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| {{disline|For other people with the same first name, see: [[Jonathan]].}}
| | : ''For other people with the same first name, see: [[Jonathan]].'' |
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| {{Crew Data | | {{Crew Data |
| | image=Jonathan Lancaster.jpg | | | image= |
| | role=Set Decorator | | | role=Set Decorator |
| | series=RDM | | | series=[[RDM]] |
| | born_month= | | | born_month= |
| | born_day= | | | born_day= |
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| | nationality= | | | nationality= |
| | imdb=0484144 | | | imdb=0484144 |
| | sortkey=Lancaster, Jonathan
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| }} | | }} |
| '''Jonathan Lancaster''' is the head of set decoration for the [[Re-imagined Series]]. | | '''Jonathan Lancaster''' is the Set Decorator for the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. |
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| ==Career on Battlestar Galactica==
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| Lancaster appears in a [[On the Set of the "New" Pegasus|video blog]] episode with [[David Eick]] on the sets of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' prior to their [[Pegasus (episode)|debut]].
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| ===New Caprica Set Design===
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| Lancaster played a crucial role in designing and executing the [[New Caprica]] sets that appeared at the end of [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season 2]] and the beginning of [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]].<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_new_caprica_p24_25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24-25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref>
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| ====Initial Design Concept====
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| The initial design for New Caprica was conceived as "Tent City," a hodgepodge settlement that reflected [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]]'s character as someone with good plans but poor execution who constantly protected himself and shifted with changing circumstances.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_tent_city_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The settlement was designed to look like it had been assembled from materials salvaged from the Fleet's ships.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_tent_city_p24"/>
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| Production designer [[Richard Hudolin]] designed the overall concept, working collaboratively with Lancaster, art director [[Douglas McLean]], and construction coordinator Chris Claridge.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_collaboration_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The team used Middle Eastern references to nomadic peoples and how they lived in tents, while Hudolin incorporated modern architecture design for what he called "a more feasible system of housing."<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_research_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The team researched how people actually lived in desert environments and how the military would run such a settlement, reflecting ''Galactica'''s status as a military-run organization despite having a President.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_research_p24"/>
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| ====Avoiding the "Old West" Look====
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| One major design concern was avoiding an "Old West" or Civil War tent camp appearance with rows of identical tents.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_old_west_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> To address this, the construction team built aluminum structures down the main roadway as a central concourse. Since the settlement was built from ships made of metal alloy, these structures served as protection from the weather and created a more distinctive visual aesthetic.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_old_west_p24"/> Lancaster compared the design theory to Vancouver's telephone poles and alleyways with power running through them.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_old_west_p24"/>
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| ====Practical Challenges====
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| The tents were set in sand, but underneath was asphalt from previous film productions, requiring the use of small jackhammers to create holes and drive three-foot pieces of rebar into the ground to secure the tents.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_tent_installation_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> All the tents used were authentic 1940s-era Second World War military tents.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_wwii_tents_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref>
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| ====Evolution Between Seasons====
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| In Season 2, New Caprica featured more of a marketplace atmosphere, with rebellion against Baltar depicted in episodes 19 and 20 ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|"Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I"]] and [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Part II]]).<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_season_evolution_p24_25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24-25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> In Season 3, the focus shifted to what the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] were doing. The Cylons' attempts to create a perfect society ironically caused heavier rebellion, making the city actually worse than before their intervention.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_season_evolution_p24_25"/>
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| ====Set Components====
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| The main road area was referred to as the "marketplace," serving as a trading center where people could obtain food and supplies.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_marketplace_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The industrial area included the market, a school tent (where President [[Laura Roslin]] worked as a teacher, reverting to her pre-apocalypse profession), union hall, build site, and other facilities.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_marketplace_p25"/> Additional amenities included a water tank and a bath tent, harking back to Old West traditions.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_amenities_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref>
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| ====Cylon Detention Facility====
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| The Cylon detention center structure was originally designed to be new housing for New Caprica.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_detention_facility_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> When the production resumed for Season 3, the structure needed to reflect that the Cylons had been present for four to eight months and had started with good intentions of trying to live with humans and improve conditions.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_detention_facility_p25"/> The building was designed to show an accomplishment that both humans and Cylons could view positively, before it became the detention center seen in the aired episodes.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_detention_facility_p25"/>
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| ====Scale and Logistics====
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| The sheer scale of New Caprica presented significant challenges.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_scale_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The set included:<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_scale_p25"/>
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| * 26 tents measuring 16m × 16m
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| * 10-12 tents measuring 32m × 16m
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| * 2 tents measuring 60m × 16m
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| * 2 separate tents measuring 20m × 10m covered in tarps, used as base of operations to hold hardware
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| The logistics of getting tents erected, markets built, and specific everyday life themes incorporated—including food, religion, and bathing facilities—required bringing in truckloads of equipment.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_scale_p25"/> Lighting was essential to give the set life.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_scale_p25"/>
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| ====Filming Location Challenges====
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| The New Caprica set was built on the [[Richmond Sand Dunes]] location.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_location_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> During the previous season's filming, the ground was frozen from cold weather. The production was fortunate not to encounter heavy rain during construction, which Vancouver is known for.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_location_p25"/> Lancaster noted that while it was a great set, it was very demanding to work on, and he was happy when filming concluded.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_location_p25"/>
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| ====Unrealized Visions====
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| Given more time and budget, Lancaster envisioned extending the aluminum trussing around the streets, adding more definite roadways, and incorporating additional long tents as an industrial park.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_budget_constraints_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> These ideas were discussed at the beginning of Season 3 but were not pursued due to cost considerations.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_budget_constraints_p25"/>
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| ==Other Work==
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| His other work includes the film ''[[w:Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed|Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed]]''.
| | Lancaster appears in a video blog episode with [[David Eick]] on the sets used for the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' prior to their [[Pegasus (episode)|debut]]. |
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| ==References==
| | {{mstub}} |
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| ===Production History===
| | {{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Jonathan}} |
| <references group="production" />
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| [[Category:A to Z]] | | [[Category:A to Z]] |
