{{Short description|American production designer}} {{Infobox person | name = Nelson Coates | image = | caption = Nelson Coates at a 2017 charity event. | birth_place = [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]], [[United States]] | alma_mater = [[Abilene Christian University]] | occupation = Production designer | years_active = 1989–present | notable_works = ''[[In the Heights (film)|In the Heights]]'', ''[[Crazy Rich Asians (film)|Crazy Rich Asians]]'', ''[[Flight (2012 film)|Flight]]'', ''[[The Proposal (2009 film)|The Proposal]]'', ''[[Antwone Fisher (film)|Antwone Fisher]]'' | awards = 2019 Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film, Art Directors Guild for ''[[Crazy Rich Asians (film)|Crazy Rich Asians]]'' | office = President, Art Directors Guild and Member, Executive Committee, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Production Designer Branch }}
'''Nelson Coates''' is an American [[production design]]er for feature film and television.<ref name="imdb-credits">[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167655/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1]. Nelson Coates. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref> His motion picture credits include the [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]] musical ''[[In the Heights (film)|In the Heights]]'', based on the [[Tony Award]]-winning Broadway show; [[Jon M. Chu]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Crazy Rich Asians (film)|Crazy Rich Asians]]'', the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the last decade; [[Robert Zemeckis]]' dramatic thriller ''[[Flight (2012 film)|Flight]]'', which critics [[Roger Ebert]] and [[Owen Gleiberman]] placed on their top-10 lists; and the biographical drama ''[[Antwone Fisher (film)|Antwone Fisher]]'', which received a [[American Film Institute Awards 2002|2002 American Film Institute Award]].<ref name="In the Heights-credits">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321510/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1]. "In the Heights." Full Cast & Crew. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Crazy Rich Asians.">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988/?ref_=nm_flmg_pdsg_6]. "Crazy Rich Asians." Full Cast & Crew. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Fang">Marina Fang, September 30, 2018. {{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/crazy-rich-asians-box-office-rom-com-record_n_5ba932afe4b0375f8f9f8ce4/|title= 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Now the Highest-Grossing Romantic Comedy in a Decade. |work=Huffington Post.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Flight credits">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1]. "Flight." Full Cast & Crew. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Ebert">Roger Ebert, December 27, 2012. {{Cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/eberts-top-movies-of-2012/|title= Ebert's Top Movies of 2012. |work=RogerEbert.com.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="The Must List">Entertainment Weekly Staff, February 8, 2013. Page 8. {{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/tag/must-list/|title= The Must List. |work=Entertainment Weekly.}}</ref><ref name="Renata">Carla Renata. February 7, 2020. {{Cite web|url= https://variety.com/2020/artisans/production/in-the-heights-production-design-1203492934/|title= 'In the Heights' Production Designer on How Cultural Accuracy Informs the Film's Look. |work=Variety.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref> Coates' television projects include the mystery drama ''[[Home Before Dark (TV series)|Home Before Dark]]'' and the second and third season of [[The Morning Show (American TV series)|''The Morning Show'']], both for [[Apple TV+]].<ref name="Home Before Dark-credits">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1]. "Home Before Dark." Full Cast & Crew. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="The Morning Show-credits">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7203552/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1]. "The Morning Show." Full Cast & Crew. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
