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.