Joseph Porro|Costume Design|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~The Costume Designer is JOSEPH PORRO, who has been in the motion picture industry for over a decade. His feature film credits include, among others, "Tombstone," "Super Mario Brothers," "Universal Soldier," "Double Impact," "Lionheart," "Meet the Applegates," and "Near Dark."~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Joseph Porro, who had also worked with Emmerich and Devlin on "Universal Soldier," was called in to begin the costume designs. His extensive work alongside of some of the business' top special effects make-up artists played an important part in the indescribable work which began to emerge from his designing table. Utilizing the richest fabrics, silks, linens, velvets, Porro began embellishing with hand-made beads, original jewelry designs and even molded/sculpted plastic. For the interior palace sets, Porro created a dramatic display of purples, turquoises, blues, and lavenders.~~Though Paris-trained, Porro has been strongly influenced by the work of Poiret and Buggatti, whose Egyptian overtones provided a perfect backdrop for the sci-fi feeling he was trying to create. The problem was, however, that there was simply nowhere in the world to buy the types of costumes called for in STARGATE, so Porro's team (at times numbering almost one hundred) set about to make everything by hand.~~Using airbrushes, latex paint, custom dyes and intricate embroidery, the fabric was transformed into other-wordly garments which almost defy description. "I had a special effects department working in wardrobe exclusively that just sculpted different pieces for us," Porro says. "All the jewelry was designed and scripted out and a lot of the findings on the garments were original. We even made our own jewels."~~Here again, the desert proved a challenge. Porro had to design costumes, inspired by those of ancient Bedouins, for the scenes in the desert utilizing thousands of extras. "It was 125 degrees out there, and we wanted to make sure that none of the extras got sick, so we excluded anything that wasn't a natural fiber. We had to make sure to cover their bodies to protect them against the sun, and I got some of the inspiration from the North African nomadic tribes. We then made up a collection of six or eight basic garments that could be worn by anyone and could also be individualized by the costumers. Then we began manufacturing....ultimately approximately four or five thousand different garments in sandy earth tones."~~With no research available on what North Africans were wearing in 8000 BC, Porro considered the sequence of the film set in that era to be one of the most difficult. His solution was simply to guess. "I don't know if it's accurate," he admits, "but I hope it's pleasing to the eye."|||||HSPORRO.PIC|
Centropolis Film Production|Production Company|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Formed in 1982 by Roland Emmerich as Centropolis Filmproduktion GbR, Centropolis moved to the US in 1989. Ute Emmerich joined him in 1984, and Oliver Eberle joined them in 1985. Dean Devlin signed on during the production of "Universal Soldier." Centropolis has produced such films as "Joey" ("Making Contact"), "Ghostchase," "Moon 44," "Eye of the Storm," the world-wide hit "Universal Soldier," and now, "STARGATE."~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Responsible for primary on-line production, Centropolis' principals include Dean Devlin, Oliver Eberle, Roland Emmerich, and Ute Emmerich.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
Peter Mitchell Rubin|Production Illustrator - Animated Video Playback Effects|JOB DESCRIPTION:~Peter Mitchell Rubin created a new computerized system of story boarding, and dedicated himself for weeks to create drawings and backgrounds which brought the film almost to life. Devlin says, "I had never seen anything like it before. We were astonished by his storyboards, because not only were they exactly what we had been dreaming while we were working on the script, but his drawings would include things like depth of focus, and the type of lighting we wanted. It was almost as though we had done a test shoot of the film before we had to start shooting." ~~ Mitchell had input diagrams and blueprints of every set in to the computer so he was able to place the camera within sets that hadn't yet been built. Then he would add in his team's renderings of the characters in action into the composite. The filmmakers knew exactly what the scenes were going to look like.|||||HSMITCHE.PIC|
