Correction Appended: An earlier version of this article said Kurt Luedtke attended Cranbrook-Kingswood High School.

When the 83rd installment of the Academy Awards airs on Sunday, viewers will be greeted by some familiar sights — a scarlet carpet, tough-to-open envelopes, sappy acceptance speeches and rude interruption music — the essential ingredients for the film industry's night of top honors. On TV, the ritualistic practices of the event seem to remain static over time, giving at-home audiences a general idea of what to expect from year to year. So it can be easy to forget that all the nominees have a story — a "road to the Oscars," if you will.

Whether winning their own award or reporting on the ceremony, University alumni John Nelson and Katie Cwayna and former University Law School student Kurt Luedtke sustain more of a personal connection to the Academy Awards than most people. Their experiences provide a unique look into the lives of Oscar winners as well as the behind-the-scenes aspects of an eventful week in Los Angeles.

Early mornings in L.A.

It only seems logical that a person who could potentially be in the running for an Academy Award would vigilantly wait for nominations to be announced. But John Nelson, a 1976 University alum, is normally too tired for anxious anticipation.

"They announce the nominations at 5:30 a.m. L.A. time to make the 8:30 a.m. news in (New York)," Nelson wrote in an e-mail interview. "If you live in L.A. and get nominated, the phone wakes you up with people saying congrats."

Nelson has been woken up in this manner on three occasions: when he received nominations in the Best Visual Effects category for "Gladiator," "I, Robot" and "Iron Man."

Former "Good Morning America" segment producer Katie Cwayna, a 2007 University alum, was similarly affected by this time gap between the East and West Coast. Last year, the morning show was broadcasted live in L.A. on the Friday before and Monday following the Academy Awards ceremony.

Cwayna — who majored in Communication Studies while at the University — noted that, though many people were excited to hear she was covering the event, the experience was grueling.

"As much as it was fun, I was exhausted and not sleeping and writing scripts and revising scripts through all hours of the night," she said.

I'd like to thank the Academy

What happens on TV does not tell the whole story.

When the sun goes down on the day of the Oscars, Nelson said being a nominee becomes considerably more nerve-wracking than one might expect.

"You are pretty much scared shitless until you know if you've won or not," he explained. "After that you are either very happy or a little depressed."

Two-time nominee Kurt Luedtke felt this tension so much that he found it necessary to leave his seat and smoke a cigarette, almost missing the presentation of his award.

"According to the program, the Adapted Screenplay award was several presentations away," he wrote in an e-mail interview. "I went out for a cigarette (and) eventually returned to an agitated wife who told me they'd changed the order of things and Adapted Screenplay was now."

Luedtke had barely sat down when he was announced as the winner of the category for writing "Out of Africa."

Both Luedtke and Nelson were shocked by the response they received immediately after winning an Academy Award, claiming the celebrity and press attention was somewhat overwhelming.

"The first eight rows are where the movie stars are seated, and that section's lit for television," Luedtke wrote. "When you're accepting, you're looking down at, and seeing very clearly, a dozen or 20 of the most recognizable people in the world who are, for some reason, looking up at you."

The press room, photographers and poster signing after winners are ushered backstage make for a surreal moment, according to Nelson.