Judging production design means considering not just what we see, but how an entire world was constructed to function on screen.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Bob Shaw (Production Designer), Regina Graves (Set Decorator), and Kerry Weeks (Leadman) to examine the nominees for Achievement in Production Design at the 98th Academy Awards. Representing three distinct roles within the art department, they offer a grounded, practical look at how these films constructed their environments — from large-scale builds to the smallest graphic detail.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube.

Our discussion ranges across:

• The operatic scale and extensive builds of Frankenstein, from castle interiors to laboratory design — and whether grandeur ultimately serves or overwhelms the story
• The period authenticity of Hamnet, including the recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe and the delicate balance between research and creative interpretation
• The layered Lower East Side streets of Marty Supreme, where signage, storefront graphics, and textural detail quietly anchor a frenetic narrative
• The cohesive, character-driven environments of One Battle After Another, where homes, dojos, and lived-in interiors feel organic rather than theatrical
• The tonal shift in Sinners, and the ongoing challenge of aging sets just enough — especially when audience expectations of “period” don’t always align with historical reality
• How decisions about wear, grit, and cleanliness can subtly shape credibility without drawing attention to themselves
• Why contemporary or less “showy” films like Black Bag are often overlooked despite meticulous design work
• Additional standouts from the year, including Train Dreams and Song Sung Blue, which demonstrate how tonal precision and environmental detail can carry as much weight as larger-scale builds

Across the conversation, the three perspectives reveal how production design succeeds not only through bold visual statements, but through coordination — between design, dressing, graphics, lighting, and performance — so that nothing feels isolated from the world of the film.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line for another chapter in our 2026 Oscar series. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

Animated feature filmmaking is defined by endurance — years of development, constant iteration, and creative risks that often aren’t visible on screen.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Kent Seki and Camille Leganza to discuss the nominees for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. Drawing on their extensive experience in animation, they look closely at how different creative pipelines, production cultures, and storytelling ambitions shape this year’s unusually diverse slate of nominees.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube, offering listeners the option to watch the discussion or engage with it in its traditional audio form.

Our discussion ranges across:

• The long development paths behind animated features — and what creative “endurance” really looks like in practice
• Why Arco stands out for its visual authorship, unconventional time-travel structure, and optimistic view of the future
• The creative challenges behind Elio, including director transitions, tonal recalibration, and ambitious visual experimentation
• How K‑Pop Demon Hunters became an unexpected cultural phenomenon through bold genre blending and stylistic risk
• The visual restraint, emotional specificity, and rapid production schedule that define Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• The scale, scope, and world-building demands of Zootopia 2, and why sequels can be harder than originals
• How audience expectations, box-office performance, and cultural context intersect with Academy recognition
• What this year’s nominees suggest about the evolving identity of animated feature filmmaking

The conversation presents animated features as works of sustained creative commitment — films shaped as much by patience, resilience, and collaboration as by technology or visual style.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line as the 2026 Oscar series continues. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

Makeup and hairstyling are among the most visible crafts in filmmaking — shaping how an audience understands age, history, and identity before a word is spoken.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Yvonne De Patis-Kupka, Angela Nogaro, and Lynda Armstrong for an in-depth discussion of the nominees for Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards. Drawing on a wide range of experience across film and television, they examine how hair and makeup choices shape character, period, genre, and emotional tone — and how those choices are evaluated within a single, highly competitive Oscar category.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube, giving listeners the option to watch the discussion or continue enjoying the show in its traditional audio format.

Our discussion ranges across:

• The contrast between large-scale prosthetic work and more restrained, character-driven approaches to makeup and hair
• How transformation functions differently across genres, from the mythic world of Frankenstein to the grounded period realism of Sinners
• The challenges of evaluating culturally specific styles, including the kabuki-influenced work in Kokuho
• When subtlety becomes the hardest achievement — and why “natural” work can be the most demanding
• The relationship between budget, resources, and creative problem-solving, particularly in films like The Ugly Stepsister
• How continuity, aging, and wear are tracked over time to support long-form storytelling
• The ongoing difficulty of judging hair, makeup, and prosthetics together within a single Oscar category
• What this year’s nominees reveal about the Academy’s evolving expectations for the craft

The conversation highlights makeup and hairstyling as disciplines defined by precision, restraint, and collaboration — crafts that help actors fully inhabit their roles while anchoring the world of the film.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line as the 2026 Oscar series continues. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.