it together. This is the Oscar figure. This is the base. Goes inside.

FLOCK: You screw that on there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I get the wrench with the nut on, and I screw it.

FLOCK: And next thing you know Tom Cruise is walking away, or somebody, God knows who, has got an Oscar. I appreciate the tour. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My pleasure.

FLOCK: Thank you, sir.

That's the latest from here, Fredricka.

Perhaps you now see what goes into the making of an Oscar.

WHITFIELD: It's incredibly fascinating. But, Jeff, I want to know, so do they actually engrave the recipients' names over there, too, in Chicago?

FLOCK: I'm going to ask you, Scott, you don't do the names here. These are just the Oscars themselves, and you number them, but you don't put the names on them.

SEAGAL: That's correct. The names are -- we engrave the plates after the Oscar awards, and then send them out to Hollywood to be affixed to the Oscars.

FLOCK: Now you know.

WHITFIELD: I understand.

Jeff, can you ask him real quick before he leaves then, what's the dollar value on those statuettes?

FLOCK: We have got another question here, and that is dollar value on these things. Is there a dollar value? Is it possible do that?

SEAGAL: Worth millions to the recipients.

FLOCK: OK. I think that's the best we're going to do.

WHITFIELD: But of course.

All right, thanks a lot, Jeff Flock in Chicago.

That is really great to know. Now we all know how they put their things together. Thanks a lot.

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