nwjedidave
Sr Member
just thought I would share this interview I did with Deb Everton the costume designer on the new Battlestar Galactica. This was posted on the A.S.A.P. forums (dewback wing) afew months back as the group I am a part of there is trying to gather screen used fabric and items to complete our Viper flight suit costumes.
enjoy
Deborah Everton has been very busy in Hollywood since
the early 1980s.
Her talent can be seen on both the large and small
screen. Deborah has worked on everything from small
productions to some of the most iconic films known to
all of man kind.
A small sample of her work includes being an actress
in the 1981 movie BLOW OUT, a production designer for
the 1987 movie NIGHT SCREAMS, costume supervisor for
1984's THE TERMINATOR, costume designer for a long
list of TV and feature films that include: HIGHLANDER
II: THE QUICKENING in 1991, THE X FILES TV series,
BLANK CHECK, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, HALLOWEEN H20:
20 YEARS LATER, DICK, SPY KIDS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
2003 TV Mini series, AMERICAN GUN, and LOOKING FOR
COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD.
WOW. For us Sci-Fi types Ms. Everton has worked on
some of the biggest TV and movie franchises known
today.
Question: When a title such as "Production" or
"Costume" is followed by "Designer" does that mean you
are responsible for the look of the movie and costumes
that we see on the screen?
Deborah Everton -- Yes, we design everything from the
biggest thing you see to the tiny details. Sometimes
our "departments" cross over...for example, I
sometimes design props which is usually slated to the
"art department".
Question: How did you get into this line of work? Do
you have any special back ground or classes?
Deborah Everton -- I got an unusal start. I was
approched to appear as an actress in a Brian DePalma
film but found the acting experience was not for me.
While sitting around the set, I noticed the costume
designer franticly rubbing trash on an actors
clothing. I asked her what the heck she was doing and
when she said "aging the costume", I was hooked. It
was a whole new art form I never had considered.
Question: Who were or are your biggest influences?
Deborah Everton -- I am most influenced by nature.
The shapes, structure, colors...they blow me away.
For example, the color of the Pilot Suits have a mossy
green undertone. I wanted to "ground" them somehow
and selected that color to convey a sense of the earth
they long for.
Question: Looking over your impressive science fiction
credits do you prefer the sci-fi genera ?
Deborah Everton -- Oh, Yes. I'm a total "sci-fi nerd"
and proud of it..
Question: I would guess that revisiting a franchise
like the new Battlestar Galactica was a challenge as
far as the look of the costumes. What was your mindset
going into the new BSG knowing what had already been
done with the original series, and trying to make the
new series stand alone and apart from what had
previously been done?
Deborah Everton -- I have to admit, I didn't have much
knowledge of TOS , as I was in a girls boarding school
when it was aired and we wern't allowed to watch TV.
I did, of course, have an iconic image (I was in
school, not a nunnery), and had to deal with that.
Interestingly enough, I was interviewed for a
priveious attempt at re-creating the series and didn't
get the job. I remember saying to the director that I
felt the charactors should be "organic and sexy", and
him telling me I was "boring". So...I still stick to
that....I believed the people on the Battlestar should
be "real" people. I do have one of those
'sycronicity" stories that happened when I was
deciding do do the show or not.
I went with one of my girlfriends, Sarah, to look at a
house she was considering to buy. As we were walking
up the driveway, I saw a big wooden cockpit blocking
the way to the garage. I laughed and said, "It looks
like the cockpit from "Battlestar Galactica. Maybe
it's a sign". Sarah said "Yeah, OK, whatever". Then
we went into the house to meet the seller..and it was
Richard Hatch. Sarah and I exchanged a BIG look....I
took the job and Sarah bought the house.
Question: What inspired you when it came to the look
for the new Battlestar Galactica series? Did Ron Moore
or Glen Larson have a specific look in mind?
Deborah Everton -- Maybe...but I guess they liked my
concept so we'll never know.
Question: How much of your own original ideas were you
able to contribute and or incorporate in the new BSG
series look?
Deborah Everton -- Ummm...I think everything flew. I
had very strong ideas and "the heavy breathers" let me
go
Question: What is the hardest part of your job?
