At the 1880 Republican Convention, James Garfield made a speech to support the nomination of fellow Ohioan John Sherman for president. When he asked the crowd “What do we want?” though, a voice unexpectedly yelled: “We want Garfield!” — not Sherman. Mike Makowsky’s dramatic miniseries “Death by Lightning” faithfully preserves the stirring rhetoric of the man who would become America’s 20th commander in chief. But words alone could not carry the moment. It was up to production designer Gemma Jackson to re-create the energetic pulse of Chicago’s Exposition Building, turning history into spectacle. “This convention was one of the most extraordinary events,” she says. “We had to find a way to present it to be believable but also so that you as the audience will have your breath taken away.” Referencing original black-and-white photos, Jackson designed a massive 120-foot-long set, complete with a stage, seating, bleachers and mahogany flooring, to be filled with up to 500 extras. With the help of set decorator Hannah Gawthorpe, no detail went unnoticed, including the 38-star U.S. flag, delegate banners and the same fresh flowers that decorated the hall — every decision made to elevate the visual impact. “When they wanted to do a real, excuse my French, ‘f— off’ shot, we put in all the flags and things to give us as much depth as we possibly could,” recalls Jackson. “It was really important that you feel the set was powerful. It had to be in order to set the whole series up.”
At the 1880 Republican Convention, James Garfield made a speech to support the nomination of fellow Ohioan John Sherman for president. When he asked the crowd “What do we want?” though, a voice unexpectedly yelled: “We want Garfield!” — not Sherman. Mike Makowsky’s dramatic miniseries “Death by Lightning” faithfully preserves the stirring rhetoric of the man who would become America’s 20th commander in chief. But words alone could not carry the moment. It was up to production designer Gemma Jackson to re-create the energetic pulse of Chicago’s Exposition Building, turning history into spectacle. “This convention was one of the most extraordinary events,” she says. “We had to find a way to present it to be believable but also so that you as the audience will have your breath taken away.” Referencing original black-and-white photos, Jackson designed a massive 120-foot-long set, complete with a stage, seating, bleachers and mahogany flooring, to be filled with up to 500 extras. With the help of set decorator Hannah Gawthorpe, no detail went unnoticed, including the 38-star U.S. flag, delegate banners and the same fresh flowers that decorated the hall — every decision made to elevate the visual impact. “When they wanted to do a real, excuse my French, ‘f— off’ shot, we put in all the flags and things to give us as much depth as we possibly could,” recalls Jackson. “It was really important that you feel the set was powerful. It had to be in order to set the whole series up.”
At the 1880 Republican Convention, James Garfield made a speech to support the nomination of fellow Ohioan John Sherman for president. When he asked the crowd “What do we want?” though, a voice unexpectedly yelled: “We want Garfield!” — not Sherman. Mike Makowsky’s dramatic miniseries “Death by Lightning” faithfully preserves the stirring rhetoric of the man who would become America’s 20th commander in chief. But words alone could not carry the moment. It was up to production designer Gemma Jackson to re-create the energetic pulse of Chicago’s Exposition Building, turning history into spectacle. “This convention was one of the most extraordinary events,” she says. “We had to find a way to present it to be believable but also so that you as the audience will have your breath taken away.” Referencing original black-and-white photos, Jackson designed a massive 120-foot-long set, complete with a stage, seating, bleachers and mahogany flooring, to be filled with up to 500 extras. With the help of set decorator Hannah Gawthorpe, no detail went unnoticed, including the 38-star U.S. flag, delegate banners and the same fresh flowers that decorated the hall — every decision made to elevate the visual impact. “When they wanted to do a real, excuse my French, ‘f— off’ shot, we put in all the flags and things to give us as much depth as we possibly could,” recalls Jackson. “It was really important that you feel the set was powerful. It had to be in order to set the whole series up.”
At the 1880 Republican Convention, James Garfield made a speech to support the nomination of fellow Ohioan John Sherman for president. When he asked the crowd “What do we want?” though, a voice unexpectedly yelled: “We want Garfield!” — not Sherman. Mike Makowsky’s dramatic miniseries “Death by Lightning” faithfully preserves the stirring rhetoric of the man who would become America’s 20th commander in chief. But words alone could not carry the moment. It was up to production designer Gemma Jackson to re-create the energetic pulse of Chicago’s Exposition Building, turning history into spectacle. “This convention was one of the most extraordinary events,” she says. “We had to find a way to present it to be believable but also so that you as the audience will have your breath taken away.” Referencing original black-and-white photos, Jackson designed a massive 120-foot-long set, complete with a stage, seating, bleachers and mahogany flooring, to be filled with up to 500 extras. With the help of set decorator Hannah Gawthorpe, no detail went unnoticed, including the 38-star U.S. flag, delegate banners and the same fresh flowers that decorated the hall — every decision made to elevate the visual impact. “When they wanted to do a real, excuse my French, ‘f— off’ shot, we put in all the flags and things to give us as much depth as we possibly could,” recalls Jackson. “It was really important that you feel the set was powerful. It had to be in order to set the whole series up.”
