This Season's Trend: Procedurals

Alex Epstein discusses this season's trend -- procedurals.

Attention USC Students

I'm speaking to Neely Swanson's class on Thursday night: if you're a student of Neely's and you have a specific question, please feel free to email me in advance and I will make sure to have an answer for you.

See you Thursday.

What Shows Should Aspiring Writers Watch?

Professors (and agents) often encourage writers to watch as much television as possible.  But what if, like me, you don't have time (and even when you do have time, your kids are hogging your television)?

The truth is, I don't watch a lot of TV.

Actually, that's not true.  I do watch a lot of TV, but I watch what my children (and husband) watch.  (Animal Planet; Top Chef; Deadliest Catch; several terrifying shows about Mt. Everest climbers, most of whom die at some point during the season)  I usually have one show every season that I watch religiously (and by watch religiously, I mean Tivo every week and then watch the entire season in 48 hours.)

If you love watching TV and you have time to do so, good for you.  You can stop reading.  But if you don't have time, here's my advice: Watch at least one episode of each new show.  It's important that you know what's out there; what's selling, etc.  During interviews and general meetings, executives are going to ask you what shows you watch, what shows you like, and what show you would like to write for.  You need to have answers.  But you don't need to know the plot of every episode of every show.  That said, if you're meeting with an executive from a certain production company/studio/network, make sure you're familiar with the shows that production company/studio/network produces.  Be familiar with the concepts of each show and a few specifics from at least one episode.

I'm not discouraging avid TV watching, I'm simply saying, don't feel guilty if you're not watching every episode of every show.  But do be prepared for meetings.

Warren adds:

As a showrunner, I don't like when I meet writers (or for that matter, PAs) who say they don't watch TV. What are you doing in the business then? So while you don't need to be able to talk about every show on the air, it's important that you can speak about at least one or two shows in depth. Bottom line: have a favorite show, and know it inside and out.

DO NOT say to a potential employer, "I don't watch TV."  That is not my advice.  But don't feel guilty if you don't have time to watch EVERY show on television.  I've worked with assistants who watch EVERY THING, and it can be very intimidating.  But it does not mean they are better writers.  And if they are, it's not just because of the hours of television they've logged.

Epstein's Thoughts on Dialect

Wonderful advice.

Regarding Script Options

If your are submitting a script has been previously optioned but the option has lapsed, should you reveal this to the agent/manager/producer/production company? John August discusses...

FAQs Regarding Staffing Season

I've received a number of questions from new readers regarding staffing season. While some of this information is redundant to long-time readers, I feel it's valuable to re-post it. Below are the answers to your frequently asked questions regarding staffing season:

What are the odds that I will be considered for an interview if I'm not well connected within the industry?

I can't provide statistics but in my experience, the staffs I've worked with consider applicants with good resumes and cover letters regardless of their connections. Of course there are the "required hires" -- the younger brother of the EP or the star's best friend's son. But there are plenty of other openings and the production coordinators I've worked with consider every resume that crosses their desk. (Links to information on cover letters and resumes can be found on the left side of your screen.)

Is it appropriate to contact my former coworkers to ask about job opportunities?

Absolutely. Simply attach your resume to a polite email that reads, "...I would truly appreciate it if you could pass my resume along..."

When is the best time of year to apply to shows?

Shows hire and fire year-round. I encourage people to apply to every show in production. Even if you only get six weeks of work in before a show wraps, that's six weeks of pay and a lot of connections that could lead to your next job. I highly recommend Below the Line Production Listings; they update their listings, including phone and fax numbers, daily -- very helpful during pilot season.

To whom should I address my cover letter and resume?

"Production Coordinator"

Low Budget Movies Part 2

Part 2 of Alex Epstein's post on low budget moviemaking

Oscar Nominated Screenplays Available for Download

How amazing is this? (Now there is absolutely no excuse for you to hand in a spec that is incorrectly formatted.)

Why Professionals Won't Read Your Unsolicited Spec

Again, I heart Alex Epstein.

Attention Lighting Designers

When my sister was considering a career in lighting design, a friend of mine in the industry recommended a list of schools for her to consider. I thought I would share, in case any of my readers are interested in lighting design. In no particular order:

Tisch School of the Arts at NYU
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
California Institute of the Arts
Savannah College of Art and Design
Actor's Theatre of Louisville

Low Budget Movies

I love Alex Epstein. When I'm too busy to write a post, he writes one for me. Read his thoughts on why low budget is not necessarily a plus.

