This weekend, the 18th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton, honoring the year’s most innovative work in both film and television. Voting ended on February 6, and this Saturday projects as diverse as Boardwalk Empire, Battle Star Galactica, and the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show (remember, the show where Beyonce knocked the power out?) will be vying for trophies. As part of SSN’s From Vision to Reality series (Click Here for the Costume Design of The Invisible Woman), we got a peek at before and after photos of scenes from all five of the nominees for Period Film: American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Saving Mr. Banks, and 12 Years a Slave. From 1970s New York to 1920s Long Island, Los Angeles and Manhattan circa the 60s, and nineteenth-century Louisiana – the work is detailed, nuanced, and artful. Here’s a look at scenes from all five films. American Hustle Production Designer: Judy Becker – Location: INT. Irving’s Office SSN Insight: Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a brilliant con man who obviously cares about appearances (remember that toupee scene?). Becker (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter, Brokeback Mountain) got her inspiration from vintage 1970s décor, and the major change from the sketch to the actual set is the style of painting behind Irving’s desk – one is a pastoral landscape, the other a modern abstract print. It actually looks like it could be an abstract rendition of the painting in the sketch. The office is where Irving makes his shady business deals, and where he and Sydney/Lady Edith Greensly (Amy Adams) con people by telling them she has “royal banking connections in London.” Saving Mr. Banks Production Designer: Michael Corenblith – Location: INT. Rehearsal Room SSN Insight: Corenblith was tasked with recreating a vintage Disney lot and offices for the film, which takes place in 1961. It was all about specifics, and for the rehearsal room where P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) continually battles with Disney’s songwriters, the space looks deceptively simple, but as shot, it’s full of period detail. The Great Gatsby Production Designer: Catherine Martin – Location: EXT. Gatsby Mansion SSN Insight: Martin, who has worked on nearly all of husband Baz Luhrmann’s films, oversaw 42 sets on the film and it took her and her team 14 weeks to paint, build, and decorate Gatsby’s mansion. The designs were based on early twentieth century Long Island mansions, and in the final set the opulence and excess of Gatsby’s world is on full display. Inside Llewyn Davis Production Designer: Jess Gonchor – Location: EXT: Buzz’s Skelly Station SSN Insight: This is Gonchor’s fifth collaboration with the Coen brothers, and the Oscar nominated designer (for True Grit) worked to transform modern-day New York into its early 60s counterpart. Much of the film was shot on location, so the sketch for the gas station where Llewyn stops with Roland Turner (John Goodman) and Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund) look slightly similar. The final result is washed out, worn down, and pared down, in keeping with the tone and themes of the film. 12 Years a Slave Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen – Location: INT. Parker’s Store SSN Insight: The bulk of the period slave drama takes place in 1840s Louisiana. Stockhausen and his team looked at maps, books, and etchings to get the time period right since photography didn’t become popular until a few years after the film takes place. Parker’s store is in New York, and the scenes in the store take place before Solomon Northup is sold into slavery. The warmth and touches of bright color quickly disappear from the film when Solomon is taken to Louisiana. Credit: studiosystemnews.com [gallery:3331]