On the film side of things, there are the movies that are appearing on seemingly every list of nominees, such as The Artist, The Descendants, Hugo, and even The Help.  Because the Art Directors Guild breaks its movie nominees into three categories, you get some unique films mixed in across Period, Fantasy, and Contemporary.  Roland Emmerich's much-derided Shakespearean conspiracy drama Anonymous, for example.  Or the entirely-digital The Adventures of Tintin, Marvel's WWII story Captain America: The First Avenger, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

In Contemporary Film, I've heard that Drive wasn't even nominated, until a mysterious handsome man in a scorpion jacket showed up and put a hammer in Art Director's mouths. 

Here are the nominees for the 2012 Art Directors Guild Awards:

MOVIES

Period Film

• THE ARTIST, Production Designer: Laurence Bennett

• HUGO, Production Designer: Dante Ferretti

• THE HELP, Production Designer: Mark Ricker

• ANONYMOUS, Production Designer: Sebastian Krawinkel

• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic

Fantasy Film

• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2, Production Designer: Stuart Craig

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs

• THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET UNICORN, Production Designer: TBD

• PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, Production Designer: John Myhre

• COWBOYS & ALIENS, Production Designer: Scott Chambliss

Contemporary Film

• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt

• THE DESCENDANTS, Production Designer: Jane Anne Stewart

• EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE, Production Designer: K.K. Barrett

• DRIVE, Production Designer: Beth Mickle

• BRIDESMAIDS, Production Designer: Jefferson Sage

TELEVISION

One-Hour Single Camera Television Series

• BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Episode: 21, Production Designer: Bill Groom

• GAME OF THRONES, Episode: A Golden Crown, Production Designer: Gemma Jackson

Television Movie or Mini-Series

• MILDRED PIERCE, Production Designer: Mark Friedberg

• CINEMA VERITE, Production Designer: Patti Podesta

• TOO BIG TO FAIL, Production Designer: Bob Shaw

• THE HOUR, Production Designer: Eve Stewart

• BLING RING, Production Designer: Robb Wilson King

Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series

• MODERN FAMILY, Episode: Express Christmas, Production Designer: Richard Berg

• 30 ROCK, Episode: Double-Edged Sword, Production Designer: Keith Ian Raywood Teresa Mastropierro

• WEEDS, Episode: Game-Played, Production Designer: Joseph P. Lucky

• CALIFORNICATION, Episode: Monkey Business, Production Designer: Michael Wylie

• NEW GIRL, Episode: Pilot, Production Designer: Jefferson D. Sage

• AMERICAN HORROR STORY, Episode: Murder House, Production Designer: Mark Worthington

• THE PLAYBOY CLUB, Episode: The Scarlet Bunny, Production Designer: Scott P. Murphy

• PAN AM, Episode: Pilot, Production Designer: Bob Shaw

Episode of a Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series

• SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Episode: Host Justin Timberlake, Production Designer: Keith Ian Raywood, Eugene And Musical Guest – Lady Gaga Lee, Leo Yoshimura, N. Joseph De Tullio

• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, Episode: Ducky Tie, Production Designer: Stephan Olson

• 2 BROKE GIRLS, Episode: And The Rich Peoples, Production Designer: Glenda Rovello

• AMERICAN IDOL, Episode: Top 12 Boys Perform, Production Designer: James Yarnell

• DANCING WITH THE STARS, Episode: Round One, Production Designer: James Yarnell

Awards, Music, or Game Shows

• 83rd ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS, Production Designer: Steve Bass

• 68th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBES, Production Designer: Brian Stonestreet

• 2011 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, Production Designer: Florian Wieder

• 63rd ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS, Production Designer: Steve Bass

• IT’S WORTH WHAT?, Best Buds, Production Designer: John Ivo Gille

• ACTIVISION: CALL OF DUTY, Episode: Modern Warfare 3, Production Designer: Neil Spisak

• VICTORIA’S SECRET, Episode: Red, Production Designer: Jeffrey Beecroft

• AUDI A8, Episode: The Art of Progress, Production Designer: Marcos Lutyens

• CHEVY VOLT, Episode: Discovery, Production Designer: Jeremy Reed

• JIM BEAM, Episode: Parallels, Production Designer: Christopher Glass