Filmmaking for Teens

Great post by Alex Epstein.

How to Appeal to a Mass Audience

Thank you, Alex Epstein, for this link. Hart Hanson, creator of Bones, discusses how to appeal to a mass audience in his keynote speech at the "Future of Story" conference at MacEwan University in Edmonton.

My Disclaimer Regarding Giving Script Notes

I'm truly honored when writers ask me to read their scripts, and most often, I oblige.  That said, here is my disclaimer:

When I read specs, I provide feedback on concept, structure, formatting, and dialogue; I address the common mistakes young writers make and try to help the writer get the script to a place where he or she can be proud to submit it to a more experienced writer than myself to receive notes.  So please don't be disappointed if you submit your script to another writer in the future and receive additional notes.  a.) You're asking them for notes; expect to receive them.  No matter how good a script is, every writer will have a different idea on how to execute a story or scene.  Even if you send them Casablanca, they'll have notes.  b.) I'm not qualified to perfect your script to point where it's ready to be submitted for staffing or representation.  That's the job of a manager, an agent, or the director of the WB Writer's Workshop, etc.  In essence, I try to help polish your first draft so that when you submit it to your co-workers or boss, you've got the basics covered.  Every writer's journey is a long one, and my notes are the first set you should receive, not the last.

“The Worst Year in a Decade for Female Writers and Showrunners.”

Here's an interesting conversation piece:

Women Can’t Create and White Men Can’t Jump

Neely Swanson

I received several emails this past week pointing out the scarcity of women writers on the recent pilot pickups. At a cursory glance it is easy to jump on the bandwagon decrying the lack of diversity among the “creator” ranks, not to mention showrunners and writing staffs, but this was a subject worth pursuing in a bit more depth. Nikki Finke sent a missile to the broadside of various network heads about what was being called “the worst year in a decade for female writers and showrunners.”

Based on announced pilot pickups and using The Studio System and the Trades, I made a list of all the new pilots that had been ordered to production as of February 1 for the four major broadcast networks, as well as the credited writers, the production studio and the intended network. Of the 66 pilots I documented, 13 pilots had at least one female writer as part of the “created by” team; however, of those 66 pilots, only 7 of them were written entirely by women. You can do the math yourself, but this works out to a high of 20% involvement by women when writing alone and/or with men; and just 11% when written by women without male participation. A closer look at the all the names will reveal one writer of Hispanic origin, three Asian-Americans and an entire absence of African American writers. More...

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories

John August talks about the new book, Tales from the Script.

FREE SEMINAR with Pilar Alessandra: Screenplay Tips & Tricks

On the Page Screenwriting "Tips and Tricks"
Thursday, February 18
7:30-9:00 PM
 
WRITERS ROOM L.A.
5372 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90019

Click here for more information.

PILAR ALESSANDRA is the director of the popular writing program On the Page.  Her screenwriting podcasts – with guests from within the industry – regularly appear in the film and TV top 100. She’s worked as Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks and Radar pictures and has trained writers and story analysts at ABC/Disney, Nickelodeon and MTV. She teaches at numerous writing conferences around the country including The Great American Pitchfest & Screenwriting Conference since the very beginning. Students and clients have sold to Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers and Sony and have won prestigious competitions such as the Open Door Competition, Fade-In Competition and Nicholl Fellowship.

On The Page Screenwriting Class in SAN FRANCISCO

On the Page Screenwriting Class

Sunday, February 21

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

(one hour lunch break)

Clift San Francisco Hotel (Rita Room)

495 Geary St. | San Francisco, CA 94102

Click here for more information

Film And Television Events in LA: Film Independent's Director's Close-Up

More on FI's Director's Close-up from John August.

For Those of You Working in the Canadian Television Industry

Read Alex Epstein's posts on the multiplatform requirements of new Canadian TV series.
Part 1
Part 2

The Process of Casting a Pilot

Ken Levine's post on the process of casting a pilot.  Happy Pilot Season!

2010 Network and Cable Pilot Pickups

Loglines and additional information available on futoncritic.com.

