Oscars 2013 Profiles: Best Production Design

Nominees: Sarah Greenwood and Kate Spencer
Oscar History: Both production designer Greenwood and set decorator Spencer have three previous nominations.
What Greenwood Said: ”With hindsight, it would’ve been dull had we just done a period drama. This was much more exciting.” (Via The Guardian.)

Nominees: Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, and Simon Bright
Oscar History: Production designer Hennah has one win (for 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) and three previous nominations. Set decorator Bright has one previous nod, while this is the first nomination for set decorator Vincent.
What Hennah Said: ”I think we have to say in terms of our design, Tolkien is our bible, and that’s the beginning and the end, really.” (Via the Los Angeles Times.)

Nominees: Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
Oscar History: Production designer Stewart has two previous nominations, while this is the first nod for set decorator Lynch-Robinson.
What Stewart Said: ”People were gagging from the smell. It was so sensory. The actors said they only had to walk on set and they felt completely immersed in that world.” (Read more here.)

Nominees: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock
Oscar History: Production designer Gropman has one previous nomination, set decorator Pinnock has two.
What Gropman Said: ”Just getting to and from the set, or to the actor: it was a bit of an effort.” (Via SF State Magazine.)

Nominees: Rick Carter and Jim Erickson
Oscar History: Production designer Carter has two previous nominations and one win (for 2009’s Avatar). Set decorator Erickson has one previous nomination.
What Carter Said: ”Knowing that I was going to do [The White House] from the inside out and how deep that imagery was going to be inside of [Lincoln’s] head, is a very different way of designing.” (Via indiewire.com.)