Ahead of this year’s Oscars ceremony, we give you a closer look at the inspiration behind the set design of three of this year’s Oscars-nominated films—Minari, Promising Young Woman, and Mank
We’re in the final lap of an unusually-extended awards season, which means that the Academy Awards is nearly upon us. In light of the pandemic and its advserse effects on the film industry, the eligibility criteria for the Oscars awards have been modified to include films that have been released directly to streaming services.
Amongst this year’s Oscar nominees, there are a myriad of standout film designs with stunning and impactful interiors. As we await Hollywood’s most famous awards ceremony, we explore several stunning production sets, from the classic glamour of Mank to the cosy, rickety house in Minari.
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1. Mank
Set in 1930s Hollywood, David Fincher’s Mank has been lauded not just for its cinematography, but also for its impressive production design. The lavish set, broadcasting old Hollywood glamour, has landed it a nomination in the Best Production Design category.
Production designer Donald Graham Burt, who previously clinched an Academy Award for Best Art Direction in 2009 for Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was tasked with creating the extravagant set with set decorator Jan Pascale. As the noir film pays homage to original 1930s films, it was shot in complete black-and-white, which was an extra hurdle for Burt and Pascale when it came to translating opulence on screen.
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