WINSTON-SALEM -- It's Oscar weekend and many are excited to see who will walk away a winner. Two Wake Forest University students are lucky enough to head to Hollywood for a chance to attend the Academy Awards.
Kelly Fitzgerald and Marshall Shaffer will see the 87th annual show live.
Before the celebrities walk the red carpet, crews create the golden statues to be handed out at the event. Kelly actually won a spot to be on "Team Oscar," which means she will deliver the statutes to celebrity presenters.
"You're there all day pretty much and the show takes a long time. It's an amazing thing to watch the show because it's this incredible live performance piece if you think about it," said Peter Gilbert, Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest professors make their predictions but don't plan to watch the show.
"One of the reasons I don't watch the Oscars every year is that sometimes I'm so passionate about a particular film that I just can't stand that it might lose, and a lot of times the films that I think are the very best are not the ones that the Academy choses," said Mary Dalton, Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest University professors thinks it's exciting that the students get to experience the Hollywood world, but Gilbert says he hopes they come back inspired and ready to achieve new goals.
"So hopefully what those kids come back with is this incredibly great spirit of, 'I just want to make a film.' That's what I hope they get out of it. And not worry about if it's a huge Hollywood film, any kind of film," said Gilbert.
But before their project becomes a huge film, Dalton wants the students to realize the work it takes to get there.
"So I think it's important to separate the idea that we're rewarding just the work from the idea that this is about how we can market these films and make more money, which is certainly a big piece of it," said Dalton.
On Sunday millions will tune in as two local students are part of the Oscar buzz. Both Dalton and Gilbert predict the best picture will go to either "Birdman" or "Boyhood."