Personal Ballots Cont'd: Best Cinematography & Production Design
Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 12:30PM We're almost done with the Oscar Correlative categories in the Film Bitch Awards. Then it's on to the silly & fun but still seriously chosen "extra" categories. Here are my choices for the best men behind the camera (always men. sigh) and the men and women designing and decorating those sets and the film's overall visual palette for your eye-candy pleasure.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The big Oscar question this year is "Can Emmanuel Lubezki" win a third consecutive Oscar for The Revenant. He's dominated the category the past two years with Gravity (2013) and Birdman (2014). It won't be the longest consecutive winning streak ever -- that belongs to Walt Disney who won consistently in short film categories for seemingly ever in the early days of Oscar -- but it will be the single longest streak in modern history if he pulls it off. But the category already has something for the record books: With his 13th nomination Roger Deakins Sicario moves into a tie for 5th place for All Time Most Celebrated Cinematographer. He's now sharing the honor with George J. Folsey (Meet Me in St. Louis) who also never won an Oscar. Everyone higher on the list won the Oscar once or multiple times, all four of them; It's rarified air they're breathing.
Deakins makes my own personal ballot this year but Lubezki just barely misses (I was more impressed with his work on The New World which also went all natural light on the frontier) because I had to make room for the emotionally expressive and flexible light of Phoenix (courtesy of Hans Fromm) and the jaw-dropping 'how'd they do that?' camerawork on Germany's Victoria. On the latter film the director was so impressed he gave DP Sturla Brandth Grølven billing above his own!
Oscar Charts (now with trivia & predictions) & Nathaniel's Ballot
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
We've already discussed the stupendous achievements in this category by Ethan Tobman on Room and Judy Becker on Carol so no need to rehash other than 'what is with Oscar sometimes. How could they ignore them?' Oscar voters have an anything goes choice in this category, though. If they don't just check off Mad Max Fury Road in most of the craft categories it's easy to imagine any of the films as winners, don'cha think?
Finally I wanted to give a shout out briefly to Thomas E Sanders work on Crimson Peak which the Academy also passed on. The movie has a lot of problems -- Guillermo del Toro can't seem to stay out of his own way with so much gilding of every gothic lily -- but Allerdale Hall is wonderfully decayed and oppressively decorative and all around drafty and decadent. And those vats in the basement!
Oscar Charts (now with trivia & predictions) & Nathaniel's Ballot
Reader Comments (15)
Love your description of Carol's cinematography. You your thoughts into words beautifully yet forcefully - so succinct. :)
let's retire orange & teal forever
You do know another color trend is waiting in its place. You should be grateful the desaturation era is over.
I can't acknowledge the set design on Crimson Peak - the film is just too awful. It's like praising the design of Tim Burton's 21st century films - makes you feel all icky.
/3rtful - this is the most sensible think you've said in weeks. YES, I AM THRILLED DESATURATION appears to be on its way out....
I really, really, REALLY want Deakins to win this. Sicario was breathtaking, and I feel like he made more mundane things look beautiful. Not to discredit Lubezki because what he did was stunning too, but I feel like wintery wilderness will always look more beautiful on its own then desert/city.
I love your Crimson Peak shout out. That really deserved a production nom, IMO. The falling snow in the mansion still stays with me.
Sawyer -- I guess I'm going to make you feel icky. I haven't seen them recently, but I remember Big Fish and Corpse Bride as having strong design!
Hi Nat,are we never going to get your thoughts on Redmayne in TDG or do you prefer to keep it to yourself cos you interviwed him and he may see it,it 's obvious you saw the film but no real thoughts or opinions on it.
Cinematography of TANGERINE was breathtaking... much to my surprise when I found out it was filmed on a phone!!
Sawyer: I don't think it was awful. Great design, two of three performances do pretty good jobs and, though Wasikowska didn't do a TERRIBLE job, I wish we'd have seen what Saorise Ronan or Karen Gillen might have been able to do with the affect of "someone who wants to be Mary Shelley."
Nat: Off topic, but I saw that Far from the Madding Crowd adaptation. The performances in it are WEIRD. Schoenerts is appropriate for that character, and does a good job, and he and Mulligan have pretty good chemistry, but Mulligan's still bleeping TERRIBLE. From the first time she opens her mouth, this character blatantly needing a "wilder" actress, the entire movie falls apart. I expect the same reaction, but stronger, if I ever try to sample Suffragette.
Volvagia: Really? Because I quite liked Mulligan in both Madding Crowd and Suffragette. I always like her work, I guess.
Also Michael Sheen in the former.
Here are my choices for the best men behind the camera (always men. sigh)
I've often thought that German cinema seems to have more female cinematographers than those of other countries (even if the two German films you mention don't), Judith Kaufmann, Daniel Knapp, Jutta Pohlmann are just three names that come to mind. I have no idea though whether this is actually reflected in the numbers.
That said, I still don't understand why Victoria didn't make a bigger splash internationally. Buth then, I've long had a soft spot for Sebastian Schipper's work.
That should be "DanielA Knapp", of course.
Therese's apartment was perfect. It really made me nostalgic for the Midwest - those kind of apartments, with the curved ceilings and molding at the top, are not as prevalent on the West coast as they are farther East, it's more often the 70's square simple design. Carol just has perfect period design, and the way they use the contrast in costumes between Carol and Therese to - all period appropriate - to draw distinctions between the characters is great too.
Volvagia: I completely agree with you about Mulligan in Far From the Madding Crowd. She gives an emotionally logical, watchable performance, but she either doesn't understand the basic characterization/personality of Bathsheba or is incapable of projecting the appropriate qualities. In actressing terms, it's like watching Olivia de Havilland try to play Scarlett O'Hara. It doesn't help that the film turns a region specific pastoral melodrama into a near rom-com.
Some of the best, most undersung production design of the year could be seen in Paddington and The Diary of a Teenage Girl (period and character perfect). Though I am of course very pleased to see shout-outs to Crimson Peak and I'm very happy with the Mad Max and Bridge of Spies nominations.
"Really? Because I quite liked Mulligan in both Madding Crowd and Suffragette. I always like her work, I guess."
I did too. She was better in the role than I thought she'd be. I liked Madding Crowd and since were talking cinematography I want to say the cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen was great.