By Will Mavity
The tendency of the Academy “design” voters to primarily single out fantasy and period films has long been a source of frustration among film fans. The costume design category, for example, has only nominated five non-fantasy or period films this century (and one of those was "101 Dalmatians," which teeters on the edge of fantasy). The production design category has only nominated three such films, which is to say, even though contemporary films often require enormous amounts of creative production and costume design, voters often ignore them for “flashier” fantasy and/or period works. Still, there are exceptions. Sometimes, a contemporary film is striking enough to catch voters’ fancy and show up. And who knows, maybe this year, “Parasite,” is that contemporary film. “Parasite” has made headlines for the revelations that the production designers, art directors, set decorators, and VFX artists built everything on display in the film from the ground up. From the main mansion to a flooding middle-class neighborhood to two separate basement sets – everything was created for the film. The fact that the film is popular across the board and actively being campaigned will help. So next, we look at other contemporary films that have been nominated for Production Design (since 1970), to see what they did that allowed them to overcome the bias against contemporary films, and see if they resemble "Parasite." Bold highlighted films represent Best Picture nominations. 1. La La Land 2. The Dark Knight 3. Amelie 4. Romeo + Juliet 5. The Birdcage 6. Babe 7. The Prince of Tides 8. The Fisher King 9. Rain Man 10. Hannah and Her Sisters 11. The Color of Money 12. Witness 13. Terms of Endearment* 14. The China Syndrome 15. All That Jazz 16. Interiors 17. Airport 77 18. California Suite 19. The Turning Point 20. All The President’s Men 21. Shampoo 22. The Towering Inferno 23. Earthquake 24. The Poseidon Adventure 25. Travels with My Aunt 26. Airport 27. The Sunshine Boys 28. The Exorcist So, 12 out of 28 were Best Picture Nominees, with "Terms of Endearment" being the only one to win Best Picture. Neon is pushing “Parasite” hard, and voters seem to be responding, so that’s promising. Of the other 16 films, nine won at least one other Oscar. “Parasite” is currently the frontrunner for Best International Feature Film, so even if it were to miss the Best Picture nomination, it would likely check off that box. Of the 28 films, 12 feature “fantastical” elements, even if they don’t reach fully into the realm of fantasy. “Parasite” arguably fits into that category. A number of the nominees built sets that are subject to explosions, fire, floods, or other forms of destruction. Again, “Parasite” fits that criteria. In short, being contemporary is a hurdle for any would-be production design nominee, however, history has shown it's not insurmountable. “Parasite” fits most of the characteristics of previous contemporary nominations in this category, and given Neon’s campaign, the film’s popularity and high profile production design, a nomination doesn't seem out of the question. What do you think? Do you think "Parasite" will receive a Production Design nomination? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter account. You can follow Will and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @mavericksmovies
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