With a clean sweep of the critics group thus far, Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale remain in the frontrunner position for their stunning period production design efforts on Mank. While there’s still a question mark surrounding how the film will perform above the line, there’s little doubt its technical elements will be rewarded, especially the work of Burt and Pascale.
After the mixed-to-negative critical reaction to The Midnight Sky, it’s now evident the film won’t be a player in the major categories. But those negative reviews are unlikely to affect its chances in the technical awards, especially its elaborate production design. For the moment, it sneaks into the top five.
As the last remaining unseen contenders, it’s still anyone’s guess if Judas and the Black Messiah and The United States vs. Billie Holiday will be major players across the board. Given both films are period pieces, there’s every chance they’ll be acknowledged for their respective production design work.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Mank (Netflix)
Donald Graham Burt (production designer), Jan Pascale (set decorator)
2. News of the World (Universal Pictures)
David Crank (production designer), Elizabeth Keenan (set decorator)
3. The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Cristina Casali (production designer), Charlotte Dirickx (set decorator)
4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mark Ricker (production designer), Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton (set decorators)
5. The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Jim Bissell (production designer), John Bush (set decorator)
MAJOR CONTENDERS:
Ammonite (Neon)
Sarah Finlay (production designer), Sophie Hervieu (set decorator)
Emma. (Focus Features)
Kave Quinn (production designer), Stella Fox (set decorations)
Jim Clay (production designer), Abi Groves (set designer)
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Molly Hughes (production designer), Merissa Lombardo (set decorator)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
Gavin Bocquet (production designer), Rob Cameron (set decorator)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Sam Lisenco (production designer), Rebecca Brown (set decorator)
Mulan (Disney)
Grant Major (production designer), Anne Kuljian (set decorator)
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Page Buckner (production designer), Janessa Hitsman (set decorator)
The Prom (Netflix)
Jamie Walker McCall (production designer), Gene Serdena (set decorator)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)
Daniel T. Dorrance (production designer), Pascale Deschênes (set decorator)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
Aline Bonetto (production designer), Anna Lynch-Robinson (set decorator)