Kurt Russell|Colonel Jack O'Neil|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~With a successful acting career spanning more than 30 years, KURT RUSSELL (Colonel Jack O'Neil) has proven his skills as a compelling physical actor in both comedy and drama.~~Russell's list of feature credits include "Tequila Sunrise" with Michelle Pfeiffer and Mel Gibson, and Ron Howard's box-office hit "Backdraft," opposite Robert DeNiro and William Baldwin, in addition to "Silkwood," "Swing Shift," "The Mean Season," "Overboard," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Unlawful Entry," with Ray Liotta, and most recently, as Wyatt Earp opposite Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday in "Tombstone."~~ According to Russell, it is the influence of the other characters surrounding O'Neil which helps him to discover a new appreciation for humanity and begins to give him a reason to exist. Through his interaction with Jackson (Spader) and others, he begins to have something to look forward to. "He is forced to appreciate their sense of wanting to survive," Russell says, "I think to a large degree it causes him to wonder about life and the value of it." He learns, according to Russell, "You can travel to the other end of the universe, but you are still going to have to deal with your own humanity and whatever other life force you encounter."~~CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:~Colonel Jack O'Neil is a tough-minded military man who heads a top secret team investigating a mysterious artifact unearthed at Giza.~~O'Neil was once one of the military's finest. A spit and polish soldier, he had lived his life according to the rules, until personal tragedy destroyed his family and left him broken with no will to live. Labeled unstable and possibly suicidal by his superiors, O'Neil was given a "medical discharge". ~~Throughout the mission he remains mysterious, keeping as much to himself as possible, a quiet testimony to his internal pain. With nothing to live for and no desire to survive, he becomes exactly that which the military had anticipated, a cold, mercenary machine, trained to carry out secret orders which are in silent contrast to the stated mission of the team. In time, the team learns that this mission could finally fulfill O'Neil's ultimate secret wish--to die.|||||HSRUSSEL.PIC|
Oliver Scholl|Conceptual Designer|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Conceptual Designer OLIVER SCHOLL had previously worked with director Roland Emmerich on "Universal Soldier," as well as serving as the Production Designer on his "Moon 44." Oliver is presently working on "Batman 3." His most recent credits include "Crying Freeman," "Lawnmower Man II," "Earth 2," and "High Crusade." ~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Conceptual Designer Oliver Scholl actually began research and concept illustration over three years ago with director Roland Emmerich, creating landscapes, the gigantic pyramid spacecraft, and the StarGate area. Later, he re-designed the intricate exterior of the pyramid spacecraft, the gull-wing fighter craft, the elaborately detailed 75 foot set of Ra's palace, and Ra's sarcophagus.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
James Spader|Dr. Daniel Jackson|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~JAMES SPADER (Daniel Jackson) has established himself as a versatile leading actor, creating such unforgettable, charismatic roles as the voyeuristic Graham in "sex, lies and videotape," and Max, the lovesick widower who falls for a working class older woman in "White Palace."~~In "Wolf," Columbia Pictures' modern-day wolfman story directed by Mike Nichols, Spader plays Bill Randall opposite Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer. ~~Spader's next role is in "Dream Lover," portraying a man searching for the perfect mate opposite Madchen Amick. Directed by Nicholas Kazan, "Dream Lover" is part Hitchcockian thriller and part sophisticated comedy.~~Spader says about his character, "Daniel thinks in terms of centuries. The span of one lifetime is meaningless to him, therefore his own life and death are not tremendously important. Because he has spent his life studying centuries, entire cultures, civilizations and languages, he has placed himself in a position of unimportance in the midst of all of that. What he learns in the course of this strange adventure and in the midst of these people living within the culture he discovers is that one life, one lifetime is as important as a century...that one life is as important as an entire culture, because that culture is made up of thousands of single lifetimes."~~CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:~Daniel Jackson is a brilliant Egyptologist who not only helps O'Neil and his men discover the purpose of the StarGate, but unlocks its secret power.~ ~A child genius labeled a "wunderkind" in college, Daniel soared to celebrity early in his academic career. The adulation was fleeting however, when his research brought him to the conclusion that the great Pyramids of Egypt were not built by the Egyptians of 5,000 years ago, but were constructed thousands of years earlier. Daniel's radical theories have reduced him to a subject of ridicule by the traditional academic community and a life of traveling from school to school, living on grants and lecture fees.~~At the beginning of the film, he is an outsider wrestling with the fact that his academic peers have ostracized him. Because he has no comfortable place amongst his colleagues, he has created an island around himself. He is a man looking for a place in a world which doesn't sympathize with his beliefs. Much like O'Neil, but for different reasons, Jackson has come to the conclusion that his life is meaningless. He also possesses a certain fearlessness like O'Neil, but his is based on a feeling of helplessness reminiscent of a man who is deeply aware that he lives within the context of a much larger universe.~~Brilliant, disheveled and more than slightly distracted, Daniel lives within his own thoughts and ideas. Out of place in this world, Daniel yearns to prove his theories are correct and find where he belongs. When Daniel gets the chance to be part of the StarGate program, all of his hopes and dreams are finally realized.|||||HSSPADER.PIC|
