2016 Oscar Predictions: PRODUCTION DESIGN

The 1950s play heavy in this year’s battle for the Production Design Oscar with three films set in the period all aiming for that trophy. Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama Bridge of Spies leads the charge but the female-led dramas Carol and Brooklyn both have a strong case for a nomination. All three films stand to grab a hefty haul of mentions on Oscar nomination morning.

Then we travel to space where The Martian and Star Wars: The Force Awakens lie. In recent years space-based dramas have done well here, both Gravity and Interstellar were nominated here. Looking at previous Star Wars films finds that the first three in the initial trilogy were all nominated. The second set of three did not fare as well. But this is a new era of Star Wars, with real, physical sets that harken back to the early days of the series. But is there room for two space movies in a list of five?

The Danish Girl gives us 1920s Copenhagen and should make an impact here as well as the other ‘coffee table’ awards and Cinderella, a shoe-in for costumes, could very well be the fantasy piece that rounds out a top 5.

Not on the list that maybe should be? Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. Both films should end up being major players in the tech race as well as the top categories so I’m thinking that one or both find their way in. What about The Hateful Eight or Room? These two closed-quarters films might not seem like the type of movies that get a nomination like this but much has been made of these two sets and they’re contenders.

You can track the Gold Rush Gang’s predictions for Production Design here.