Coates is currently serving his second term as President of the [[Art Directors Guild]].<ref name="Nelson Coates">[https://adg.org/directory/180-nelson-coates/]. "Nelson Coates." AD-Production Designer. Art Directors Guild. Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
==Early life==
Born in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]], Coates began his lifelong involvement in the performing arts at an early age. He made his professional debut at six, acting, singing and dancing in regional theater.<ref name="Nelson Coates interview">James Collins, March 25, 2018. {{Cite web|url=https://www.mandy.com/uk/news/nelson-coates-production-designer-fifty-shades-freed-interview/|title= 'Take it upon yourself to study.' Fifty Shades Freed production designer Nelson Coates talks to Mandy. |work=Mandy.com.}} Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Movie Minds: Nelson Coates">Staff, Fall 1998. {{Cite web|url=https://acu.today/|title= Movie Minds: Nelson Coates. |work=ACU Today.}}</ref> During high school, Coates also competed in gymnastics, developing an understanding of biomechanics, action and physical space that informed his design of [[Wesley Snipes]]' escape route in ''[[Murder at 1600]] '' and continues to benefit his work today.<ref name="Movie Minds: Nelson Coates"/>
Coates attended [[Abilene Christian University]] (ACU), graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in journalism/mass communications and an emphasis in design. While in college, he performed in more than 30 cabarets, musicals and plays and simultaneously began to design for the stage.<ref name="Nelson Coates bio">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lcad.edu/person/nelson-coates|title= Nelson Coates, Trustee. |work=Laguna College of Art & Design.}} Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Nelson Coates interview"/>
==Career==
After graduating, Coates appeared in [[off-Broadway]] and national touring productions while designing sets for several Dallas theater companies. His work for the [[Dallas Theater Center]] led to his first assignment designing for television, for the [[PBS]] series ''[[Gerbert (TV series)|Gerbert]]''.<ref name="Nelson Coates interview"/><ref name="Fantasticks">"'Fantasticks': a charmed life: It's not as good as last year's but the music is a lot better." Jerome Weeks, December 6, 1989. Page 1C. ''Dallas Morning News.'' Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Rough Crossing">"Land ho-ho! Clever 'Rough Crossing' requires a smoother production." Jerome Weeks. December 3, 1988. Page 5C. ''Dallas Morning News.'' Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="A Shayna Maidel">"A reunion haunted in quiet sorrow: 'A Shayna Maidel' carries solemnity to a tedious end." Jerome Weeks. May 10, 1989. Page 5C. ''Dallas Morning News.'' Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
In 1990, Coates relocated from Texas to Los Angeles, where he built his career designing for movies and television series. He developed collaborative relationships with numerous directors, working with [[Gary Fleder]] on ''[[Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead]]'', ''[[Kiss the Girls (1997 film)|Kiss the Girls]]'' and ''[[Runaway Jury]]''; [[Anne Fletcher]] on ''[[The Guilt Trip (film)|The Guilt Trip]]'', ''[[The Proposal (2009 film)|The Proposal]]'' and ''[[Hot Pursuit (2015 film)|Hot Pursuit]]''; [[Mimi Leder]] on ''[[Thick as Thieves (2009 film)|Thick as Thieves]]'', ''[[John Doe (TV series)|John Doe]]'' and ''[[On the Basis of Sex]]''; and [[Jon M. Chu]] on ''Crazy Rich Asians'', ''Home Before Dark'' and ''In the Heights.'' Coates also designed [[Anjelica Huston]]'s debut as a feature film director on '' [[Bastard out of Carolina (film)|Bastard Out of Carolina]]'', [[Bill Paxton]]'s on ''[[Frailty (2001 film)|Frailty]]'' and [[Denzel Washington]]'s on ''Antwone Fisher''.<ref name="imdb-credits"/>
==Entertainment industry recognition==
Coates was nominated for a 1997 [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|The Stand]]''. He designed 225 sets for the four-part miniseries, including a recreation of a Nebraska cornfield on a Utah stage. Coates grew 3,250 cornstalks from seed to dress the set, but when Utah's harshest winter in 100 years stunted the crop's growth, he interspersed close-up worthy replicas.<ref name="Hollywood Action Invades">"5 Points a Star Hollywood Action Invades Denver Neighborhood." Michael Booth. August 27, 1994. Page A-1. ''Denver Post.'' Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref><ref name="Stand-Out">"A Television Stand-Out." Douglas E. Winter. February–March 1994. ''Fangoria.'' Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
