Music as an art form predates history. It has been involved in the art of filmmaking before sound was even introduced when music accompanied the great silent films of masters such as Eisenstein, Chaplin and Keaton. Music can enliven every motion and emotion captured by the camera as film composers have come to master this particular craft.

There are actually two music awards given out by the Academy. One of these, Best Original Song, awards – you guessed it - songs. That is a strange category year to year and it will be the last one I deal with in depth this season, once it clears itself up somewhat. The other category, and one of the most interesting and most noted craft races, is the Best Original Score category, which awards the original music compositions that accompany the visuals we watch on the screen.

Music that is loud and present throughout the movie is often seen in this category. Scores such as those of Philip Glass and John Williams are examples. The category also tends to lean toward exotic, foreign-sounding work with reasonable frequency. It is a category that is not unkind to foreign-language films, such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Malena,” “The Passion of the Christ” and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and films that are very foreign in culture, such as “Frida” and “Memoirs of a Geisha.”

A memorable theme can also really help. “Brokeback Mountain” and “Pan’s Labyrinth” immediately jump to mind as nominees in that respect from recent years. And, like in virtually all crafts categories, being a Best Picture nominee helps, with at least one or two Best Picture-cited films showing up every year.

This is also a category that has been notoriously internal in the past. From 2000 to 2003, only two of the twenty nominated composers were new nominees. This has changed somewhat in the past three years, as seven first-time nominees have been cited. But being a veteran is still tremendously helpful. One need only look to the record of John Williams in this category – he has been nominated in every year in which he has been eligible for over 20 years! Then again, he has no films in 2007 for the second year in a row.

If advance word is any indication of reality, the favorite in this category this year is Dario Marianelli for his compositions in “Atonement.” The film has already emerged as a frontrunner in the Best Picture category. Being epic, intimate and romantic, this seems to have everything the original score category usually goes for. And Marianelli, who earned a somewhat surprising nomination for Joe Wright’s “Pride and Prejudice,” is said to have delivered in spades. This should be an easy get.

Alexandre Desplat is my favorite composer of this decade. His run since 2003 is outstanding, including endeavors such as “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” “Birth,” “Syriana,” “The Painted Veil” (for which he won the Golden Globe) and “The Queen” (for which he received his first Oscar nomination). Desplat is busy yet again this year, being the man behind the music on Zach Helm’s “Mr. Margorium’s Wonder Emporium,” Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” and Chris Weitz’s “The Golden Compass.” The latter two films both seem like potential nominees to me. Lee’s films often do well in this category and the work in “Lust, Caution” is soft but memorable, exotic but not experimental. Weitz’s film will be fantastical and epic and could be a chance to put forward iconic music as was seen earlier this decade on the “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” franchises. I’m leaning towards “The Golden Compass” now, but a double nod wouldn’t surprise me. Then again, neither would a shut-out.

Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood has already received very fine notice for his compositions in “There Will Be Blood.” This film could be a major player and its epic, period flavor naturally lends itself to consideration here. Greenwood is, however, making his feature film debut. Then again, John Corigliano immediately pops to mind as an individual who has made his career in disciplines other than film but has been nominated for two of his three film compositions. Perhaps Greenwood can follow a similar route? We’ll see. Paramount Vantage, which did a great job for its musicians last year, will surely push hard.

Michael Giacchino received immense acclaim for his musical contributions to “The Incredibles” three years ago and was expected in many circles to earn a nomination for his efforts. Alas, it was not to be. It remains the only Pixar endeavor to have failed to garner a music nomination. This year, he again was a key part of an acclaimed Brad Bird Pixar film – “Ratatouille.” The fact of that matter is that Giacchino remains a relative newcomer. But the French-inspired music is in many ways more up the Academy’s alley than what Giacchino did for “The Incredibles” and he now has a snub to his credit. Perhaps they’ll make it up to him?

Alberto Iglesias’ work in Spanish films, most notably those of Pedro Almodovar, has been prominent for over two decades. Two years ago, his rangy score for Fernando Meirelles’s “The Constant Gardener” earned him his first Oscar nomination. This year, he lends his talents to Marc Forster’s take on the popular novel “The Kite Runner.” Despite mixed advance word on the film, I’d keep my eye on Iglesias’s score. This seems like the sort of film the music branch might embrace. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Great opening credits, Middle Eastern flavor, but throughout the film, kind of lacking. Still a possibility if people love that opening track.]

