Better Luck Next Time, Nathan Crowley

by Cláudio Alves

If Sarah Greenwood wins the Oscar for Barbie, Nathan Crowley will officially become the most nominated production designer without a single win. You may be familiar with his name from many Christopher Nolan pictures since he's worked on most of them. But most is not all, and this past year, the British production designer was absent from the Oppenheimer credits. Ruth De Jong did that job and is now up for an Oscar thanks to it. Crowley, however, was less fortunate. Instead of the blockbuster biopic, he was busy re-imagining the wondrous world of Roald Dahl for Wonka – new on PVOD if you want a taste of Chalamet…

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Oscar Volley: It’s Whimsy vs History in Production Design

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Nick and Cláudio to talk Production Design...

BARBIE sails to a sure nomination, but can it win?

CLÁUDIO: Last year, the trenches took gold, but what will even be nominated this season? The gloomy days of WWI behind us, Barbie shines a pink promise on the plastic horizon, with Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer providing some period seriousness. Maybe it'll be Wonka or Poor Things, colorful lunacy with a candied twist. There are other musicals to contend with, more biopics than your mind can process, sci-fi, diorama-land, and even a detour into mid-00s opulence. Yes, this is the Best Production Design race, where anything is possible until it isn't. May the odds be ever in your favor…

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Oscar Volley: Is production design best or most this year?

Team Experience has been pairing up to discuss Oscar categories. Here's Cláudio and Mark talking Best Production Design. Totally my fault that this went up late but enjoy this digestif since we just talked Best Picture - Editor

CLÁUDIO: Since the start of our new era of an expanded Best Picture ballot, it's become harder and harder for movies not nominated for the big category to win elsewhere. Even so, it's not unusual to see one sole production succeeding against the apparent odds, nabbing a couple of prizes in categories dominated by more beloved titles. This year that could be the case for Babylon in Best Production Design. After its BAFTA victory, I'm inclined to predict the Chazelle's polarizing chronicle of Old Hollywood, but the mightiness of Best Picture nominees Avatar: The Way of Water, All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, and The Fabelmans looms large over the race...

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ADG Nominees

by Nathaniel R

The Art Directors Guild have named their film nominees in four categories (Period, Fantasy, Contemporay, and Animated). While the nominations are of note themselves, of course, they are also key tells in the tale of the year's Oscar race as the Best Production Design ogenerally come from a combo of three of those four categories; Sadly Oscar's branch members have never honored an animated film in the category, even a stop motion film which of course built actual sets with set decoration, just like live-action movies do...

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Oscar Volleys: The Worldbuilding of Production Design

Team Experience will be discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Eurocheese and Nick Taylor... 

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

EUROCHEESE: Hi Nick! We have an exciting group of larger-than-life worlds to conquer for Production Design, but maybe it would be best to start with the elephant in the room: Despite some mixed reviews on Babylon, I have to imagine if nothing else it will make its coked-up presence known here, as homage to Hollywood's glory days. Then we have two blockbuster sequels to previous Best Production Design winners, with Black Panther Wakanda Forever and Avatar The Way of Water both asking similar questions: will the branch be excited enough for an encore nomination? I'm actually leaning towards no, now that we've seen the CGI-heavy worlds. Both might make more sense in other craft categories.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts though...

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