Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533577
assorted sizes and colors, piles of Middle Eastern carpets to dress merchant stalls, spices, furniture, scarves and imported food items…whatever was appropriate for the adventure of the week. And to add to the chaotic nature of these environments, the set dressers routinely unspooled and dressed in miles of soaker hoses, doubling as overhead electrical wiring, from building to building… everything working toward the end game of creating this whole new world found in research photos. And along with all these goodies, thousands of graphics were created. These were first translated into the many languages spoken in the worlds the show took place in…whether it was Arabic, Pashto, Korean and so many others. These files were then made into all kinds of signage— billboards, dimensional signs, vinyls, stencils and, often in keeping with the Third World design aesthetic, hand painted onto buildings or vehicles. With that in mind, I had tremendous help from ace picture car captain Nick Howard. Weekly, he would come to me with pages of research he had done on, oh you name it, Syrian taxi cabs, Thai farm vehicles, Taliban fighter trucks…whatever was called for, he found it. All in all, the amount of work for each episode was truly astonishing. And through it all, I've been so fortunate to have the most amazing crew of unbelievably talented craftspeople. Never once shying away from the challenges that the stories presented, but more often taking them on and trying to one-up our creations in each episode. We have created sets onstage and on location that have been as real and convincing as anything the writers could imagine, and it was always rewarding to see them come to life. From a submarine torpedo bay, a bombed street in Manila or a Manhattan street during the evacuation after the 9/11 terror attacks—taking the 2D of the written page and making it 3D was always something amazing to see unfold. The construction department was headed for the first few seasons by Ted Wilson and after by Jordan Calaway. Having worked with both of them for many years, the shorthand and trust developed was essential to our success. These two became my partners in making wishes a reality. As every A. CONCEPT ART MILITARY COMPOUND FOR COLOMBIA SHOOT. CREATED IN PROCREATE OVER LOCATION PHOTO BY STUART BLATT. B. MILITARY COMPOUND SET BUILT IN THE JUNGLE IN PALOMINO, COLOMBIA. SET PHOTO. C. SCALE MODEL FOR DESTROYED STAIRWELL IN MUMBAI FACTORY SET. D. FINISHED FOUR-STORY SET OF POST-EXPLOSION STAIRWELL BUILT ON STAGE 21 CBS RADFORD. E. 9/11 NEW YORK STREET SET ON RADFORD'S "SEINFELD STREET." PRODUCTION STILL. F. UNDERGROUND SYRIAN WATER SYSTEM SET BUILT AT BLUE CLOUD RANCH. G. SCALE MODEL OF RADFORD'S "SEINFELD STREET" FOR MANILA RED LIGHT DISTRICT. H. MANILA RED LIGHT DISTRICT CONCEPT ART CREATED IN PROCREATE. I. MANILA RED LIGHT DISTRICT. SET PHOTO. J. RED LIGHT DISTRICT FULLY DRESSED AND LIT. SET PHOTO. A B C D E