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Scorsese is working with his usual crew, which means pretty much all of them have histories with the Academy. Production designer Dante Ferretti has been nominated four times for Scorsese collaborations, and costume designer Sandy Powell has two (although she has seven nominations with other directors), and both won for The Aviator. Michel Hazanavicius is not working with as prestigious a crew, as Laurence Bennett and Mark Bridges have a total of zero nominations to date. Still, both films have impressive, creative sets and costumes and are very safe bets or nominations in both categories.

Makeup will not be as much of a shoe-in for these two films. The Artist is the sort of film that might appeal to those obsessed with film makeup, since it is in black-and-white, which creates an unusual challenge for the makeup artist. Hugo uses makeup and hair (technically the award is for both aspects) effectively to create its characters, especially Georges Melies and the Station Inspector. But neither film has the really standout obvious makeup that helps a film score a nomination, especially since neither uses prosthetics. Considering how much love there is for both films they do certainly have a shot, but it wouldn't be surprising if both were overlooked here.

The other Best Picture contenders won't have quite the easy ride that Hugo and The Artist will. War films do not do well in Art Direction, and even worse in costumes; will Spielberg and War Horse be able to overcome that bias? Considering Eastwood couldn't with either Flags of our Fathers or Letters from Iwo Jima, it seems unlikely. Art Direction is on the table if there is enough support for the film (Saving Private Ryan was nominated) but costumes is very unlikely. The Help is also a tossup, because while it is set in the past (a major advantage in these categories) the sets and costumes are not terribly memorable. Some movies do get nominated just for having pretty dresses, but it will be a challenge for The Help to get into either category.

The wildcard in Art Direction and Costumes is Midnight in Paris, which combines modern and classic sets and costumes in a way that few films get the opportunity to do. The sheer variety of sets and costumes in Allen's film may give it an advantage, although not getting an Art Directors Guild nomination is a bad sign. Another less flashy but still impressive film is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The sets and costumes in that film are not ostentatious but do an effective job of creating the tone and ambiance of Cold War era Europe. It is easy to see these two branches getting behind the film, and an ADG nomination is a step in the right direction.

Beyond those Best Picture contenders there are a handful of other films that are a threat in at least two of these categories, but only one that has a legitimate shot at being nominated for all three. There was a significant amount of controversy surrounding Anonymous, a film about what a drunken illiterate loser William Shakespeare was. But those who saw it recognized the remarkable sets, costumes, hair and makeup that worked to recreate Elizabethan England. The film is on the shortlist for Best Makeup and received an ADG nomination, placing it in prime position for multiple nominations.

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