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and costume departments since 1946

©2012 BFDG - The British Film Designers Guild

press release 24th january 2012...

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PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

British designers

dominate the Oscars

Three out of five Oscar

nominations honour UK film

design teams

2012 is turning out to be another bumper year for the UK’s set designers. Of the five movies nominated for Academy Awards in the Best Art Direction category, no less than three were visualised by production designers working in the UK with British Art Departments: War Horse (designer: Rick Carter, art department lead by Neil Lamont), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (designer: Stuart Craig, art department lead by Neil Lamont), and Hugo (designer: Dante Ferretti, art department lead by David Warren who last year was nominated for 'The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus').

This particular Oscar category has in fact been dominated by films that were made using British talent for several years now2. In both 2010 and 2011, four of the five available nominations went to productions that were either entirely or partly made in the UK using British crew.

The British Film Designers Guild (BFDG) is proud of the nominated production designers who have contributed some truly beautiful and challenging aesthetics to the films they’ve worked on. However, whilst here in the UK, these designers rely on the professionalism and skill of scores of artists and craftsmen to realise their visions, and we would like to acknowledge them also. From concept artists to carpenters, draughtsmen to set decorators, and plasterers to art directors, it is no exaggeration to suggest that the talents of the UK Art department play a large part in attracting film projects to this country, with all the jobs and investment that follow.

UK-based productions also dominate this year’s Production Design BAFTA, with four of the five nominated films having been shot here: Harry Potter, Hugo, Tinker Tailor and War Horse. And the coming year’s releases look to be no less an achievement for the Brits, with Snow White and the Huntsman (starring Charlize Theron), 47 Ronin (starring Keanu Reeves), Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (starring Noomi Rapace), Roger Michelle’s Hyde Park On Hudson (starring Bill Murray), Gravity (starring Sandra Bullock), and Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows (starring Johnny Depp) all having completed filming here recently.

The British Film Designers Guild represents not only Production Designers, but highly-skilled technicians across the Art Department. We would like to congratulate our members on their outstanding achievements over the past year. In total, BFDG members contributed to 19 films released in 2011, including War Horse, The Iron Lady, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and One Day, as well as numerous TV shows and commercials.

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On 22nd January, the British Film Designers Guild presented awards to Neil Lamont, Andrew Ackland- Snow, Alastair Bullock and Gary Tomkins for their work on War Horse (Best Production), and to Sophie Bridgman who won the Spotlighting Young Talent category.

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TO RECEIVE THIS PRESS RELEASE AS A

WORD DOCUMENT WITH HI-RESOLUTION LOGO

Contact: Heather Noble (Secretary) – 07970 462 970, heatherblush@gmail.com

Mads Bushnell (Administrator) – 07768 573 450, info@filmdesigners.co.uk

BFDG website: www.filmdesigners.co.uk

FOOTNOTES:

1

Films that employed UK Art Departments, and were nominated for Oscars in the Best Art Direction category (information from Wikipedia)

2001: 2 nominations Gladiator Quills

2002: 2 nominations Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone Gosford Park

2003: (none)

2004: (none)

2005: 2 nominations Finding Neverland The Phantom of the Opera

2006: 2 nominations Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Pride and Predjudice

2

2007: (none)

2008: 3 nominations Sweeney Todd Atonement The Golden Compass

2009: 1 nomination The Dark Knight

2010: 4 nominations Nine The Young Victoria The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Sherlock Holmes

2011: 4 nominations Alice in Wonderland - Partly shot on Location in Cornwall Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Inception - Cardington - part UK Art Department The Kings Speech

UK Oscar-nominated production designers who are currently working include: (information from IMDB)

Stuart Craig - 9 nominations, 3 wins, Martin Childs - 2 nominations, 1 win Sarah Greenwood - 3 nominations Guy Dyas - 1 nomination

Antony Pratt - 2 nominations

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