ABC (Comedy)   

AWKWARD SITUATIONS FOR MEN 
FRESHMAN
FUNNY IN FARSI
HAPPY ENDINGS
HOW TO BE A BETTER AMERICAN 
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
MR. SUNSHINE
STUPID (FKA WOMEN ARE CRAZY, MEN ARE STUPID) 
UNTITLED COUPLES PROJECT (AKA UNTITLED SHANA GOLDBERG-MEEHAN PROJECT)
UNTITLED DANA GOULD PROJECT
WHO GETS THE PARENTS

ABC (Drama)   

187 DETROIT
BODY OF EVIDENCE
CUT THROAT
EDGAR FLOATS 
GENERATION Y
MATADORS
NO ORDINARY FAMILY
OFF THE MAP 
SCOUNDRELS
THE GATES
THE WHOLE TRUTH
TRUE BLUE
UNT. RICHARD HATEM PROJECT     

ABC FAMILY (Comedy)

HUGE

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

UNTITLED JOEY LAWRENCE/MELISSA JOAN HART/ABC FAMILY PROJECT

UNTITLED MICHAEL JACOBS/ABC FAMILY PROJECT

A&E (Drama)

SUGARLOAF

THE QUICKENING

AMC (Drama)

THE KILLING

THE WALKING DEAD

     

CBS (Comedy)

HITCHED
LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER
MIKE & MOLLY
OPEN BOOKS
TRUE LOVE
UNTITLED TAD QUILL PROJECT

CBS (Drama)
ATF
CHAOS
DEFENDERS
CRIMINAL MINDS SPIN-OFF 
HAWAII FIVE-O
QUINN-TUPLETS
RAM (AKA UNT. MEDICAL PROJECT, AKA SHAKESPEARE/WELLS PROJECT)
REAGAN’S LAW 
THE ODDS
THE REMEMBERER 

COMEDY CENTRAL (Comedy)

BOYS AND GIRLS GUIDE TO GETTING DOWN

CW (Drama)
BETWIXT 
HELLCATS
HMS
NIKITA
THE WYOMING PROJECT 

 

EPIX (Drama)

TOUGH TRADE

FOX (Comedy)
KEEP HOPE ALIVE
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
NEVERMIND NIRVANA
STRANGE BREW
THE STATION
TRAFFIC LIGHT
UNTITLED ADAM GOLDBERG PROJECT 
UNTITLED BRENT FORRESTER/IMAGINE PILOT

FOX (Drama)
BREAKOUT KINGS
CODE 58 (AKA JACK & DAN)
MIDLAND
PLEADING GUILTY/MACK RIDE ALONG 

HBO (Comedy)

ENLIGHTENED

HBO (Drama)

GAME OF THRONES

LUCK

MTV (Drama)

TEEN WOLF

        
NBC (Comedy)

BEACH LANE

NATHAN VS. NURTURE
OUTSOURCED
PERFECT COUPLES
PINK HOUSE
THE STRIP
THIS LITTLE PIGGY
UNTITLED ADAM CAROLLA PROJECT 

NBC (Drama)
CHASE 
KINDREDS
LOVE BITES 
PRIME SUSPECT
REX IS NOT YOUR LAWYER
ROCKFORD FILES 
ROUGH JUSTICE
THE CAPE
THE EVENT 
UNDERCOVERS  

SHOWTIME (Comedy)

EPISODES

SHOWTIME (Drama)

THE BIG C

SY FY (Drama)

HAVEN

TBS (Comedy)

GLORY DAZE

TNT (Drama)                                 

ALIEN INVASION PROJECT     

DELTA BLUES

PROOF

RIZZOLI 

TV LAND (Comedy)

HOT IN CLEVELAND

RETIRED AT 35 

USA

COVERT AFFAIRS

FACING KATE

Assistant Salaries

How much do Hollywood assistants make?

Like everything in Hollywood, it depends.  It depends on your prior experience; how many years you've been with the show; how many years the show has been on the air.  It depends whether it's a pilot or a series (pilots often pay less) and whether it's network or cable (network often pays more).   Some assistants are paid hourly, some get built-in overtime, and some are are on salary.  Some shows offer benefits; some do not.  But almost every show reimburses mileage, meaning you are paid a certain amount of money for every mile you drive on behalf of the show (delivering scripts, picking up lunch, etc.) and that money adds up.  When I was a PA (five years ago) I was paid $525/wk before taxes.  However, once my mileage was added in, I cleared over $525.  

Obviously, it's impossible for me to tell you exactly what you'll be making if you're hired as an assistant; I can only provide you with the information I've collected from assistants I know who are currently working in the industry.  And please, if you have any information to add, leave a comment on this post.

Production Assistants (PAs): $550 to $650 per week

Executive Producer's Assistants: $650 to $800 per week

Writer's Assistants: $650 - $900 per week

Script Coordinator: $850 - $1000 per week

Network/Studio Assistants: $700 to $850 per week

Agency Assistants: $25,000 to $45,000 per year

Nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards

From Deadline|Hollywood:

Best motion picture of the year

“Avatar” A Lightstorm Entertainment Production
James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (20th Century Fox)

“The Blind Side” An Alcon Entertainment Production
Nominees to be determined (Warner Bros.)

