{"id":19352,"date":"2022-01-22T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-22T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=19352"},"modified":"2022-04-07T15:30:59","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T19:30:59","slug":"2022-oscars-best-production-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-production-design\/","title":{"rendered":"A Creative\u2019s Guide to the 2022 Oscars: Best Production Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>The best movies have sets with every little detail attended to, every scene dotted with authenticity. The Academy Award category for Best Production Design (known as Best Art Direction until 2012) honors those that make those details happen. And before the Oscars air at the end of March, we\u2019re breaking down a few of the categories that are especially relevant to visual creatives. We\u2019ve already evaluated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\">Best Cinematography<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscar-nominees-best-visual-effects\/\">Best Visual Effects<\/a>, and here we\u2019ll take a look at Production Design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you read our dive into Best Cinematography, you might think you\u2019re seeing double, but you\u2019re not\u2014the 2021 winner and the 2022 nominees are all exactly the same. (Perhaps it\u2019s just proof that getting great creative people together can make everybody\u2019s work better.) For more context about each of these movies, check out that piece <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/2022-oscars-best-cinematography\/\">here<\/a>. Now, Let\u2019s take a look at the year\u2019s best art directors and set decorators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2021 Winner: <em>Mank<\/em> (Donald Graham Burt, production designer, &amp; Jan Pascale, set decorator)<\/strong><br><strong>2022 Nominees:<\/strong><br><em>Dune<\/em><br><em>Nightmare Alley<\/em><br><em>The Power of the Dog<\/em>&nbsp;<br><em>The Tragedy of Macbeth<\/em><br><em>West Side Story<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>Dune<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Patrice Vermette (Production Designer); Zsuzsanna Sipos (Set Decorator)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Dune | Official Main Trailer\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8g18jFHCLXk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Signature Set<\/strong>: Arrakeen, the fortress stronghold and the seat of the power on the desert planet Arrakis. Production designer Patrice Vermette told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elledecor.com\/life-culture\/a38066050\/dune-set-design\/\"><em>Elle Decor<\/em><\/a> that he read the movie\u2019s source material, \u201cbut there\u2019s nothing very specific about anything\u201d when it comes to architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the clues that Herbert provided (devastatingly hot temperatures, extreme winds that whip sand around the landscape, and of course, the worms), Vermette pieced together what a palace on Arrakis might look like. He positioned the fortress strategically inside a valley of mountains\u2014rather than in the middle of the open desert, because such a location wouldn\u2019t make any sense for a settlement\u2014and designed the bunker-like fortress with thick, sloped walls to protect its inhabitants from the elements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Players<\/strong>: Vermette was first recognized at the Oscars in 2010 for <em>The Young Victoria<\/em>. This year marks his third nomination, and the second time he\u2019s been nominated for a Villeneuve project\u2014Vermette was also the production designer on <em>Arrival<\/em>. Set decorator Zsuzsanna Sipos, meanwhile, is a newcomer and first-time nominee. She was previously part of the production design team for Villeneuve on <em>Blade Runner 2049<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>Nightmare Alley<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Tamara Deverell (Production Designer); Shane Vieau (Set Decorator)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q81Yf46Oj3s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Signature Set<\/strong>: With the exception of some fake snow and CGI bullets, every aspect of director Guillermo del Toro\u2019s film noir was created practically, including the entire carnival. Each piece of carnival equipment is a sight to behold, but the \u201cHouse of Damnation\u201d takes the cake as the most compelling of the production team\u2019s creations. This fun house is designed to be anything but fun\u2014its dark passageways echo, its machinery creaks, and its characters are downright devilish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Players<\/strong>: Production designer Tarmara Deverell is a first-time nominee in the category, as most of her work has been in TV. She most recently worked on two different series from the <em>Star Trek<\/em> franchise. Meanwhile, set decorator Shane Vieau is looking for his second win as a sec decorator. He won for del Toro\u2019s <em>The Shape of Water<\/em>, sharing the award with fellow set decorator Jeff Melvin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Power of the Dog<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Grant Major (Production Designer); Amber Richards (Set Decorator)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Power of the Dog | Official Trailer | Netflix\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LRDPo0CHrko?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Signature Set<\/strong>: The house of brothers Phil and George Burbank has the power to intimidate all who set foot in it. Designed to look like its finest days were decades earlier, the abode at the center of the Burbanks\u2019 ranching operation now stands in dark, dreary disrepair. It\u2019s an essential part of so many scenes, most notably when Phil taunts Rose as she practices piano.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Players<\/strong>: Production designer Grant Major is a five-time nominee with one win under his belt. From 2001 to 2003, he was honored with nominations in three consecutive years, culminating in his victory for <em>Lord of the Rings: Return of the King<\/em>. This is his first nomination since <em>King Kong <\/em>in 2006.<em> <\/em>Meanwhile, set decorator Amber Richards is receiving her first nomination. She was previously the set director on <em>Mulan<\/em> in 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Tragedy of Macbeth<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Stefan Dechant (Production Designer); Nancy Haigh (Set Decorator)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Tragedy of Macbeth | Official Trailer HD | A24\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HM3hsVrBMA4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Signature Set<\/strong>: The central castle, where Macbeth and his wife take residence after betraying the king. From the beginning, Joel Coen (directing without his brother Ethan for the first time) wanted his film to look disconnected from reality, shooting the entire movie on a sound stage in black-and-white. Most of the film\u2019s scenes are noticeably devoid of natural elements.The castle feels cold, empty, unlike any place you\u2019ve ever seen in real life. It serves as the perfect backdrop for the paranoid Macbeth\u2019s descent into madness.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Players<\/strong>: Stefan Dechant, a first-time nominee in the category, has spent almost three decades in the film industry, including as an illustrator and storyboarder. He first collaborated with the Coen brothers on <em>True Grit<\/em> in 2010. Nancy Haigh, meanwhile, is one of the most decorated set directors of the past 30 years. She\u2019s been nominated nine times for this award, including twice in one year in 1991. Her two victories came as part of the crews of <em>Bugsy<\/em> in 1992, and <em>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<\/em> in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>West Side Story<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer); Rena DeAngelo (Set Decorator)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Steven Spielberg&#039;s &quot;West Side Story&quot; | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A5GJLwWiYSg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Signature Set<\/strong>: The Gimbels department store, featured prominently during the character Maria\u2019s song \u201cI Feel Pretty.\u201d For Stephen Spielberg\u2019s adaptation of one of show biz\u2019s most beloved tales, production designer Adam Stockhausen (whose mother used to work for Gimbels) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.architecturaldigest.com\/story\/inside-west-side-storys-new-york-city-sets\">created a replica retail display<\/a> inside an old bank building in Newark. Set decorator Rena DeAngelo added some finishing touches authentic to the time period. In all, the department store set was complete with three unique departments: ready-to-wear, bridal, and cosmetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Players<\/strong>: This is the fourth nomination for Stockhausen, who previously won for <em>The Grand Budapest Hotel <\/em>in 2014. Like Major, Stockhausen also has a streak of three consecutive noms, from 2013 to 2015. DeAngelo has two Oscar nominations to her name, including one previously shared with Stockhausen (<em>Bridge of Spies<\/em> in 2015).<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"myclass\">Leading up to the 2022 Oscars, we&#8217;re looking at a few categories through a purely visual lens. 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