Coates' second major award nomination was for a 2008 [[Art Directors Guild]] Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film for ''Flight'', about a troubled pilot who crash lands a plane to save its occupants.<ref name="imdb-awards">[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167655/awards?ref_=nm_awd]. Nelson Coates Awards. Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref> Director Robert Zemeckis tasked the designer with creating a fictional, but believable airline that included the word "jet" in its name, but that avoided any real-world references.<ref name="Taking Flight">[https://assets.adg.org/media/perspective/pdf/Perspective_2013_Feb_Mar.pdf]. "Taking Flight." ''ADG Perspective'', The Journal of the Art Director's Guild. Nelson Coates. February–March, 2013. Page 35. Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
Zemeckis wanted the passengers, crew and their belongings to react naturally to gravity during the accident. To solve this challenge, Coates built a full-length fuselage using modified, genuine, airline parts and that divided into sections. The fuselage, replete with performers and props, was mounted onto various motion simulation rigs including a "rotisserie rig" that rotated 180 degrees.<ref name="Taking Flight"/>
In her ''New York Times'' review, movie critic Manohla Dargis said, "…the accident in ''Flight'' is freakishly real… It's a showstopper."<ref name="Dargis">Manohla Dargis. Nov. 1, 2012. {{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/movies/flight-stars-denzel-washington-as-an-alcoholic-pilot.html/|title= Life Takes Nose Dive, and Settles into an Abyss. |work=The New York Times.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref>
On ''Crazy Rich Asians,'' Coates' directive was to bring [[Singapore]]'s tastes, traditions, culture and design to the silver screen. For greater authenticity, Coates imbued the characters with [[Peranakan]] heritage (it wasn't in the original novel) and tapped its rich art, architecture and design practices for his sets.
Chu wanted the film's climactic marriage ceremony "…to be a wedding like you've never seen before." In the novel, the ceremony costs $40 million, but the project's entire budget was only $30 million. Coates attended more than 35 Chinese and Singaporean weddings as research and designed a set in a former 19th Century convent that ''[[Architectural Digest]]'' described as a "church of nature." He also developed a system for flooding the chapel that preserved the decorations so that the bride could walk on water down the aisle.<ref name="Whitlock">Cathy Whitlock. August 9, 2018. {{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/crazy-rich-asians-sets/|title= Here's Why All the Sets in 'Crazy Rich Asians' Look So Authentic and, Well, Rich. |work= Architectural Digest.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Barrett">Eamon Barrett. March 16, 2019. {{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2019/03/16/crazy-rich-asians-production-design/|title= How Production Designer Nelson Coates Got 'Crazy Rich' on a Budget.|work= Architectural Digest.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Miller">Gregory E. Miller. August 16, 2018. {{Cite web|url= https://nypost.com/2018/08/16/how-they-made-the-opulent-sets-of-crazy-rich-asians/|title= How they made the opulent sets of 'Crazy Rich Asians.'|work= NY Post|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref>
Coates won a 2018 Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film, for his designs for the film.<ref name="imdb-awards"/>
==Additional movie projects==
Coates recreated the tundra town of [[Barrow, Alaska]] (later renamed Utqiagvik) in the warmer, greener, mountainous [[Anchorage]] for the feature film ''[[Big Miracle]]'' (2012). The remote town was the original setting for the movie's true story about a 1988 whale rescue.
To prepare, Coates watched more than 70 hours of news and documentary footage. He built houses on wagons with varied looks so that the structures could be rearranged overnight to simulate different Barrow streets.
