Behind the scenes: Making of the Oscar envelope

LOS ANGELES -- Before the names are read and the coveted Oscars are handed out, the iconic golden envelopes that contain the winning names must be handcrafted to perfection.

"What's so amazing about these is the emotion and the spirit that these capture in the lowest tech way possible will last a lifetime," said Marc Friedland, who heads the company that designs and produces the envelopes.

The envelope tradition began 75 years ago as a way to prevent the winners from being leaked to the media before the show, Friedland said.

Friedland's specialty envelope, standing at 1/8 inch thick and weighing a 1/4 pound, made its debut at the Oscars in 2011.

The creative director put together an exclusive design to bring gravitas to the envelopes. The design does not change from year-to-year so as to maintain an iconic look.

"We want it to hold the glamour and the romance and the prestige that the Academy Awards holds," Friedland said.

About 110 man hours and 10 different processes - from engraving to embossing - goes into putting together three sets of envelopes for each category. A winner's card is made for each of the nominees.

Two sets of envelopes are then shipped to PricewaterhouseCoopers, which tabulates the votes, stuffs and seals the envelopes and delivers them on the day of the award ceremony. The third set is left in an undisclosed location in case of emergency.

"It's a very secure. It's very precise. It's very 'Mission Impossible,'" Friedland said.

This year, there are 121 nominees in 24 categories.

On the day of the Oscars, the winner's names will be pulled from the gold flecked envelopes made of paper imported from Germany. Red lacquer on the inside of the envelope will peek through during the announcement.

It will be a major honor for the lucky winners, but Friedland already feels like he hit the jackpot.

"It's a dream come true for us," he said.