Alan Silvestri has had a long career in Hollywood, stretching back for well over 20 years. But he’s only ever been nominated twice by AMPAS – for Best Original Score for “Forrest Gump” and Best Original Song for “The Polar Express,” both films from Robert Zemeckis, who employs Silvestri as his composer of choice. Silvestri is tackling scoring duties this year on Zemeckis’ “Beowulf,” the director’s latest experimental animated feature. A classic story which will have its epic and eerie moments, music could be a huge factor in conveying the film’s mood. Let’s see if Silvestri, and the film, deliver.

James Newton Howard had had a curious past with Oscar. He earned five nominations from 1991 through 1997. He then had a seven year absence from the race before returning for “The Village” of all things! He then failed to be nominated the following year for “King Kong.” Very odd. While his work on “Michael Clayton” does not scream nomination, it could potentially help him towards a notice for “The Great Debaters,” which has been moved up for a Christmas release. Howard is the only person who strikes me as a real contender who has received a career tally of more than three nominations.

That said, it would be remiss not to mention Alan Menken in passing. During the classic Disney run from 1989 to 1995, Menken’s achievements in this category were nothing short of phenomenal, as he earned four nominations and four wins – to go with eight nominations and four wins in the original song category. But after “only” earning one nomination each for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Hercules,” Menken has largely disappeared from the awards scene. He is lending his talents once again to a Disney title this year – “Enchanted.” I think this film looks like a hoot and will be Menken’s best chance at returning to the Oscar race he once dominated. However, my suspicion is that the Best Original Song category is where it is more likely to be remembered.

Marco Beltrami’s themes in James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma” were exciting, memorable and film-serving from the opening title to the finale. Beltrami has been doing solid work in the industry for over a decade but has never had a project to really give him a big break into the A-list of composers. As I’ve mentioned in past columns, this is a film I expect is lurking just below the top five in several categories. I ultimately expect, or at least hope, that it won’t be totally forgotten.

“Into the Wild” is the sort of film that often would emerge in this category – in tune with nature and heavily reliant on music. Torontonian musician Michael Brook does not usually lend his talents to feature films but does so very well here. I admittedly can’t help but wonder if this will be more remembered by the music branch for its songs but Paramount Vantage will surely campaign (having done wonders last year for Gustavo Santaolalla’s “Babel” score).

Another Toronto native is Howard Shore, working with yet another Toronto native, David Cronenberg, on “Eastern Promises.” The duo frequently collaborates and Shore’s Russian-influenced score had a very memorable theme. But like his very memorable theme on “A History of Violence,” I’m not sure if the score will be enough to earn a nod. Shore has experienced major Oscar success this decade, winning three statuettes for Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” films. But those three wins are the only three nods of his career, and came for an iconic achievement in film composition, which suggest to me that the music branch may not be as loving of Shore as the title “three-time Oscar winner” may suggest.

But Best Original Score is a tremendously difficult category to predict. There is usually something that comes up and surprises. Any suggestions on omitted titles? We’ll see what happens.

Monday night, I was subjected to “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” where Cate Blanchett did a whole lot of showboating and Shekhar Kapur messed with history way too much. I found the result to be histrionic silliness. But I can’t fault Alexandra Byrne’s flawless costumes donned by Blanchett and her co-stars.

Kapur’s film tells us a great deal about the category which awards costumes at the Academy Awards. First and foremost, having a respected costume designer on board is a major bonus. Alexandra Byrne has only worked on seven previous films, and has been, rather incredibly, nominated for three of them – “Hamlet,” “Finding Neverland” and the first “Elizabeth.” Not exactly a shabby resume. Seeing at least two perennial favorites among the nominees is commonplace.

The costume design category is also one which consistently awards the period piece. Period pieces have some advantage in a great number of categories. But Best Costume Design takes the cake. For the eleven years between 1995 and 2005, almost all nominees were period, with just a splattering of fantasy nominees. Admittedly, we saw two contemporary nominees last year (“The Queen” and “The Devil Wears Prada”), which I personally found very refreshing. But “The Devil Wears Prada” was ABOUT fashion design and “The Queen” costumed some of the most famous people in the world. I don’t see any films in a similar situation this year.