Coates also designed a multi-function water tank that was large enough to stage the underwater action, which included three robotic vehicles maneuvering three animatronic whales. He oversaw the whales' fabrication so that they precisely matched the original animals in appearance and movement (the historical and new footage were intercut).<ref name="Locations Hub">Staff. February 12, 2012. {{Cite web|url=https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/26/the-film-locations-of-alaskas-big-miracle|title= The Film Locations of Alaska's 'Big Miracle.'|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Chess in Alaska">''ADG Perspective'', The Journal of the Art Director's Guild. Nelson Coates. February–March, 2013. Page 46. {{Cite web|url=https://assets.adg.org/media/perspective/pdf/Perspective_2012_Feb_Mar.pdf|title= Playing Chess in Alaska. |accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref>
For ''[[Fifty Shades Darker (film)|Fifty Shades Darker]]'' (2017) and ''[[Fifty Shades Freed (film)|Fifty Shades Freed]]'' (2018), director [[James Foley (director)|James Foley]] hired Coates to reimagine the franchise's world. The designer added texture and depth to the projects' 160 sets and introduced visual references to reflect the characters' backstories. The films were shot simultaneously over 106 days in 167 locations and required Coates to balance a myriad of details to maintain the visual integrity and continuity of each movie.<ref name="Kloss and Decore">Kelsey Kloss, Elle Decore. February 10, 2017. {{Cite web|url=https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a8702528/fifty-shades-darker-movie/|title= That Time I Designed ... Christian Grey's Penthouse for 'Fifty Shades Darker.' |accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Stamp">Elizabeth Stamp. February 8, 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/fifty-shades-darker-set-designs-filming-locations|title= Christian Grey's Bachelor Pad Gets a New Look in 'Fifty Shades Darker.' |accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref>
==Entertainment industry and arts organizations==
Coates is serving his second term as President of the Art Directors Guild (ADG). In 2016 he oversaw the formation of ADG's women's and diversity committees to address issues in front of and behind the camera. Coates was also instrumental in creating and organizing the Guild's first new member orientation and first member directory.<ref name="Behind the Scenes Podcast">The Hollywood Reporter's "Behind the Scenes" Podcast. {{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-screen/id1437952572?mt=2|title='Crazy Rich Asians' and 'On the Basis of Sex' with Nelson Coates |work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Giardina">Carolyn Giardina. {{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/art-directors-guild-elects-nelson-846077|title=Nelson Coates Elected Art Directors Guild President|work=The Hollywood Reporter.|accessdate= September 8, 2020}}</ref>
Coates is a voting member of the [[Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]] (ATAS) and the [[Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences]] (AMPAS), where he also serves on the [https://www.oscars.org/about/branch-requirements/designers Executive Committee of the Production Design Branch]. He previously served on AMPAS' Foreign Language Film Committee (later renamed the International Feature Film Committee).<ref name="Nelson Coates bio"/><ref name="Giardina"/>
==Collegiate support==
Coates is a member of the Board of Trustees of [[Laguna College of Art and Design]] (LCAD), where he has co-chaired fundraising events to support student scholarships.<ref name="Nelson Coates bio"/>
Coates speaks frequently at universities, including at his alma mater, [[Abilene Christian University]]. In 1996, he was named ACU's Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year and was accorded the University's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication's Gutenberg Award, which recognizes distinguished professional achievements by alumni.
Coates endowed two scholarships at ACU, one in production design and the second in education in honor of his parents.<ref name="Nelson Coates bio"/><ref name="ACU scholarship">{{Cite web|url=https://alumniassociation.acu.edu/s/1565/16/interior.aspx?sid=1565&gid=1&pgid=2692|title= ACU Endowed Scholarship Listing.|work= Abilene Christian University.}} Retrieved September 8, 2020.</ref>