Deborah Everton -- Really...it's time. I'm always up
against the clock. I'm always pushing so hard to get
that one more thing done....
Question: The job that you enjoyed the most was? Why?
Deborah Everton -- Ha. That's like asking a mother
which child she likes best. You should have asked
which job I disliked most....hands down "The Abyss".
However...I really had fun designing "Dick". That
movie was such a joy to work on. At first I was
dismsyed about "doing" the '70s...yuck....my Mom's
clothes. But once I got into it....I kinda liked the
innocence of the era. Oddly enough...people were much
more expressive with their dress then.
My favorite project is the Albert Brooks movie...
Question: What is your next body of work coming out
that we can keep an eye out for? Tell us a little
about it ?
Deborah Everton -- Let's see....I have a movie coming
out "The Flock", with Richard Gere and Claire Danes
...and a 6 episode show for ABC called "Masters of
Science Fiction"
Question: Favorite snack while watching a movie or TV?
Deborah Everton -- I'm usually painting while watching
TV....so not snacking
Question: If you could have 1 CD to play on a deserted
island (nevermind the logistics of actually playing
the CD.) which one would it be?
Deborah Everton -- Probably something classical...I'd
really hate hearing the same words over, and over, and
over and over, and over.....
Question: Do you have any advice to anyone looking at
breaking into any of the design faze in TV or film?
Deborah Everton -- I am the poster child of starting
from nothing. I had zero contacts. I sent out 500
resumes with pretty much noting on it ...and finally
got a gig doing everything (set, costume, makeup,
props) for a music video featuring a washed up band.
From that little job I got both the Billboard and MTV
award for design. I think I made $200 for that job
and didn't sleep for 10 days. But it started my
career. So my advice...if you can take 499 rejections
....and be thrilled with a job that averages 0.83 an
hour to start....showbiz is the career for you. On
the other hand....I now get a nice paycheck for doing
what I love.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing
your future work.
COSTUME QUESTIONS ....
FLIGHT SUIT VESTS
On the flight vest shoulder pads what is the black
material with the circular design all over it?
and
what is the source for the vest black (rubber?)
material
Humm...not sure where I got that. I'm sure it was
some plastics or rubber vendor. I'll try to find the
source in my files.
GREY MUSCLE SHIRT AND BLACK(?) TANKTOP SHIRTS UNDER
THE PILOT SUITS
Are the tanks custom made or off the shelf? color:
black or brown. Do the tank tops have a tag on them
still and if so, what does it read ?
(We understand that the black tanks are worn
backwards.)
The Tank tops and muscle T's were made for the show.
The charcoal grey tanks were not worn backwards....I
designed them that way. The label reads "Deborah
Everton".
I'll copy, cut and paste the next question in its
entirety:
I guess my two-pennies worth would be the most
obvious (and unfortunately least likely):
Do you still have the patterns and can we get a
copy?
I don't have the patterns. My cutter/fitter might
have....I'll email her and ask.
FLIGHT SUIT SHOES
hero boots? Were they off the shelf, a run of
prototypes, a knock off companies version of a
popular shoe? Modifications to the shoes?
The closest I have found are Nike Max Air
(basketball) Future Flights. But the bottoms are not
the same, and the pattern on the side is different.
Ha. like I could afford 200 pair of Nikes... We found
a basketball shoe at Payless (I think) and built the
boot around the bottom of the shoe.
SILVER ARM AND LEG CUFFS
What kind of material? Sommers? Does the silver
cuffs extend into the sleeves?
The "fabric" is Sommers . The "cuff" was a bit of a
design problem. We ended up using an elastic finish
on the sleeve and custom fitting the cuff with to the
actor with a "ka-chink" thing closure
GENERAL QUESTIONS -
How much painting/airbrushing highlights were done
on the suits and where?
Lots of airbrushing ...mostly for shadow as the
material had enough highlights. I can't remember
exactly where...it was a "feel" thing for the
prototype. After that, the talented artists on my
crew worked their magic.
a BIG THANK YOU to Deb, for taking the time to attempt to help us with our costumes ........
