David here to wish a happy 20th anniversary to the Art Directors Guild’s annual Excellence in Production Design Awards! The group handed out their 2015 awards last night, and their three film categories saw all three winners taken from this year’s pool of Oscar nominees. The Revenant, in the Period category, beat out the remaining two Oscar match-ups, Bridge of Spies and The Danish Girl, while The Martian triumphed in the Contemporary category and Mad Max: Fury Road took the Fantasy gong.
We’ve spoken to The Revenant’s PD, the legendary Jack Fisk, on this very website, but it’s still worth questioning whether the larger Academy body, all voting on disciplines they may not have such detailed knowledge of, will see The Revenant as worthy, given how dominated it is by the natural vistas of Canada, Argentina, Mexico and the USA rather than more obvious set design. The Period Film winner at ADG has gone on to win the Oscar four out of nine times since the ADG split their Period/Fantasy category in half in 2006, which gives The Revenant the edge in the stats, but Mad Max’s dazzling apocalyptic decoration still seems like the better bet. The ADG Contemporary champ has never won the Oscar.
Regardless of all this Oscar conjecture, it’s great to see a working legend like Jack Fisk recognised again by his guild; he previously won for the towering achievement on There Will Be Blood (with art director Adam Crank) but his CV includes much of Terence Malick’s filmography and Mulholland Drive. Aussie Colin Gibson was previously best known for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Babe, so the love is strong there too. The Martian’s Colin Gibson is a multiple Oscar and ADG nominee, with a win at the latter for Gladiator (Oscar chose Crouching Tiger).
There were also lots of awards given out for television, with Game of Thrones inevitably winning again. And the Oscars themselves, of course.
FILM
Period Film
The Revenant
Production Designer: Jack Fisk
Fantasy Film
Mad Max: Fury Road
Production Designer: Colin Gibson
Contemporary Film
The Martian
Production Designer: Arthur Max
TELEVISION
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series
Game of Thrones (“High Sparrow,” “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” “Hardhome”)
Production Designer: Deborah Riley
One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series
House of Cards (“Chapter 29,” “Chapter 36”)
Production Designer: Steve Arnold
Television Movie or Limited Series
American Horror Story: Hotel (“Checking In”)
Production Designer: Mark Worthington
Half Hour Single-Camera Series
The Muppets (“The Ex-Factor,” “Pig’s in a Blanket”)
Production Designer: Denise Pizzini
Multi-Camera Series
The Big Bang Theory (“The Skywalker Incursion,” “The Mystery Date Observation,” “The Platonic Permutation”)
Production Designer: John Shaffner
Awards Or Event Special
The Oscars: 2015
Production Designer: Derek McLane
Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial
Apple Music (“The History of Sound")
Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
Variety, Reality or Competition Series
Key & Peele (“Ya’ll Ready For This?” “The End”)
Production Designer: Gary Kordan