But one thing that can’t be denied about this category is the fact that it has a tendency to surprise. Films showing up that are poorly reviewed are not uncommon, which is why I chose to lead with Kapur’s misguided Elizabethan epic. Films showing up as sole nominees from their films are also not uncommon. That said, I can’t deny that being a Best Picture contender can help.

So what other films have these sorts of features? “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” immediately jumps to mind. Colleen Atwood has been Tim Burton’s costume designer for what seems like forever (despite stepping aside momentarily for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and has a career total of six nominations and two wins. Here, she will recreate the dark England of the late 1800s. Given that musicals typically fare well here, I’d be pretty surprised if Atwood doesn’t make the cut.

Jacqueline Durran, on the other hand, is an up-and-comer, who received much acclaim, and a BAFTA award, for designing the threads for 2004’s “Vera Drake” before earning her first nomination the following year for “Pride and Prejudice.” Here, she re-teams again with Joe Wright, designing many classes and three different time periods. I’d venture so far as to say that Durran is the single nominee in this category I’m most confident in predicting.

Rita Ryack also has just one nomination to her credit, for Ron Howard’s take on “Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” earlier this decade. She once again ventured into the realm of the semi-ridiculous earlier this year on “Hairspray.” But semi-ridiculous is exactly what this film called for and why people love it. The over-the-top ‘60s, character-serving threads from Ryack could easily end up among the final five.

Ruth Myers could end up being the fantasy representative in the category. Previously cited for “Emma” and “The Addams Family,” Myers will create the costumes for the characters of Philip Pullman in “The Golden Compass,” which is coming our way this December from Chris Weitz. Prior to last year, whenever this category turned away from period in the past decade, it would be to fantasy. If they do so this year, I’m betting it is Myers who is the beneficiary.

Patricia Norris has been out of the Oscar loop for a long time indeed. She earned five nominations in the decade from 1978 to 1988 and has since been absent for almost 20 years. This year will be her best chance to return since as she takes on the duty of both production designer and costume designer on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” This is a classic western, set in the late 19th century, with authentic western wear – including those hats we so seldom see in movies these days! The film is divisive but some love it. Norris could experience a comeback.

Also in the realm of westerns, we have Arianne Phillips’ work on James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma.” I loved this film and I honestly don’t think I’m alone on that front. Phillips received her first nomination two years ago for “Walk the Line,” also from Mangold. Let’s see if their latest collaboration will be her second trip to the Kodak.

Sharen Davis scored a somewhat surprising nomination in this category three years ago for “Ray.” She probably came very close to taking the statuette last year for “Dreamgirls.” The recent move of Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters” into December suggests there could be awards potential in its future. I personally remain skeptical yet it certainly must be considered, with Davis’ Depression-era threads being near the top of the list with respect to said consideration.

But what of costume designers who have never been cited before? While the costume designers do have their perennial favorites, there is always consistently at least one or two newbies among the chosen quintet each year.

Someone who is long overdue for her first nomination is Penny Rose, a thirty-year veteran whose most impressive work includes “Evita” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. Along with Liz Dann, she expanded the world of Captain Jack Sparrow and his comrades to include the Far East in the latest installment in the series. That said, while not impossible, it would be very odd for a second sequel to score a nod where its two predecessors failed. I’m betting that this is not Rose’s year…again.

Marit Allen has also been putting out solid work in the world of film costuming since the 1980s. This year, she gets a classic awards opportunity in Mike Newell’s adaptation of “Love in the Time of Cholera.” But for a relatively small film from a relatively weak studio at the Oscar game, I’m concerned with the fact that it hasn’t even started to screen yet.

As I hinted at above in discussing the last “Pirates” film, this category does show a fair amount of respect to designing threads of the Far East. This year, Ang Lee turned to Lai Pan to recreate 1930s Shanghai in “Lust, Caution.” The film had a response that has been all over the map though it is loved in some circles. If Focus gets it out there, it would be irresponsible to discount its chances in this category.

Irish costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh had the duty of fashioning not Jane Austen’s characters but Jane Austen herself in “Becoming Jane.” I have a sneaking suspicion this nomination could happen. As I said above, Best Costume Design is a category where films sometimes show up despite an absence in every other category, and a degree of cordial respect, if not admiration, greeted this biopic. I’m just listing it as a potential surprise that would – well – not surprise me.

