costumes and vehicles - just plain unimaginative

InisMor

Hello,

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but this whole retro thing in Caprica is crap.

The non-military costumes in the BSG remake where bad enough, but I could ignore it for the most part. I considered it a missed opportunity to create some great costumes.

Once they had done that in BSG, they had pretty much shut the door to creativity in Caprica in that regard.

But the cars??? They couldn't use something from the budget to CGI a few actual futuristic vehicles.

This retro look isn't clever, it is just simply unimaginative. And cheap.

Which is a shame because the writing is first rate.

Regards.

robby^5

I dont have any problem with the costumes, in fact I love how they have Caprica going through this 30/40's kind of fashion where you have men wearing suits with the hats to boot and the girls all seem to wear low heel shoes, but it's mixed up with modern fashion items like sunglasses, short skirts etc.

I thought it was fresh how they decided to look backwards instead of forward in this regard.

As for the cars, I'll admit it's still somewhat strange to see cars that look quite dated by our standards still being used on Caprica but this could be due to them not having the production budget for new cars on set, but that said this could be a Caprican fashion thing too ie. the cars are designed to look antiquated but still have some future engine under the hood.

GSPfan

I don't know why these things bother anyone. I really don't. You do realise that this show is set on another world but they are linked to us because (BSG Spoiler)

They are our descendants, so theoretically its us but millions of years ago.

So lets just assume that thats the reason why everything looks the same but not really.

Stark

GSPfan wrote: »

You do realise that this show is set on another world but at the same time (BSG Spoiler)

They are our descendants, so theoretically its us but millions of years ago.

How often do you see people going around wearing tunics and togas in the 21st century?

GSPfan

I've no idea what the above spoiler is meant to mean?

Caprica is not a vision of our future. Its a completely seperate world and time. It's similar to our culture because

it is us, millions of years ago

but that has no baring on why they have advanced technology but seem to dress like they are from our past. Fashion and technology have no connection.

Would you be happy for them to be wearing silver jumpsuits, or the men wearing skirts? And what can you really do to change the design of a car? Seriously. 4 wheels and seats in between.

I appreciate the debate about it but for all the things we could be discussing or criticising I least expected fashion and cars to be top of the list.

GSPfan

GSPfan wrote: »

You do realise that this show is set on another world but at the same time

When I said " at the same time" that was a figure of speech. I didn't mean the same year or stage of evolution. I meant that its set on another world but its linked to us by..... BSG Spoiler!!.

Sorry if that was the confusion.

InisMor

I'm raising the issue the because the lack of imagination there bothers me. It's as valid a discussion as any other topic.

It isn't a stylish retro look. It's exactly the same reason as BSG. They wanted to be taken as a "serious" drama and those are the words of the producers at the time of the mini series.

"Serious" drama is created by could writing and good actors. Things which BSG and (from the way things are going so far) Caprica have in plentiful supply.

The costumes and props should be used to enhance the world they are creating. STAR TREK had very little money to work with and never resort to "silver jump-suits". Granted the costumes in TNG, etc, were garbage but the effort was put in to create something different. FIREFLY, B5, STARGATE and the new TREK movie all did wonderful jobs in those regards.

All respected sci-fi and none featured over the top outrageous costumes.

The BSG finale does not explain this away.

It takes me "out of the moment" sometimes while watching the shows. I actually treat them less seriously because of it.

GSPfan

InisMor wrote: »

The costumes and props should be used to enhance the world they are creating. STAR TREK had very little money to work with and never resort to "silver jump-suits". Granted the costumes in TNG, etc, were garbage but the effort was put in to create something different. FIREFLY, B5, STARGATE and the new TREK movie all did wonderful jobs in those regards.

All respected sci-fi and none featured over the top outrageous costumes.

Couldn't agree less. And all of the above shows were shows in the future or shows involving alien races so costumes were supposed to be different to seperate "here and now" with "then and there". Whereas this show is trying to link it to our world in the not too distant future. The very very final scene of BSG should have given you that clue.

InisMor

GSPfan wrote: »

Couldn't agree less. And all of the above shows were shows in the future or shows involving alien races so costumes were supposed to be different to seperate "here and now" with "then and there". Whereas this show is trying to link it to our world in the not too distant future. The very very final scene of BSG should have given you that clue.

No I disagree. They are just cutting corners. It wouldn't cost all that much to create a new business suit for a far off world or at least one futuristic car. Repaint it for different scenes if necessary.

PS the producers shouldn't have ended BSG. if it was going to get axed they should have just left it on a season cliffhanger. like Olmos said the studio would regret cancelling it in a few years

GSPfan

InisMor wrote: »

PS the producers shouldn't have ended BSG. if it was going to get axed they should have just left it on a season cliffhanger. like Olmos said the studio would regret cancelling it in a few years

Are you on glue?

wyrn

I have to say I agree with GSPfan.
I like the look, it's somewhat nostalgic, it's sortof bittersweet in a way - it doesn't seem like it will fall or things will change drastically. Also we can relate to it.

As for the cars - why not. Old cars are classics. Now if they'd been driving Micras I'd have a problem.

If I remember the original BSG opening episode weren't they in togas or am I imagining that?

GSPfan

I'm glad somebody else likes it. I'm becoming very defensive of this show because people are being so critical.

wyrn

Anytime GSPfan!

To be honest my first thoughts were I like the way it's set. It's nostalgic with some future technology. It's not a million miles from us. Not a hovercar in sight!

It's very tricky to get cars/sets right in sci-fi. If they go too far it can look cheesy.

noodler

Hmm, considering we have seen the planet of Caprica a bunch of times in BSG i think it is quite fitting to be honest.

Overheal

If you look at some of the polling, many of the most loved episodes of TNG were spent on the Holodeck dressed in 30s/40s garb dealing with the latest freak of a proton nebuala collission etc.

meep

They are using a lot of old European cars in the production design (citroens, jaguars etc.) To us, they look fairly familiar. I'd imagine they look quite exotic to our American cousins.

All the same, it is funny to see a Jaguar bonnet ornament on a car supposedly manufactured in a galaxy far far away and does somewhat break the suspension of disbelief.

P