Screen Actors Guild Awards: Watch the stage being set for Sunday The statuette is called the Actor for a reason; the Screen Actors Guild Awards are all about the performance. But that doesn't mean the setting will be bare bones. The 18th annual awards ceremony takes place Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall near downtown Los Angeles. In the week leading up to the ceremony, the hall has been the center of frenetic work to complete the transformation. Massive lighting trusses already have been raised into place. A temporary stage, with a distinctively Art Deco feel, has been erected. And, of course, large-scale versions of the Actor himself - chiseled, if tastefully neutered - are on the floor. PHOTOS: Top SAG nominees The Times has captured the construction so far, with more to come, in the time-lapse video above. The race to watch is outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, the guild's equivalent of the Academy Awards' top prize. In contention: "The Artist," "Bridesmaids," "The Descendants," "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris." The SAG Awards, which are telecast live at 5 p.m. Pacific on cable's TNT and TCM, also honor performers on television. Nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series are "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Dexter," "Game of Thrones" and "The Good Wife." Comedy series nominees are "30 Rock," "The Big Bang Theory," "Glee," "Modern Family" and "The Office." It remains to be seen whether taking an Actor home on Sunday portends success at the Academy Awards next month for the films and performers that got Oscar nominations this week. The official Oscar ballots go out to academy members Feb. 1. PHOTOS: Screen Actors Guild snubs Cheat Sheet: Who's in the hunt for an Oscar? SAG Awards: The Times predicts the movie winners Susan King and Bryan Chan