Best Makeup & Hairstyling:

Three of the films nominated in this category are inspired by real events while two of the films- Joker and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil– occur in fiction. Both of the makeup & hairstyling crew members of Bombshell and Judy revel themselves with transforming Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow, Renée Zellweger, and more into fictionalized versions of real-life people, demonstrating exceptional success. In fantasy, the crew behind Maleficent: Mistress of Evil worked with the characters of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Aurora (Elle Fanning), immersing these characters into the Disney film. Trenched in depicting reality, the makeup & hairstyling crew members behind 1917 were vital in portraying WWI soldiers engaged in warfare. And for Joker, makeup & hairstyling for the titular role required hours and hours of applying and reapplying facial paint as the physicality of Joaquin Phoenix’s role no doubt complicated their efforts between takes.

Prediction: Bombshell

Best Costume Design:

Not many aesthetic elements in film can affect the audience’s direct visual experience more than its costume design. This category is greatly overlooked by a lot of people but without period-accurate clothing or stylistic choices that fit the characters, a lot of unspoken meaning can easily be lost. The most impressive of the time-period nominees this year include Mayes C. Rubeo‘s work on Taika Waititi‘s Jojo Rabbit. The Nazi-inspired uniforms give a great sense of timeliness given its story but is frankly outdone by Jacqueline Durran‘s skillful and exquisite costuming in Greta Gerwig‘s Little Women. Period pieces such as this tend to snag awards such as Costume Design and the gorgeous visuals that Durran utilizes throughout the movie make me believe that this will be no exception.

Other incredible nominees include Arianne Phillips‘ costuming in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell‘s elegant work on Scorsese‘s The Irishman. Both of these could be considered period pieces but the more contemporary approach that they took to design the beautiful worlds within these stories are unforgettable. The last nominee is Mark Bridges‘ work on Joker, the controversial comic-book adaptation of the classic villain, which is anything but notable. While I believe there were some solid choices made to tell this antagonists’ story, it pales in comparison to many of the other, gorgeously-crafted nominees.

Prediction: Little Women

Best Production Design:

Last year’s win for Marvel’s Black Panther was a big win for fantasy world set design, The Academy recognizes both fantasy and period under the same award category, unlike The Art Director’s Guild which splits up its production design categories. This year sees ADG nominated Parasite, competing for a host of other awards, with Lee Ha Jun who masterfully crafted a lavish mansion that actually serves as a central character. The plot of Parasite explores class divide in Korea, with the set so brilliantly expressing space and division to mirror the economic divide between the rich and poor. Sam Mendes’ 1917 is considered the frontrunner, which featured intricate designs of the trenches and No Man’s Land, had to work intrinsically with Roger Deakins‘ masterful cinematography. Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit is also among the nominees, with Ra Vincent and Nora Sopková recreating a baroque house style set that perfectly weighs in to a confounding comedic conflict of love versus hate. Whilst fellow ADG Period Design nominees The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood both herald back to bygone eras of America, the former featuring up to thirty nefarious sets and the latter giving a stark facelift to ‘60s Tinseltown and a creepy recreation of The Manson Family ranch.

Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood