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April 10, 2009: Getting to Know the Stargate Art Department - Draftsman Kate Heslup Answers Your Questions
Well, damn. I was editing this post and ended up hitting publish. As a result, I’ve been scrambling to upload pics to accompany this wonderful Q&A by one of my very favorite Art Department denizens. In an effort to introduce you all to the many, many people who work behind the scenes to bring you Stargate, I’ve taken it upon myself to badger these individuals into taking part in some fun fan Q&A’s. Today, it’s the lovely and talented Kate Heslup…
AussieSGFan writes: “Questions for Kate:
We are curious, and *very* interested in what you do!
This may seem a little silly, but what *does* a Draftsman do? Is it like drafting out the set-up of a scene or episode?
How much time do you put in for each one?
Thank You for answering our questions.”
Kate: That’s not a silly question at all! And you’re right, I do draft sets. For the most part, I take the production designer’s illustrations and turn them into architectural working drawings that our construction department uses to build from. Other departments use the drawings for different purposes. For instance the set decorators will use them to determine the type and size of furniture they’ll need for a particular set, while the lighting department will be able to plan the lighting for the set before it’s built. The amount of time per drawing depends on the size of the set – it could take anywhere from a day to a week or more.
...Jo writes: “Questions for Kate:
1) Do you always take on board somebody’s input if they look at your idea/something you’ve designed and say ‘that’s awful, you should do it this way?’
2) When you get stuck for ideas, what sort of things do you do to get extra stimulation/inspiration?
3) How often do you get to make something from scratch?
4) How often do you have to do exactly what someone else wants, because they say so?
5) How often has something fallen apart or somebody just happened to accidentally wreck it just after you’ve finished making it? (this has to have happened a few times right?)
6) When you make something that is meant to be broken during the show, do you feel sad afterward that after all that effort you put into it, it was just… broken?
7) If you were allowed to change anything about the art department, what would it be?
Is there ever a time when there are so many things going on in the department at the same time that there is no where left to work? What did you do then, if such a thing happened? (cos, to my imagination, that’t highly possible)”
Kate: Hey, Jo. Yes, I always do take other people’s advice, since for the most part the people giving me the advice know a lot more than I do! And usually their suggestions are practical rather than aesthetic, which encourages me to consider the needs and restrictions of other departments building or working on the set. When I get stuck, I usually go for a walk around the studios – there are always people around from our show or other shows and getting out the office helps me to clear my head. I also do a lot of internet research, talk to others in the art department, watch classic sci-fi films which have similar themes, or old episodes of SG-1 or Atlantis. How often do I do exactly what someone wants, because they say so?… Everyday J I have never had anything I’ve designed broken on set either accidentally or scripted, but its good practice in film not to get too attached to things. If it happened, I don’t think I’d be too bummed, but then again I would just be the one that designed it, rather than the one who spent hours making it! If I could change anything about the department, I would change our start time to 8:00am and turn one of our offices into a meditation room for the times when things get overwhelming! It can get pretty hectic in the art department at times, and when that happens I usually pack up my stuff and head into our “viewing room” (where we watch dailies) for twenty minutes. It’s quiet in there, and if I shut the door, people can’t find me 8)
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