Best Production Design: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We continue this week with the design-based awards, starting off with the category that awards the film with the best sets and production work. Now, I randomly plotted the Best Production Design today when scheduling what awards I’d tackle on which days, without really looking far ahead at what I’d be facing. Without ever expecting it, the Best Production Design nominees may be the most challenging to rank of any thus far; I know Best Actress will be incredibly difficult when I get around to that, but I never thought Best Production Design would be right beside that group in terms of competitiveness. While I am not a set dresser or production designer, I always try to look for the nominees with the settings that drop my jaw; the architecture that both boggles my mind in terms of design and also feels like a real structure that has existed for years. Which sets feel like they have been lived in? Which worlds transported me the most? I remind you, dear readers, that these nominees are truly neck-and-neck. I’d support any of them winning. I truly would. These rankings are separated by molecules, so don’t take these placements too seriously, because all five films are winners in my eyes.
Here are your nominees for Best Production Design ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Blitz
While I can’t muster the courage to actually eliminate any of the five nominees, I was still expecting to see Steve McQueen’s Blitz amongst the final selection, because the production design in this film is stunning. Between the elaborate domiciles and passageways, and the heaps of rubble and landscapes of ruin amidst warfare, Blitz is an exposition of what strong production design looks like. In hindsight, I can see how this film went under the radar and missed being nominated compared to the films presented — all of which have four or more (up to ten, in some cases) nominations across the Academy Awards — but I still think that Blitz’s best attributes were its sets. It feels like a bit of a loss to not see it nominated here.
5. Wicked-Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
God. I never thought I’d place Wicked last here, but I didn’t know what else could be last. My minute reason for placing Wicked in fifth is because of how much of the film is balanced with CGI to fill out the rest of the sets. That’s it. Otherwise, Wicked is beautifully built, with lavish sets and structures that feel like they came out of a new reality. I do truly feel transported to the Land of Oz with this film in every way; then again, I can say that all of the five nominees left. Nonetheless, one of my favourite elements of Wicked is how it is constructed, and it does break my heart to have to place something last; it happens to be this film. Ask me any other day and my answer may change, because it feels wrong when this film left me wide-eyed and spellbound simply based on how its sets were created and designed.
4. Nosferatu-Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
I also want to kick myself for having Nosferatu fourth. The clearly era-appropriate flourishes throughout the film (especially that dedication to the Gothic style of architecture) really seal the deal, but even the bare basics of the production design here are astounding. Consider Count Orlok’s castle and how it feels like it is also a character that consumes us. Then there are the lovely domiciles that counter the nightmarish labyrinth of Orlok’s castle, and these are all inviting, homely, and — most importantly — authentic in feel. Even with so much of the film being cloaked in shadows and darkness, Nosferatu showcases its magnificent sets frequently enough that it’s impossible to not be swept away by them (and, as this happens, feeling like the darkness has gotten you too).
3. Dune: Part Two-Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
It may have felt like I was leading this list towards having Dune: Part Two arrive in first place, but, yes, it doesn’t seem to be that kind of year, does it? Dune: Part Two, like its previous counterpart, is brilliantly constructed. I know a big portion of the film is consumed by sand and surrounded by CGI-enhanced landscapes and effects (the splitting-hairs reason why I placed this film third), but what we do get is exhilarating to marvel at: massive structures that are so inventive in design and feel stumbled upon, not constructed for a temporary film set. Then there’s the preliminary scene with Princess Irulan where we see the grace and intricacy of her living quarters: a sign of what fortune looks like in this universe. Whether we are standing in awe of these structures and settings from the outside, or are enveloped by their scale and detail internally, Dune: Part Two is quite an achievement when it comes to production design.
2. The Brutalist-Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
“How the fuck is the film literally about architecture not ranked first, Andreas?” I know it may seem like I am pulling your chain at this point, but I assure you that I am not. It’s true: The Brutalist is a four-hour parade of what breathtaking set design looks like. Whether we are inside of or nearby László Tóth’s years-long creation as it slowly gets constructed, or we are visiting the many different locations that help shape the world this architect is enduring (from the streets of Philadelphia over many decades, to the various houses, stores, clubs, and other hot spots that the film coasts through), The Brutalist makes the most of how it is constructed (even though this doesn’t affect ranking, I must say that this film looks impeccable considering that it cost less than ten million dollars to make; and yet it looks like this). This film glows with the blood, sweat, and tears that went into how it was constructed (with end results that are astonishing both within the film’s narrative, and how we the audience respond to them).
1. Conclave-Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
I didn’t expect to have Conclave first. Not above the other films I have already mentioned. This is because the film is far more limited in location than the other nominees; yes, every single one of them. However, upon revisiting Conclave for the Academy Awards Project, I couldn’t help but be blown away by the production design here. When you consider that the Vatican is reconstructed with such meticulous detail (including the Sistine Chapel), the end result is ridiculous. Without being actually this naive, I passively assumed that this film was shot on location before waking myself up and accepting that Conclave was filmed on a set. That left me flabbergasted that this setting isn’t real. Look at all of the tiny intricacies, the architectural details, the fact that this place has wear and tear akin to what the real Vatican would possess, and that all of the narrative inner-workings fit perfectly; that is to say that I was always aware of the beautiful sets of the other five films, whereas the work in Conclave is so damn good that I often forgot that this was a set. Truly. I think that has to be considered while ranking, especially if film is an illusionary experience where we allow ourselves to be pulled in by motion pictures as we accept them as truth for a short while (well, the best films accomplish this, anyway). Conclave’s production design cannot be underestimated, just because it is the least assuming of the five nominees.
Who I Want To Win: I don’t like doing this because it feels lazy, but all five nominees are winners in my book. Yes. Give this one award to all five nominated films. Split the damn trophy into parts. I can’t exclude any from the conversation. I have Wicked as last but it’s just as worthy as being first as Conclave is. I’m not picking and neglecting this time around. Bite me.
Who I Think Will Win: This is a different story. I’d pick two films as the frontrunners right now: Wicked and The Brutalist, with a hint of Dune: Part Two around the corner. Having said that, all signs currently lead towards Wicked, likely because the other two films are probably going to win other awards. I also think the sets are one of the biggest talking points of this film, so for now I am predicting that Wicked will win this.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category: Best Costume Design. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.