The concluding segment our ICYMI series featuring Inside the Set episodes with the Set Decorator and Production Designer of Films Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Production Design! 
Presented in alphabetical order by title, daily this week!
 
We are offering another look at one of the key sets, AND the full conversation Set Decorator Monique Champagne SDSA and Production Designer Hannah Beachler had with Elizabeth Keenan SDSA for this episode of our Inside the Set video series, where they discuss in detail their collaboration with the amazing Director Ryan Coogler!



Director Ryan Coogler and Production Designer Hannah Beachler have collaborated on all of his films, each a standout. Hannah and renowned Set Decorator Jay Hart SDSA (now retired) won the Academy Award for Best Production Design for the Ryan Coogler film BLACK PANTHER. Today she and Set Decorator Monique Champagne SDSA are Oscar nominees for SINNERS. They had not worked together before, but had such an instant and profound connection, it seemed as if they had known each other and worked together forever...the results of that connection are the naturalistic, deeply curated sets that take us into this sultry Mississippi Delta period thriller and keep us immersed in the world of a 1932 Black community...ignore the vampires, note the set details!

In this episode of Inside the Set with SETDECOR [See video above], Monique and Hannah detail their meticulous process, including the use of authentic materials like dirt from Clarksdale, Mississippi and the creation of detailed sets such as Annie's voodoo shop and the church. They emphasize the importance of authenticity, research, and collaboration. The discussion highlights the film's social commentary, the significance of set design, and the impact of Ruth Carter's costumes and Autumn Gerald Archibald's cinematography, working in tandem with them.

Juke joint thriving. Inspired by the Ernie Barnes painting “Sugar Shack”. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

There is a seeming simplicity of the times and place that guided set choices. Here are glimpses of the artistry and authenticity Monique, Hannah and their teams provided.

Annie’s Store. Illustration by Tessa Wessels. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

Annie’s store. Annie was a hoodo healer as well as shopkeeper for her community. The store for Whites was across the way. Nothing in Annie’s was cliched, “No dolls with pins” as Monique describes. “...the herbs, the roots, the jars, the little handwritten notes...” Hannah was delighted with the porch dressing and the chalked pricing on the window, which provides a lace-like effect from inside. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

Annie’s store. In the video, Monique mentions to Hannah, “You were so intentional about grounding her world in authenticity, and in folk magic, but you also kept telling us, ‘this is where people come to be healed. This is where people come to be nurtured.’ So Annie's was really providing a space for the community.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

Annie’s store. Simple elements give roots to the scene. “Hannah even had us hang little fortunes/prayer cards from the ceiling...” You must hear Hannah’s tale of the prayer card dropping! Check the video! Wunmi Mosaku as Annie. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

Annie’s store. Estranged for years because Annie was unable to heal their infant son, the deep love is still obvious when Smoke returns. Wunmi Mosaku as Annie. Michael B. Jordan as Smoke. Screen pull courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2025.

This is just a pinhead of the sets and mood of the film. Do check the video above for fascinating details throughout the conversation. It will enhance your viewing of the film, whether it's for the first time or a revisit.






**All episodes were pre-recorded and also appear in the Inside the Set section of SETDECOR (Check the drop-down menu above.)
In addition, the episodes can be found on the SETDECOR YouTube Channel.

**The fifth film Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Production Design, MARTY SUPREME can be found in both places as well.