Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Production Design

The competition: Black Panther (Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart), The Favourite (Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton), First Man (Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas), Mary Poppins Returns (John Myhre and Gordon Sim), Roma (Eugene Caballero and Bárbara Enrı́quez)

Previous winners: The Shape of Water, La La Land, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Great Gatsby, Lincoln, Hugo
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: Hart was nominated in 1997 for “L.A. Confidential” and 1998 for “Pleasantville.” This is the fourth nomination for Crowley and his first for a film not directed by Christopher Nolan after bids for “The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar,” and “Dunkirk.” Myhre has five previous nominations, including wins for “Chicago” in 2002 and “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005. Sim also shares that win for “Chicago” in addition to a nomination for “Nine.” Caballero won in 2006 for “Pan’s Labyrinth,” his only previous bid. This is the first nomination for all other nominees. All five of these films were nominated by the Art Directors Guild, where “Black Panther” triumphed in the fantasy category and “The Favourite” took the period award in addition to the BAFTA. Eight times in the past decade, this award went to a Best Picture nominee, which neither “First Man” nor “Mary Poppins Returns” are.

Who should win: These films are all visually astounding in completely different ways. “Roma” is starkly portrayed, which helps its effectiveness, while “First Man” is enhanced so that its scenery feels real. “Mary Poppins Returns” is colorful and vibrant. “The Favourite” is striking and vivid, though I’d probably choose “Black Panther” for its creation of a stunning nation.
Who will win: It might be either “Black Panther” or “Mary Poppins Returns,” but I think that the energy and enthusiasm for The Favourite will lead to its victory.