PLEASE REMEMBER --- feel free to pass on and post as you like. But please credit myself and Deb Everton
enjoy
Deborah Everton has been very busy in Hollywood since
the early 1980s.
Her talent can be seen on both the large and small
screen. Deborah has worked on everything from small
productions to some of the most iconic films known to
all of man kind.
A small sample of her work includes being an actress
in the 1981 movie BLOW OUT, a production designer for
the 1987 movie NIGHT SCREAMS, costume supervisor for
1984's THE TERMINATOR, costume designer for a long
list of TV and feature films that include: HIGHLANDER
II: THE QUICKENING in 1991, THE X FILES TV series,
BLANK CHECK, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, HALLOWEEN H20:
20 YEARS LATER, DICK, SPY KIDS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
2003 TV Mini series, AMERICAN GUN, and LOOKING FOR
COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD.
WOW. For us Sci-Fi types Ms. Everton has worked on
some of the biggest TV and movie franchises known
today.
Question: When a title such as "Production" or
"Costume" is followed by "Designer" does that mean you
are responsible for the look of the movie and costumes
that we see on the screen?
Deborah Everton -- Yes, we design everything from the
biggest thing you see to the tiny details. Sometimes
our "departments" cross over...for example, I
sometimes design props which is usually slated to the
"art department".
Question: How did you get into this line of work? Do
you have any special back ground or classes?
Deborah Everton -- I got an unusal start. I was
approched to appear as an actress in a Brian DePalma
film but found the acting experience was not for me.
While sitting around the set, I noticed the costume
designer franticly rubbing trash on an actors
clothing. I asked her what the heck she was doing and
when she said "aging the costume", I was hooked. It
was a whole new art form I never had considered.
Question: Who were or are your biggest influences?
Deborah Everton -- I am most influenced by nature.
The shapes, structure, colors...they blow me away.
For example, the color of the Pilot Suits have a mossy
green undertone. I wanted to "ground" them somehow
and selected that color to convey a sense of the earth
they long for.
Question: Looking over your impressive science fiction
credits do you prefer the sci-fi genera ?
Deborah Everton -- Oh, Yes. I'm a total "sci-fi nerd"
and proud of it..
Question: I would guess that revisiting a franchise
like the new Battlestar Galactica was a challenge as
far as the look of the costumes. What was your mindset
going into the new BSG knowing what had already been
done with the original series, and trying to make the
new series stand alone and apart from what had
previously been done?
Deborah Everton -- I have to admit, I didn't have much
knowledge of TOS , as I was in a girls boarding school
when it was aired and we wern't allowed to watch TV.
I did, of course, have an iconic image (I was in
school, not a nunnery), and had to deal with that.
Interestingly enough, I was interviewed for a
priveious attempt at re-creating the series and didn't
get the job. I remember saying to the director that I
felt the charactors should be "organic and sexy", and
him telling me I was "boring". So...I still stick to
that....I believed the people on the Battlestar should
be "real" people. I do have one of those
'sycronicity" stories that happened when I was
deciding do do the show or not.
I went with one of my girlfriends, Sarah, to look at a
house she was considering to buy. As we were walking
up the driveway, I saw a big wooden cockpit blocking
the way to the garage. I laughed and said, "It looks
like the cockpit from "Battlestar Galactica. Maybe
it's a sign". Sarah said "Yeah, OK, whatever". Then
we went into the house to meet the seller..and it was
Richard Hatch. Sarah and I exchanged a BIG look....I
took the job and Sarah bought the house.
Question: What inspired you when it came to the look
for the new Battlestar Galactica series? Did Ron Moore
or Glen Larson have a specific look in mind?
Deborah Everton -- Maybe...but I guess they liked my
concept so we'll never know.
Question: How much of your own original ideas were you
able to contribute and or incorporate in the new BSG
series look?
Deborah Everton -- Ummm...I think everything flew. I
had very strong ideas and "the heavy breathers" let me
go
Question: What is the hardest part of your job?
Deborah Everton -- Really...it's time. I'm always up
against the clock. I'm always pushing so hard to get
that one more thing done....