Lastly we come to Mark Bridges. Bridges has never been nominated to date, primarily due to his consistent work on contemporary films, but he has shown what I consider to be very effective, if subtle work, on “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Punch Drunk Love,” all from Paul Thomas Anderson. “There Will Be Blood” marks his journey with Anderson into the past, specifically early 20th century America. I fully expect this film to make Anderson’s best showing at the Oscars to date. Bridges coming for the ride would not surprise me in the slightest.

With that, we have covered half of the ten crafts categories for which AMPAS awards statuettes. It won’t be that long until we’re once again in the thick of awards season.

I love Charlie Chaplain. I really do. But was he ever wrong when he predicted that “talkies” were a fad that would quickly die out. Since “The Jazz Singer” revolutionized cinema eighty years ago with its addition of sound to a movie’s visuals, so much of filmmaking has been told by its audio elements.

There is a distinction between the “sound” awards awarded by the Academy. Best Sound Editing recognizes achievement in integrating effects – the artificially created “clinks, rustles and grunts” – into the overall soundtrack. Best Sound Mixing refers to the creation and integration of all aural elements – effects, dialogue, music and anything else heard in the film – into a soundtrack of appropriate volume and consistency. Up to three re-recording mixers and one production sound mixer are eligible to share this award.

This is a category where several types of films are frequently seen. The first among these is the musical. As I discuss below, when musicals are good, they are almost always nominated and frequently win. Also seen regularly is the war film. Alas, there do not seem to be any traditional entries from this genre that are in real contention this year.

Blockbusters and big money makers also frequent the category. The sheer loudness of many of these films seems to get them nominated. But then there’s the fact that Best Picture contenders have an incredible knack of showing up all over the place, this category included. That said, the last two years have both been absent of Best Picture nominees – perhaps signaling a change of sorts, perhaps not.

The sound community is a tight-knit one in Hollywood. Among the nominees every year, there are several individuals with career nominations totals of close to, if not well within the realm of double digits. The significant majority of nominees every year have been nominated before. Films being nominated without any past nominees aboard a crew are almost unheard of.

Perhaps the biggest question of this year’s race is what will become of Kevin O’Connell and Greg P. Russell. The duo has gained a fair bit of Oscar infamy for having accumulated 30 nominations without a win between them. O’Connell’s 19 nods without a win is the highest tally in Oscar history, which got him a great deal of media attention last year.

The duo worked together twice this year – on Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3” and Michael Bay’s “Transformers.” They have previously been nominated for not only their two previous efforts in Raimi’s hugely successful franchise but also for “The Rock,” “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor,” all from Bay. Both films this year were massive hits and very loud indeed. I can’t see them winning for the “Spider-Man 3” given they couldn’t manage it for the first two and this one is widely seen as where the franchise jumped the shark. Nevertheless, I do think that they have fantastic chances at a nomination for it.

I personally believe O’Connell and Russell have a great shot at finally winning for “Transformers.” There is no denying how loud this film was or how integral the sound was to the overall feel of the movie. Moreover, I don’t see any film being that much of a challenge, as most of the other contenders are either sequels, marginal as sound category contenders or films of which I’m simply doubtful. Then again, there is that big musical coming out around Christmas…but I’ll get there in a minute.

Last year, the season’s big musical was Bill Condon’s “Dreamgirls,” for which Michael Minkler won his third Oscar. Unfortunately, Minkler made some highly inappropriate remarks regarding O’Connell after the show which left an awfully sour taste in that close-knit community of sound technicians. While Minkler apologized and O’Connell accepted, I can’t help but wonder if that will affect Minkler’s future chances in this category. But I’m just thinking out loud here. Minkler’s work will also be on display this season in Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster.” Scott’s film has received some kind advance word. But will the film be loved? And will the sound be notable enough to bring Minkler back into the race? It’s hard to say.

But familiar faces will be seen outside of O’Connell, Russell and Minkler. The team behind “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” led by Christopher Boyes, Paul Massey and Lee Orloff – Oscar favorites all – will be back in the hunt again this year. They’ve been nominated for the two previous installments in this series from Jerry Bruckheimer, king of the sound awards. Surely they’ll be in contention once more.

Now for the musical. Blending dialogue, singing and instrumental music is always an audio feat which draws attention to itself. Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will be doing just that this year. Many think Burton is over due for Oscar recognition, and Sondheim’s Broadway masterpiece has been awards bait elsewhere. If the film comes off without a hitch (which I still think is considerable “if”), then I certainly expect this nomination to follow.