“District 9” A Block/Hanson Production
Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers (Sony Pictures Releasing)

“An Education” A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production
Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

“The Hurt Locker” A Voltage Pictures Production
Nominees to be determined (Summit Entertainment)

“Inglourious Basterds”  
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production
Lawrence Bender, Producer (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production
Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

“A Serious Man” A Working Title Films Production
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers (Focus Features)

“Up” A Pixar Production
Jonas Rivera, Producer (Walt Disney)
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production

Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Achievement in directing 

James Cameron for “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)
Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) 
Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures) 
Lee Daniels for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) 
Jason Reitman for “Up in the Air” (Paramount with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

“Coraline” (Focus Features) Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
“Up” (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Adapted screenplay

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Nick Hornby for “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche for “In the Loop” (IFC)
Geoffrey Fletcher for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air” (Paramount with Cold Spring and DW)

Original screenplay

Mark Boal for “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)
Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman for “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope)
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen for “A Serious Man” (Focus Features)
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter for “Up” (Walt Disney)

Achievement in cinematography

“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

“Bright Star” (Apparition) Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Classics) Monique Prudhomm"
“Nine”(The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Sandy Powell

 Best documentary feature

“Burma VJ” A Magic Hour Films Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller

“The Cove” An Oceanic Preservation Society Production (Roadside Attractions)

Nominees to be determined

“Food, Inc.” A Robert Kenner Films Production (Magnolia Pictures)

Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

“The Most Dangerous Man in America” A Kovno Communications Production

Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

“Which Way Home” A Mr. Mudd Production

Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

“China’s Unnatural Disaster” A Downtown Community TV Center Production
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” A Just Media Production
Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher

“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” A Community Media Production
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

“Music by Prudence” An iThemba Production
Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

“Rabbit à la Berlin” An MS Films Production (Deckert Distribution)
Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

Israel - “Ajami”

An Inosan Production (Kino International)

Argentina - “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”

A Haddock Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics)

Peru - “The Milk of Sorrow”

A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production

France - “Un Prophète”

A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics)

Germany - “The White Ribbon”

X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production (Sony Classics)

Achievement in makeup

Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano for “Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box)
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow for “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass)
Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore for “The Young Victoria” (Apparition)

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

James Horner for “Avatar” (20th Century Fox) 

Alexandre Desplat for “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox)

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders for “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Hans Zimmer for “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.) 

Michael Giacchino for “Up” (Walt Disney)

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Almost There” (Walt Disney)
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman from “The Princess and the Frog”

“Down in New Orleans” (Walt Disney)
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman from “The Princess and the Frog”

“Loin de Paname” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas from “Paris 36”

“Take It All” (The Weinstein Company)
Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston from “Nine”

“The Weary Kind” (Theme from "Crazy Heart") (Fox Searchlight)
Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best animated short film

“French Roast” A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production
Fabrice O. Joubert

“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” A Brown Bag Films Production
Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell

“The Lady and the Reaper” Kandor Graphics & Green Moon Production
Javier Recio Gracia

“Logorama” An Autour de Minuit Production
Nicolas Schmerkin

“A Matter of Loaf and Death” An Aardman Animations Production
Nick Park

Best live action short film

“The Door” An Octagon Films Production (Network Ireland Television)
Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

“Instead of Abracadabra” A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production (Swedish Film Institute)
Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

“Kavi” A Gregg Helvey Production
Gregg Helvey

 “Miracle Fish” A Druid Films Production
Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

“The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production
Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing

Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle for “Avatar” (20th Century Fox) 
Paul N.J. Ottosson for “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)
Wylie Stateman for “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)
Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin for “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) 
Michael Silvers and Tom Myers for "Up” (Walt Disney)

Achievement in sound mixing

“Avatar” (20th Century Fox)
Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)
Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)
Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)
Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount with Hasbro)
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones for “Avatar”

(20th Century Fox)

Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken for “District 9”          

(Sony Pictures Releasing)

Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton for “Star Trek" 

(Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)

Achievement in art direction

“Avatar” (Twentieth Century Fox)
Set Decoration: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
Art Direction: Kim Sinclair

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
Set Decoration: Caroline Smith

“Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

“Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros)
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

“The Young Victoria” (Apparition)
Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
Set Decoration: Maggie Gray