The Art Directors Guild and the Set Decorators Society of America both revealed their nominations in January, which may help shape the race for Best Production Design. However, both groups divide their nominees into multiple categories (period, fantasy, contemporary), so that makes it somewhat hard to know what will land in the Academy’s final five.
I would normally suggest looking at the period nominees, as that’s generally the style of work the Academy fawns over. The ADG selected The French Dispatch, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and West Side Story. The SDSA chose Being the Ricardos, House of Gucci, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, and The Power of the Dog. The latter also features a category for Musical or Comedy, which is where they honoured The French Dispatch and West Side Story. It should also be noted the SDSA oddly nominated The Tragedy of Macbeth in their fantasy category.
Naturally, we have to factor in this year’s chosen fantasy nominee in the form of Dune, meaning one of ADG’s five period nominees won’t make the Academy’s cut. Licorice Pizza feels like the least likely to capture the Academy’s attention. The 70s aesthetic is wonderfully crafted, but it’s not as integral to the overall production as something like previous 70s-era winner Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
If there is to be a shock production design nomination on Tuesday, it will likely be Belfast. Given its current Best Picture frontrunner status, it could just sweep through every technical category, whether it really deserves a nomination or not. I’d like to believe the days of that occurring are gone but never say never.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
Tamara Deverell (production designer), Shane Vieau (set decorator)
2. Dune (Warner Bros.)
Patrice Vermette (production designer), Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos (set decorators)
3. West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Adam Stockhausen (production designer), Rena DeAngelo (set decorator)
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)
Stefan Dechant (production designer), Nancy Haigh (set decorator)
5. The French Dispatch (Searchlight Pictures)
Adam Stockhausen (production designer), Rena DeAngelo (set decorator)
IN CONTENTION
Being the Ricardos (Amazon Studios)
Jon Hutman (production designer), Ellen Brill (set decorator)
Belfast (Focus Features)
Jim Clay (production designer), Claire Nia Richards (set decorator)
Cruella (Disney)
Fiona Crombie (production designer), Alice Felton (set decorator)
Cyrano (MGM)
Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator)
House of Gucci (MGM)
Arthur Max (production designer), Letizia Santucci (set decorator)
The Last Duel (20th Century Studios)
Arthur Max (production designer), Judy Farr (set decorator)
Last Night in Soho (Focus Features)
Marcus Rowland (production designer), Judy Farr (set decorator)
Licorice Pizza (MGM)
Florencia Martin (production designer), Ryan Watson (set decorator)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Grant Major (production designer), Amber Richards (set decorator)
Spencer (Neon)
Guy Hendrix Dyas (production designer), Yesim Zolan (set decorator)
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