French Stewart|Lt. Feretti|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~FRENCH STEWART (Lieutenant Feretti) is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has toured extensively, performing in Shakespearean theatre. In 1988 he became a resident member of the Cast Theatre where he performed for three years in the Los Angeles cult hit "Zombie Attack!"~~Currently, Stewart stars as a series regular, Razor D, in the new television series, "WKRP in Cincinnati." His film credits include "A Cigarette for Crawford," "Saved," "The Greenman," and "The Wild Frontier."~~Stewart was born and raised in New Mexico, and attended West Texas State University. ~~CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:~Lt. Feretti, a good soldier, is one of the men assigned to the Nagada mission.|||||HSSTEWAR.PIC|
Patrick Tatopoulos|Creature Effects Designer and Creature Effects Supervisor|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Creature effects designer and supervisor PATRICK TATOPOULOS brings his remarkable artistic talents to his work on creature effects, make-up, conceptual illustration and design for a variety of films. He has most recently completed work as a Conceptual Designer on "The Phantom," "Jumanji," "Ender's Game," and "Lawnmower Man II. " His other credits include "Demolition Man," "Super Mario Brothers," "Dracula," "Last Action Hero," "The Addams Family," and "The Bodyguard."~~On television, he was honored with an Emmy Award for his special effects make-up for the "Conspiracy" episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Patrick Tatopoulos worked in dual roles, responsible for both the concept and construction of the alien life forms with which our heroes are confronted. First, as Creature Designer, Patrick designed and illustrated all of the "alien world" characters and creatures, including the costumes and armor for Horus and Anubis, as well as Ra's headdress, and the transformed "alien Ra."~~As the Creature Effects Supervisor, Patrick assembled a formidable fabrication team. His shop produced the mechanical, prosthetic and visual designs, including the realization of the Mastadge creature, which had never been attempted before. The intricate combined construction of the mechanical effects and prosthetics was designed, fabricated, and then fitted over and around enormous Clydesdale horses. ~~Tatopoulos and his team also collaborated with costume designer Joseph Porro.|||||HSTATOPO.PIC|
Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co.|Digital Visual Effects|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~KLEISER-WALCZAK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY has become one of the foremost creative boutiques in the industry, specializing in computer generated imagery. They have contributed to the illusions seen in such films as "Clear and Present Danger," "Honey, I Blew Up The Kids," "The Pickle," Flight of the Navigator," "TRON," and "Flash Gordon." ~~For television, they produced 12 minutes of cosmic visualization for the PBS series "The Astronomers," and also worked on the CBS project "500 Nations." In addition, they collaborated with Doug Trumbull and The Trumbull Company on the exciting new entertainment programs for Circus Circus' Las Vegas Luxor Hotel. ~~Founded by Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak, the company was responsible for organizing the proprietary systems for the creation of computer generated actors called "Synthespians." These techniques were demonstrated in the experimental films "Nestor Sextone for President" (1988), and "Don't Touch Me" (1991).~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Digital visual effects supervisor Jeff Okun, in association with Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co., developed and produced the digital visual effects. These differ from Visual Effects (see Kit West) in that Digital Effects are produced with a computer in post-production. The helmet-morphs of Ra, Anubis and Horus, and the Stargate sequences are good examples of Digital Effects.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
Derek Webster|Lt. Brown|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~DEREK WEBSTER (Lieutenant Brown) received his BFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts. He has traveled extensively and performed in many theatre productions, including, "The Tempest," "My Children! My Africa," "Orphans," "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea," "Escurial," "Spring's Awakening," and "Waiting for Godot." ~~His film and television credits include roles in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Ironside: Death of a Career," "Winston and the Church on the Hill," "Class Dismissed," and "Everything I'm Not."~~CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:~Lt. Brown, a good soldier, is one of the men assigned to the Nagada mission.|||||HSWEBST.PIC|