Coates served as the keynote speaker at UCLA's Design Showcase West.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Design Showcase West |url=https://www.tft.ucla.edu/design-showcase-west/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=UCLA School of TFT}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Project ! Awards ! Nominations |- |2022 |''[[Hocus Pocus 2]]'' | | |- |2020 |''[[In the Heights (film)|In the Heights]]'' | |Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film, Art Directors Guild |- | 2018 | ''[[Crazy Rich Asians (film)|Crazy Rich Asians]]'' | Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film, Art Directors Guild | Best Art Direction, Critics Choice Movie Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association; Best Production Design, Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Awards; Best Production Design, OFTA Film Awards, Online Film & Television Association |- |rowspan=2| 2018 | ''[[Fifty Shades Freed (film)|Fifty Shades Freed]]'' | | |- |''[[On the Basis of Sex]]'' | | |- |rowspan=2| 2017 | ''[[Unforgettable (2017 film)|Unforgettable]]'' | | |- | ''[[Fifty Shades Darker (film)|Fifty Shades Darker]]'' | | |- |rowspan=2|2015 | ''[[Secret in Their Eyes]]'' | | |- | ''[[Hot Pursuit (2015 film)|Hot Pursuit]]'' | | |- |rowspan=3|2012 | ''[[The Guilt Trip (film)|The Guilt Trip]]'' | | |- | ''[[Flight (2012 film)|Flight]]'' | | Excellence in Production Design Award, Contemporary Film, Art Directors Guild |- | ''[[Big Miracle]]'' | | |- | 2010 | ''[[The Last Song (2010 film)|The Last Song]]'' | | |- | rowspan=2|2009 | ''[[The Proposal (2009 film)|The Proposal]]'' | | |- | ''[[Thick as Thieves (2009 film)|Thick as Thieves]]'' | | |- | 2008 | ''[[The Express: The Ernie Davis Story]]'' | | |- |rowspan=2| 2006 | ''[[School for Scoundrels (2006 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'' | | |- | ''[[Aquamarine (film)|Aquamarine]]'' | | |- | 2005 | ''[[Man of the House (2005 film)|Man of the House]]'' | | |- | 2003 | ''[[Runaway Jury]]'' | | |- | rowspan=2|2002 | ''[[Antwone Fisher (film)|Antwone Fisher]]'' | | |- | ''[[Impostor (2002 film)|Impostor]]'' | | |- | rowspan=2|2001 | ''[[Frailty (2001 film)|Frailty]]'' | | |- | ''[[Don't Say a Word]]'' | | |- | 1999 | ''[[Stir of Echoes]]'' | | |- | rowspan=2|1998 | ''[[Living Out Loud]]'' | | |- | ''[[Disturbing Behavior]]'' | | |- | rowspan=2|1997 | ''[[Kiss the Girls (1997 film)|Kiss the Girls]]'' | | |- | ''[[Murder at 1600]]'' | | |- |rowspan=2| 1996 | ''[[Albino Alligator]]'' | | |- | ''[[Bastard Out of Carolina (film)|Bastard Out of Carolina]]'' | | |- | 1995 | ''[[Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead]]'' | | |- | 1994 | ''[[Blank Check (film)|Blank Check]]'' | |- |rowspan=2| 1993 | ''[[Three of Hearts (1993 film)|Three of Hearts]]'' | | |- | ''[[CB4]]'' | | |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Project ! Award Nominations |- |2022 |''[[The Morning Show (American TV series)|The Morning Show]]'' (seasons 2–3) | |- |2021 | ''[[The Morning Show (American TV series)|''The Morning Show'']]'' (TV series, two episodes) |Excellence in Production Design Award, One Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television Series, Art Directors Guild |- | 2020 | ''[[Home Before Dark (TV series)|Home Before Dark]]'' (TV series, eight episodes) | |- | 2019 |''Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho'' (TV special) | |- | 2012 |''Friday Night Dinner'' (TV movie) | |- | 2010 | ''Boston's Finest'' (TV movie) | |- | 2007 |''[[October Road (TV series)|October Road]]'' (TV series, six episodes) | |- | 2005 | ''[[Johnny Zero]]'' (TV series, pilot) | |- | 2002 | ''[[John Doe (TV series)|John Doe]]'' (TV series, pilot) | |- |1995 |''Crazy Love'' (TV series, pilot) | |- |1994 |''[[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|The Stand]]'' (TV miniseries) | Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special |- | rowspan=2| 1991 |CBS Schoolbreak Special ''The Emancipation of Lizzie Stern'' (TV series, one episode) | |- |''[[Cast a Deadly Spell]]'' (TV movie) | |- | rowspan=3| 1989 |''[[Gerbert (TV series)|Gerbert]]'' (TV series) | |- |''[[Mother's Day (1989 film)|Mother's Day]]'' (TV movie) | |- |''For Jenny with Love'' (TV series) | |- |}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== * [https://www.acu.edu Abilene Christian University] * [http://nelsoncoates.com/Welcome.html NelsonCoates.com] * [http://www.lcad.edu Laguna College Art & Design] * [http://ADG.org Art Directors Guild]
{{Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Nelson}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:People from Abilene, Texas]] [[Category:American production designers]] [[Category:Abilene Christian University alumni]]