AceShowbiz - The 30th annual Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards celebrated outstanding achievements in production design across film and television on Saturday night. The ceremony recognized visionary teams responsible for crafting the most immersive and visually striking environments in contemporary cinema and TV.

Leading the live-action film categories were three notable winners: One Battle After Another, Frankenstein, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Each took home top honors in distinct production design categories—contemporary, period, and fantasy, respectively—highlighting the diversity and creativity in modern filmmaking.

One Battle After Another earned the award for best production design in a contemporary feature film, with production designer Florencia Martin recognized for her exceptional work. The period feature film prize went to Frankenstein, designed by Tamara Deverell, while the fantasy feature film category was claimed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with production design led by Kasra Farahani.

The victory for The Fantastic Four: First Steps is particularly noteworthy given the category’s recent history. The fantasy production design award at the Academy Awards has favored films in this genre in three of the previous four years, positioning this movie as a strong contender for the upcoming Oscars.

In the animated film sector, the award went to KPop Demon Hunters, with production designers Mingjue Helen Chen and Dave Bleich honored for their creative designs that brought the animated world to life.

On the television front, Apple TV emerged as the dominant force, securing three major accolades. These included awards for episodes of Severance, Palm Royale, and The Studio. The wins spanned the one-hour contemporary single-camera series category (Jeremy Hindle for Severance), the one-hour period single-camera series category (Jon Carlos for Palm Royale), and the half-hour single-camera series category (Julie Berghoff for The Studio).

Other television categories recognized included one-hour fantasy single-camera series, with Luke Hull winning for Andor, and television movie or limited series, where Matthew Flood Ferguson took home the prize for Monster: The Ed Gein Story. The multi-camera series award went to Glenda Rovello for Mid-Century Modern, while variety or reality series honors were given to the production design team of Saturday Night Live during the Lady Gaga-hosted episode, and the SNL50 Anniversary Special.

Commercial and short format categories were also celebrated; Florencia Martin again received recognition for her production design on the Prada "Galleria Bag" commercial, and Shane Valentino was honored for his work on Apple’s music video for Spike Jonze’s "Someday" AirPods 4 campaign.

The ADG Awards serve as a vital reminder of the irreplaceable role human creativity plays in film and television production design. At a time when artificial intelligence and digital models increasingly influence the entertainment industry, these awards underscore what machines cannot replicate—the visionary artistry and narrative shaping provided by skilled production designers and art directors.

According to the Art Directors Guild, the awards celebrate "the visionary production design teams behind the year’s most visually ambitious films, television series and music projects." This year’s winners reflect the rich and varied storytelling environments that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.

Below is the full list of winners in the key categories:

Feature Film
PERIOD FEATURE FILM: Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell
FANTASY FEATURE FILM: The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Kasra Farahani
CONTEMPORARY FEATURE FILM: One Battle After Another – Florencia Martin
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: KPop Demon Hunters – Mingjue Helen Chen, Dave Bleich

Television
ONE-HOUR PERIOD SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES: Palm Royale: "Maxine Drinks Martini’s Now," "Maxine Serves a Swerve" – Jon Carlos
ONE-HOUR FANTASY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES: Andor: "Who Are You?" – Luke Hull
ONE-HOUR CONTEMPORARY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES: Severance: "Chikhai Bardo" – Jeremy Hindle
TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES: Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Matthew Flood Ferguson
HALF-HOUR SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES: The Studio: "The Note" – Julie Berghoff
MULTI-CAMERA SERIES: Mid-Century Modern: "Bye, George" – Glenda Rovello
VARIETY OR REALITY SERIES: Saturday Night Live: "Lady Gaga Host" – Akira Yoshimura, Keith Ian Raywood, N. Joseph De Tullio, Andrea Purcigliotti
VARIETY SPECIAL: SNL50: The Anniversary Special – Akira Yoshimura, Keith Ian Raywood, N. Joseph De Tullio
COMMERCIALS: Prada: "Galleria Bag" – Florencia Martin
SHORT FORMAT & MUSIC VIDEOS: Apple - Someday by Spike Jonze: "AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation" – Shane Valentino

The 2024 ADG Awards not only honor artistic excellence but also highlight the essential creative contributions that define the visual storytelling of our most beloved films and television series.