Kit West|Visual Effects Supervisor|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Visual effects supervisor KIT WEST received an Academy Award for the extraordinary effects in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Artists) gave him their equivalent of the Oscar for his stunning work on "Return of the Jedi." West's other credits include "Young Sherlock Holmes," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986, "Todo Por La Pasta," which garnered him the Goya (Spanish Academy Award), and "1492-Conquest of Paradise."~~Internationally regarded as one of the leaders in his field, he has been an innovator in the area of special effects for three decades. His long list of credits includes "Universal Soldier," "Casualties of War," "Empire of the Sun," "Tai-Pan," "Eleni," "King David," "Dune," "The Big Red One," "and Equus," to name merely a few. West's next project is the fantasy "Dragonheart," starring Dennis Quaid and the voice of Sean Connery.~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Visual Special Effects Supervisor Kit West was responsible for the design and production of visual (non-digital) Effects. Differs from Digital Effects (see Jeff Okun) in that Visual Effects are shot during production. To recreate desert sandstorms, West used a system of ten wind machines. But the ever-changing real desert winds seemed to delight in doing battle with the fans, and West's team would often have to re-set the heavy equipment from one take to the next for the sake of continuity. ~~Kit also worked closely with digital visual effects supervisor Jeff Okun and the Kleiser-Walczak Co. to create the spectacular special effects, including the swooping gull-wing gliders and the internal transporter.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
Simon Murton|Conceptual Designer - Illustrator|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Conceptual Designer SIMON MURTON comes from a long and distinguished motion picture background for such a young artist. He is presently working as a Production Designer on the motion picture "Space Truckers." More recently, Simon worked on "Tank Girl," and "Judge Dredd," as well as "The Crow," "Fortress," "Last Action Hero," and "Super Mario Bros." His other credits include "1984," "War of the Worlds," "Superman III," "Super Girl," "Dracula," "Outland," "Flash Gordon," and many others. ~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~As Conceptual Designer, Simon Murton designed and illustrated most of the large sculptured "Egyptian" set pieces in Ra's Palace, including the Bath and Throne, and their surrounding areas. He also designed the majority of the specialty props, including the electronic gauges and meters, army utility packs and weapons. Simon also worked on Nagada, including the City exteriors, the quartz mines, the tools, and the transport props.|||||HSSMURT.PIC|
Darek Gogol|Conceptual Illustrator - Storyboards|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~Conceptual Illustrator and Storyboard Artist Darek Gogol is presently working with director Renny Harlin on "Cutthroat Island." Darek, who was born in Poland, emigrated to England where he worked as a Background Illustrator on "Beauty and the Beast," "American Tale 2," and "They're Back." He and his family then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a Development / Conceptual Illustrator for Disney on "Alladin," "The Lion King," 'Pocahontas," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." He also worked on "A Far Off Place" for Amblin Entertainment.~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~Conceptual Illustrator and Storyboard Artist Darek Gogol was the only other Design Team member that worked in dual roles. First, as a Conceptual Illustrator, he worked with the Director and the Production Designer to update the designs of the landscapes, the City of Nagada, the quartz mines and many interior sets taking place on Earth. Later, Darek worked with director Roland Emmerich to storyboard many of the scenes.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
David Arnold|Composer|BIOGRAPHICAL & CREDITS:~David Arnold scored "The Young Americans," starring Harvey Keitel and directed by Danny Cannon. In addition, he and musical artist Bjork co-wrote the song "Play Dead," which Bjork performed for the movie and which became a top-ten single in Great Britain. ~~Arnold also worked with director Danny Cannon on many special projects in his native England, including "Strangers," "Ignorance is Dancing," "Behind the Cataract," and "The Protagonist." His additional credits include "The Shoes," for the BBC, and "Leaving," for Thames Television.~~In addition, Arnold co-wrote, produced and performed on David Knopfler's solo album "Lifelines," and played all guitars on the album "Colourblind."~~JOB DESCRIPTION:~David Arnold composed all the music for the film, including incidental music pieces.|||||HSDEFLT.PIC|
