Yesterday we began a preview of the upcoming technical guild announcements with looks at the Costume Designers Guild, American Cinema Editors and Cinema Audio Society. Today we wrap up the preview with glances toward the American Society of Cinematographers and the Art Directors Guild.

American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) (nominees announced January 16, 2007)

Ah, cinematography – consistently one of my favorite disciplines out there. Over the past few years, the ASC has lined up with the Academy on a 60%-80% basis as far as nominations have been concerned.

One thing to remember is that the ASC is a lot more embracive of the youth, in both their nominees and winners, than the Academy. They also tend to be more mainstream than their corresponding branch in the AMPAS, so work on lower profile films – such as Stuart Dryburgh’s lensing of “The Painted Veil,” Xiaoding Zhao’s photography on “Curse of the Golden Flower,” and Guillermo Navarro’s award-winning work on “Pan’s Labyrinth” – all strike me as more likely to show up at the Academy than the guild.

At the same time, the guild strikes me as more likely to nominate a beloved veteran on a floppy film. Nominations for Robert Richardson (“The Good Shepherd”) or Vilmos Zsigmond (“The Black Dahlia”), both of whom have been cited by ASC when the Academy has ignored them, wouldn’t surprise me.

Tom Stern seems destined to show up for one of his films this year. It’s highly likely to be “Letters from Iwo Jima” in my opinion. But a double nod (with “Flags of Our Fathers”) would not shock me to death.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s innovative, eerie and intense lensing of “Children of Men” might seem like a shoo-in. While I think it will be nominated, I’ll nevertheless urge caution. Lubezki has missed guild nods for two of his three Oscar-nominated achievements and “Children of Men” is not a film that connects with everyone. That said, ASC tends to be more embracing of innovative work than AMPAS (see: “Collateral”), so I still believe Lubezki is in.

Tobias Schliessler gave us the glitzy and glossy “Dreamgirls,” which could be his big break. I’m not sure I love the work all that much but that’s neither here nor there. It seems a good bet for citations from both the guild and the Academy nonetheless.

Rodrigo Prieto probably just missed the win here last year for “Brokeback Mountain” and he’s followed that up with diverse work on the Best Picture contender “Babel.” This could go either way as far as I’m concerned, both with the ASC and at the Academy. It isn’t the sort of work that draws attention to itself, but is interesting and film serving all the same.

A nod for Wally Pfister for “The Prestige” seems to be the sort of thing that ASC would do when AMPAS does not follow – a clever, somewhat atypical effort by a young D.P. on a mainstream film. And the Academy followed suit last year after the guild surprisingly nominated Pfister’s work on “Batman Begins.” “The Prestige” seems to have faded, however.

I think Dean Semler will score here for “Apocalypto” whether or not he’s nominated by the Academy. His collaboration with Mel Gibson was grand, epic and a return to form for the Oscar-winning lenser.

Michael Ballhaus is receiving the guild’s lifetime achievement award this year (very deserved if I may say so myself). How this will affect his chances for “The Departed” is something I’m not sure of, but my suspicion is that the guild would love to nominate him, even though they’ve only done so once in the past (for “Gangs of New York”).

(EDITOR’S NOTE: I say, what with the inexplicable “Blood Diamond” love out there, watch out for Eduardo Sera here as well.)

Art Directors Guild (ADG) (nominees announced January 16, 2007)

For many years now, the Art Directors Guild has divided its awards into period/fantasy and contemporary categories. This year, however, they are joining the Costume Designers Guild in separating fantasy from period. The guild is also known to have a very loose definition of what constitutes “contemporary,” having placed “Walk the Line” and “Chocolat” in that category in this decade.

The nominees tend to have a great deal of crossover with the Academy’s, with no more than two, often no more than one, of the Oscar nominees failing to receive a nomination from the guild. Those which tend to get Oscar nominations without guild nominations are usually lower profile titles, often involving a foreign culture (such as “Pride and Prejudice,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Frida,” “Gosford Park” and “Vatel”). Then again, Stuart Craig’s Oscar nomination for “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” last year without guild placement would seem to fly in the face of this trend.

Just as things seem to be with the costumers, “Marie Antoinette” (K. K. Barrett) and “Dreamgirls” (John Myrhe) would have to be considered frontrunners in the art directors’ period category. I also find it unlikely that the guild will fail to bid adieu to one of the legendary production designers, Henry Bumstead, with a citation for “Flags of Our Fathers” or, more likely, “Letters from Iwo Jima.”

But things become hazy beyond that. The individual efforts from Tingxiao Huo on “Curse of the Golden Flower” and Tu Juhua on “The Painted Veil” strike me as the sort which the guild tends to go for less than the Academy, though they are certainly possibilities.

Philip Messina did fantastic work on “The Good German” but the film has flopped with both critics and audiences. Janine Claudia Oppewall (“The Good Shepherd”) and Dante Ferretti (“The Black Dahlia”) both have experienced a great deal of love form this group in the past, but they are also involved in films considered overall disappointments.

They could give a double nod to Bumstead or maybe even cite Tom Sanders for “Apocalypto,” even though that film is more memorable for its exteriors. It’s tough to say. We’ll find out soon.

On the fantasy side of things, I have the utmost confidence that Eugenio Caballero (“Pan’s Labyrinth”), Rick Heinrichs (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”) and Jim Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland (“Children of Men”) will all be nominated. Should the film be deemed a fantasy (and I think it will be), I’m confident that Nathan Crowley (“The Prestige”) will join them. And I’d reckon Guy Dyas (“Superman Returns”) is most likely to round out a quintet

Other possibilities?

James Chinlund’s rangy design of “The Fountain” or Wolf Kroeger’s extravagant work on “Eragon” would both seem possible but for the flopping of their respective films.

Edward Verreaux had a good year with “Monster House” and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” but neither film strikes me as a great awards vehicle.

Owen Paterson got a guild nomination for “The Matrix,” so let’s not bury him for “V for Vendetta.”

And then we come to Ondrej Nekvasil, who seems to be in the same boat for “The Illusionist” as Nathan Crowley is for “The Prestige.” But his work is not as showy, and he isn’t a superstar in the guild by any stretch.

As for the contemporary category, these nominations rarely cross over to Oscar (with Aline Boneto’s design of “Amélie” being the only exception). I doubt this year will change course, but I like that such work is cited from the guild nonetheless. Jan Roelfs would have to be considered the frontrunner for his eerie work on “World Trade Center,” but beyond that it becomes more open.

I’d venture to say that Briggitte Broch’s rangy sets for “Babel” make for a likely nominee, while Alan Macdonald’s reconstruction of the royal world for “The Queen” is another recipe for a nomination.

Richard Sherman would be a shoo-in for “Running with Scissors” (I expect the guild to deem it contemporary) if the film were more loved. I feel he’ll get in nevertheless.

Kristi Zea’s designing of modern Boston could also get swept up in the love for the film. After all, “Crash” was nominated here last year.

Jess Gonchor’s up-scale New York in “The Devil Wears Prada” seems the likeliest alternate, but I can’t help but feel I’m forgetting something or someone.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: I’d say “Casino Royale” and four-time Oscar nominee Peter Lamont is a good start. “Posiedon” and Oscar nominee William Sandell? Two-time guild nominee Dan Weil and “Blood Diamond?” A few possibilities.)

In any case, this category can often have surprises in store. A real shocker could occur in “Dreamgirls” being deemed contemporary. After all, it takes place later than “Chocolat” and in the same general era as “Walk the Line.” Stranger things have happened, right?