Continuing down the road of musicals, Adam Shenkman’s “Hairspray” turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the summer to many a viewer, myself included. Given the campiness of this material and Shenkman’s past filmography, I assumed the film would wind up being a dud. But instead, embracing its own cheekiness, it became a surprising hit with both critics and audiences. The sound mixing from Oscar winners Rick Kline and David MacMillan must surely be considered as a potential nominee. Nonetheless, if there is room for only one musical, I’d give the edge to “Sweeney Todd.”

“Beowulf” is the latest experimental semi-animated feature from Robert Zemeckis. Zemieckis is a director who has had a very mixed record with Oscar, from incredible success with “Forrest Gump” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” to relative misses (“Cast Away,” “The Polar Express”) in recent years. Nonetheless, “The Polar Express” managed to grab a sound mixing nomination here three years ago, an extremely rare feat for an animated feature. “Beowulf,” one would imagine, would be even more reliant on its soundscape to tell the story. Sound guru Randy Thom is in charge of this effort and he’s been nominated six times over strictly for his Zemeckis collaborations. That said, I’d also imagine that it could turn out an even tougher sell at the box office – to say nothing of quality. We’ll wait this one out.

Having read the scripts for both “Lions for Lambs” and “There Will Be Blood,” I can tell you that certain scenes in both movies could be very loud indeed. If either movie catches on in a major fashion, I wouldn’t rule them out here. Neither film are saddled with sound favorites but “There Will Be Blood”’s Tom Johnson and “Lions for Lambs”’s Petur Hliddal are both previous nominees. That said, I remain highly skeptical of the quality, if any, that will come out of Redford’s film, while I’m not sure how much of a sweeper Anderson’s will become, even if it is an instant classic. AMPAS hasn’t embraced his filmography to date, nor does he usually work with crafts artists who are Oscar regulars (in fact, one-time nominee cinematographer Robert Elswit is the only non-sound craftsmen on board who has ever been nominated before).

“No Country for Old Men” will attempt to return the Coen brothers to the sort of Oscar success they only experienced once, with “Fargo.” There will likely be a great deal of action and violence in this. So while I don’t think that it will be memorable enough to sneak in here, I’d keep an eye on it nevertheless. Peter Kurland and Greg Orloff are both past nominees.

And if we’re speaking of potential sweepers, I would not totally discount Mike Nichols’s “Charlie Wilson’s War” either. Nothing about that film screams “Best Sound Mixing” to me, but given the premise, there could possibly be some basis for a nomination, if the film really begins to rack up the nods. Petur Hliddal is on board here as well.

Chris Weitz’s “The Golden Compass” could be a tech category behemoth. The soundscape will combine a great deal of sound effects with much action chaos and what could be an iconic score from the great Alexandre Desplat. If Weitz turns out a hit, this category ought to be considered. That said, none of the re-recording mixers are past nominees (though production sound mixer Tony Dawe does have four nominations to his credit) and I don't know if the box office will be as big here as for the summer films. We'll see.

Finally, I’d like to mention Paul Greengrass’s “The Bourne Ultimatum.” I’m probably just pimping a favorite here but I have found the sound work in the last two installments in this series, especially the second, to be nothing short of fantastic. Bob Beemer and Scott Millan are also both consistent nominees, with seven statuettes between them. Admittedly, an Oscar nomination for the series hasn’t happened in any category thus far and it’s very rare when the third film out is the first one to accomplishment that trick (in fact, I’m not sure if it’s ever happened.) Nonetheless…I’ll keep hoping!

Another category down. We’ll keep plowing through them in the next few weeks, but be on the look out for some special features mixed in here and there.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: If there's anyone sorely missing from this initial prospective line-up, it's five-time nominee Paul Massey and his work on the ever-prevalent "3:10 to Yuma.")

It is somewhat ironic that the Academy Award for art direction is not actually awarded to a film’s art director. Since William Cameron Menzies adopted the title “production designer” for his mammoth undertaking of supervising the set construction of “Gone with the Wind” almost seventy years ago, the name of the category has been a throwback to how art departments worked in the earliest days of cinema.

The production designer is the individual who is ultimately responsible for a film’s set design and its general artwork. This is the individual who ultimately receives the Oscar. The fact of the matter is that the set decorator – the individual responsible for filling up the production with specifics and props – shares the award. But primarily, one considers the production designer as responsible for a film’s sets.