Question: The job that you enjoyed the most was? Why?
Deborah Everton -- Ha. That's like asking a mother
which child she likes best. You should have asked
which job I disliked most....hands down "The Abyss".
However...I really had fun designing "Dick". That
movie was such a joy to work on. At first I was
dismsyed about "doing" the '70s...yuck....my Mom's
clothes. But once I got into it....I kinda liked the
innocence of the era. Oddly enough...people were much
more expressive with their dress then.
My favorite project is the Albert Brooks movie...
Question: What is your next body of work coming out
that we can keep an eye out for? Tell us a little
about it ?
Deborah Everton -- Let's see....I have a movie coming
out "The Flock", with Richard Gere and Claire Danes
...and a 6 episode show for ABC called "Masters of
Science Fiction"
Question: Favorite snack while watching a movie or TV?
Deborah Everton -- I'm usually painting while watching
TV....so not snacking
Question: If you could have 1 CD to play on a deserted
island (nevermind the logistics of actually playing
the CD.) which one would it be?
Deborah Everton -- Probably something classical...I'd
really hate hearing the same words over, and over, and
over and over, and over.....
Question: Do you have any advice to anyone looking at
breaking into any of the design faze in TV or film?
Deborah Everton -- I am the poster child of starting
from nothing. I had zero contacts. I sent out 500
resumes with pretty much noting on it ...and finally
got a gig doing everything (set, costume, makeup,
props) for a music video featuring a washed up band.
From that little job I got both the Billboard and MTV
award for design. I think I made $200 for that job
and didn't sleep for 10 days. But it started my
career. So my advice...if you can take 499 rejections
....and be thrilled with a job that averages 0.83 an
hour to start....showbiz is the career for you. On
the other hand....I now get a nice paycheck for doing
what I love.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing
your future work.
COSTUME QUESTIONS ....
FLIGHT SUIT VESTS
On the flight vest shoulder pads what is the black
material with the circular design all over it?
and
what is the source for the vest black (rubber?)
material
Humm...not sure where I got that. I'm sure it was
some plastics or rubber vendor. I'll try to find the
source in my files.
GREY MUSCLE SHIRT AND BLACK(?) TANKTOP SHIRTS UNDER
THE PILOT SUITS
Are the tanks custom made or off the shelf? color:
black or brown. Do the tank tops have a tag on them
still and if so, what does it read ?
(We understand that the black tanks are worn
backwards.)
The Tank tops and muscle T's were made for the show.
The charcoal grey tanks were not worn backwards....I
designed them that way. The label reads "Deborah
Everton".
I'll copy, cut and paste the next question in its
entirety:
I guess my two-pennies worth would be the most
obvious (and unfortunately least likely):
Do you still have the patterns and can we get a
copy?
I don't have the patterns. My cutter/fitter might
have....I'll email her and ask.
FLIGHT SUIT SHOES
hero boots? Were they off the shelf, a run of
prototypes, a knock off companies version of a
popular shoe? Modifications to the shoes?
The closest I have found are Nike Max Air
(basketball) Future Flights. But the bottoms are not
the same, and the pattern on the side is different.
Ha. like I could afford 200 pair of Nikes... We found
a basketball shoe at Payless (I think) and built the
boot around the bottom of the shoe.
SILVER ARM AND LEG CUFFS
What kind of material? Sommers? Does the silver
cuffs extend into the sleeves?
The "fabric" is Sommers . The "cuff" was a bit of a
design problem. We ended up using an elastic finish
on the sleeve and custom fitting the cuff with to the
actor with a "ka-chink" thing closure
GENERAL QUESTIONS -
How much painting/airbrushing highlights were done
on the suits and where?
Lots of airbrushing ...mostly for shadow as the
material had enough highlights. I can't remember
exactly where...it was a "feel" thing for the
prototype. After that, the talented artists on my
crew worked their magic.
a BIG THANK YOU to Deb, for taking the time to attempt to help us with our costumes ........
PLEASE REMEMBER --- feel free to pass on and post as you like. But please credit myself and Deb Everton
