The Oscar Narrative: Final Nomination Predictions - Cinematography, Production Design, and Costume Design

Best Cinematography
Barry Ackroyd "Captain Phillips"
Emmanuel Lubezki "Gravity"
Bruce Delbonnell "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Phedon Papamichael "Nebraska"
Sean Bobbitt "12 Years a Slave"

Other Contenders - Roger Deakins "Prisoners", Phillippe Le Sourd "The Grandmaster", Anthony Dod Mantle "Rush", Hoyte Van Hoytema "Her", John Schwartzman "Saving Mr. Banks", Linus Sandgren "American Hustle", Rodrigo Prieto "The Wolf of Wall Street", Andrew Lesnie "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", Guillermo Navaro "Pacific Rim", Simon Duggan "The Great Gatsby", Frank G. DeMarco "All is Lost"

Commentary - I know I am probably an idiot to bet against Roger Deakins, but I just don't feel the heat for the film, and even though it got the ASC nod, it was in a seven-way race and the ASC has always been more friendly to him than the Academy. Instead, I am sticking with the five films with the most Best Picture heat. The other major one to watch out for is The Grandmaster. It would be a bold choice, but the ASC nod shows us that it is possible.

Best Costume Design
American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
Oz the Great and Powerful
12 Years a Slave

Other Contenders - Saving Mr. Banks, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Nebraska, Her, Blue Jasmine, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Book Thief, The Lone Ranger

Commentary - I am sticking with four period pieces this year, although the fantasies should not be discounted, especially Oz The Great and Powerful, which I believe will make the cut. The Great Gatsby is a shoo-in and AH and 12 Years are extremely popular. The Invisible Woman is not a big film this year, but this type of film gets in here a lot, and it got in at BAFTA.

Best Production Design
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
12 Years a Slave
Saving Mr. Banks

Other Contenders - Her, American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Oz The Great and Powerful, The Invisible, August: Osage County, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Elysium, Oblivion, Captain Phillips, Blue Jasmine

Commentary - Once again, The Great Gatsby is a shoo-in, and The Hobbit movies are always safe bets. 12 Years a Slave is the BP frontrunner with lots of different pieces. Saving Mr. Banks' production design is intricate, period, yet bright. Finally, Gravity will probably get the slot that Life of Pi, Hugo, Avatar, and Inception got, honoring traditional work that combines well with digital visuals.