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HomeCraftsCostumes: Designer Christine Mooney-Stargate SG-1

Costumes: Designer Christine Mooney-Stargate SG-1

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Now it its 10th season, Stargate SG-1 continues to reward its loyal fans with fresh storylines. The series has also been praised for its special effects, production design, makeup and hair design, stunt work, casting and costume design. Recently it gave birth to spin-off show Stargate Atlantis.Costume designer Christine Mooney has worked on the Stargate SG-1 series for the last two seasons, replacing original costume designer Christina McQuarrie, who moved on to the Stargate Atlantis set. She spoke to Below the Line’s April Macintyre.Below the Line: What key vendors do you rely on for the raw fabric and embellishment materials?Christine Mooney: Vendors and craftspeople are the lifeblood of this show. Our shop includes four cutters, two breakdown artists/dyers/painters, two leather artists, eight sewers, and a lot of fabulous equipment, good space, light, and access to fresh air. Both Stargate Atlantis and SG-1 share the creative folks, so we have a coordinator, Lana Krause, who keeps it together, juggling all of our needs, and helping us meet deadlines without too much panic. I must admit that sometimes weekend work and 12-hour days in the shop are required to produce the volume of costumes required by the pace of a seven-day prep and shoot. We also work closely with the model shop. They sculpt and cast and create whatever our hearts desire, and budget and time will allow.BTL: What is the biggest challenge you face designing costumes for a sci-fi fantasy series versus a regular series?Mooney: Finding unusual fabrics, especially in quantity, and having the time and money to create what I envision. We are often in a situation where we only have seven days – or less! – to create a new “world.” For background performers we will sometimes go into the costume archives and do a revamp or create a look from restyled thrift store clothing, for example. The trick is to also get the right-looking people into our garb, and we work very closely with our extras casting director.BTL: What department or crew member do you work the closest with?Mooney: I work closely with James Robbins, our brilliant production designer. I often pitch my ideas to him before presenting them to the producers. It is exciting for all of us when there is a marriage between costumes and sets. It doesn’t always happen because of time and money constraints, but it is what we strive for. We use almost exclusively silks, woolens, linens, and cottons on this show. [They’re] Much easier to dye, manipulate, and to wear. Leather is amazing for everything, from sexy leather corsets and pants to rugged manly man-wear. It breaks down like a dream, and fits like the proverbial glove.

Written by April MacIntyre

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