Preparations were underway in Hollywood on yesterday for the the biggest event in the global entertainment calendar, the 88th Academy Awards.

The Oscars ceremony, which will bring together the biggest names in the film industry, will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Joe Lewis, the associate producer of the Oscars pre-show, says it's a big event, with 300 people alone working on putting in 17,000 square feet of carpet. But he says they'll be ready on time.

"It's day one of what is going to be about nine very long days out here so we're just getting ready. Once this goes up in the air then tomorrow we will start all of the pre-show elements underneath and away we'll go," he said.

It's been a rollercoaster movie awards season with no clear frontrunner in the Oscars best picture race.

Leonardo DiCaprio is heavily favoured to take home the best actor statuette, though, for his portrayal of the Hugh Glass, a fur trapper bent on revenge in "The Revenant".