This category is a haven for period and fantasy films. Designing the sets for worlds so far removed from our own is a dream for any production designer as they are given an opportunity to do something unique in the face of our typical day-to-day experience. “Amelie” is the only film nominated this decade that could realistically be described as contemporary. And even that is a fantastical film in a sense.

I often lament that the super-realistic and film-serving work of Alex McDowell on “The Terminal” wasn’t nominated. Ditto for the creativity consistently seen from David Wasco on endeavors such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” and Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

But these are musings on the nature of the category. On to the contenders…

Three years ago, Dante Ferretti finally won an Academy Award in this category for “The Aviator” after seven nominations including efforts on films such as “Gangs of New York” and “Interview with the Vampire.” Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” ought to be period, elaborate and exactly what this category goes for. Barring the film being a disaster, I totally expect Ferretti to be amongst the nominees once more.

Another film I admit to being skeptical about with regards to how it will play overall, but I have no doubt with respect to its production design, is “The Golden Compass.” Dennis Gassner, who won the Oscar for “Bugsy” and was nominated for “Barton Fink” and “Road to Perdition,” is in charge of this endeavor. I’ll be surprised (not to mention disappointed) if his work isn’t up to snuff here. Philip Pullman’s world opens up a fantastic range of possibilities to test Gassner’s creativity.

Two years ago, Sarah Greenwood was cited with a nomination for her work on Joe Wright’s “Pride and Prejudice.” This year, she again collaborates with Wright on “Atonement,” where she’ll be able to capture war-time London, the chaos of war-torn France and an upper scale 1930s English villa. The film is already a favorite in many categories. I fully expect this nomination to come along.

David Gropman also has one and only one nomination to his credit, having been nominated eight years ago for “The Cider House Rules.” This year, he recreated all the necessary cheesiness of 1960s Baltimore for “Hairspray.” I’m skeptical that a film that is frankly as silly, if as fun, as this one will get much traction in the big race. But it could still be a big player in the crafts races and Gropman’s work is totally the sort this category embraces.

“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” has not been well received at all. But given its prestige, its grandiose and its setting, I still feel it is very much in the hunt here. Guy Dyas has been around for awhile and his work last year on “Superman Returns” was really quite impressive. He could find his first trip to the Kodak this year.

In “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” Patricia Norris brings us back to the Old West of the 1880s. Norris was once a staple in the costume design category, earning five nominations from the late 1970s to late 1980s. Her work as both a costume designer and a production designer brings her right back to the centre of this year’s crafts races. Depending on how much love is shown for the film at the end of the year, a nomination here is possible.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” was unveiled last week to rapturous response. Production designer Jack Fisk has the responsibility of crafting early 20th century oil wells as well as the houses, churches, mansions and villages which the characters in Anderson’s epic inhabit. Fisk is married to Sissy Spacek and has been in the industry for decades (notably, he has designed the sets for all four Terrence Malick films.) The need for period accuracy will be paramount and having read the script, there will be possibility for range in the sets. Perhaps his time has come?

Occasionally, grand, fantastical sets for family films find a place in this category. “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” could easily be such a film (in the vein of “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) and Thérèse DePrez’s sets really do look memorable and special. I’m admittedly not sure about how much love this film will receive, and DePrez is not seasoned on the awards circuit. So I’ll wait this one out while keeping my eye on it.

I personally loved James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma,” and Andrew Menzies’s production design perfectly captured the era – period, sparse, memorable yet not overpowering. But no one seems to be talking about the film in spite of very good reviews and very solid box office. I have this hunch inside of me that it’ll ultimately emerge with a single nomination to show for itself. Alas, I’m not confident that this will be the category, if it manages to get notice anywhere.

Normally, I treat sequels with extreme caution, especially when some of their predecessors failed to make the cut. But the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Harry Potter” series have already managed to overcome the odds in this respect. Moreover, Rick Heinrichs (“Pirates”) and especially Stuart Craig (“Potter”) are extremely respected and oft-nominated production designers. I love Heinrichs’s work on his series. I don’t see what is so great about Craig’s. But my opinion does not matter. Both artists ought not to be dismissed for “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” respectively.

And then there’s always the possibility of something completely unexpected coming out of the woodwork and garnering traction. We shall see.