The Best Cinematography winner Robert Elswit, for Paul Thomas Anderson's “There Will Be Blood,” was self-effacing backstage, again crediting production designer Jack Fisk for his location sets. Elswit called Fisk “brilliant” and said “he did an incredible job.”

Cynthia Wade, director/producer/cinematographer of the winning Short Documentary “Freeheld,” remembered that she asked her husband “to juggle two kids and a full time job” while she went to live with the subjects of her film.

Alex Gibney and Eva Orney won the Documentary Feature Oscar for the controversial film, “Taxi to the Dark Side.” Producer Eva Orney thanked backstage the man beside her, director-producer Gibney, “who had the amazing tenacity in making this film,” she said.

Dario Marianelli won the Original Score for the period melodrama, “Atonement.” “I feel extremely proud to be Italian,” said the composer, citing the night's earlier victories for “Sweeney Todd's” Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo. “I'm feeling very proud to be in the same place and the same time as Dante.”

Diablo Cody won the Original Screenplay Oscar for the hit comedy, “Juno.” Asked whether she thought the writers strike affected the Oscarcast, Cody said, “Tonight's show, I'm not sure I saw it. I was into my own world of anxiety and stomach pain,”