Grace (Graham) Walker

Grace (Graham) Walker interview with George Liddle APDG

GL You have been working in the US for many years, particularly on one of the most successful TV series globally, The Walking Dead. How different was that experience compared to Australian productions you have worked on?

GW I always tried to concentrate on feature films for most of my life in the film industry as I thought TV a bit low end. Ha ha! How wrong was I? After completing a small feature in Atlanta with a really nice producer, Tom Luse, he enquired as to whether I would be keen on designing season 3 of The Walking Dead (he had already produced the first two seasons) and I said I would consider it. When I finally said ‘yes’ he got nervous as to how a mainly feature designer would handle a TV show with a relatively low budget. I convinced him I could do it easily knowing that my early years in Australia taught me so much about all facets of art department and low budgets. I got the job and set out for a small town just south of Atlanta Georgia, where they had their studios. I will never forget that first day arriving in the middle of nowhere. The stages that were not really more than huge sheds. In a way, I was very comfortable, as it reminded me of Oz in the early years with no major studios. So I settled in for the next 5 years working out of a demountable art department office with a really nice bunch of talented people. No different from an Australian team as no matter where I go all art departments strive to give their very best to the productions they work on. Something I love in our creative job.

The Walking Dead, prison exterior

GL How much creative design freedom have you had on The Walking Dead?

GW I have to say I was a tad nervous as to how I would tackle the job ahead of me because the only person I knew on the show was my wife, Kristen, who was the set decorator for the show. Tom is a great guy and gave me a lot of support and also suggested some great ideas. The first show runner also gave me freedom of design, which was really good. So, with that freedom, I got stuck into it. The storyline for season 3 was that the cast were to move from a farm where they had camped for all of season 2 and move to a large prison. As there were no locations available to shoot a prison we decided we had to design and construct the exterior and interiors of a large prison on the lot. The studios sit on a large chunk of land (a few hundred acres) so there was plenty of room, but to construct a large prison exterior was far too expensive. It was Tom’s idea to clad all the stages and turn them into the jail. A great idea and it worked brilliantly. So now we had exteriors outside the stages with the interiors inside. It now meant that we only had to leave the lot for scenes in nearby towns.

The Walking Dead, mansion interior

GL Have you enjoyed the work on The Walking Dead?

GW As the show progressed year by year we always came up with ways to create environments that would match the budget, something that I think is one of the key elements of good production design, but also very challenging at times and for this reason I grew to love working on this show. Every season and every episode threw out challenges that we had to solve. It wasn’t easy but very gratifying to achieve the results we did. Time was never really on our side and I think that the speed we had to travel was a lot faster than a feature but this made it very interesting. Eight days prep and eight-day shoots for 16 episodes per season can be pretty draining.

GL What is the most memorable design moments on the production?

GW I have always thought that my early experiences in the Australian film industry were key to set me up working in the United States. For me, personally, the fact that I had hands on experience in all positions of an art department meant a lot to me. I think you receive a lot more respect if you can show that you know what everyone’s position is. Not that you will ever be able to help out physically, that is definitely taboo, but just to show you understand their workload. In regard to budgets, Australia taught me how to be frugal and that has impressed many here. The Walking Dead was not low budget but it also was not large so my early skills were very useful in dealing with this issue on the show.

GL Can you tell us how your experiences on Australian films has prepared you for the work on big US productions, the budget would be different for a start?

The Walking Dead, mansion exterior

GW We designed and built so many great sets and environments on The Walking Dead but I have to say the one that stood out most for me would have to to be “Hilltop” a very large Georgian house with out buildings and surrounded by a fort like wall. The wall was built from old light poles supplied by Georgia power and sunk 8 feet into the ground. There were approximately 1000 poles and they enclosed one and a half acres. As all our sets had to last for many seasons, everything had to be strong enough to last the test of time. My excellent construction manager, Roger Scruggs, insisted we use actual bricks for the house. I said, ‘OK lets start looking for the right coloured bricks.” Boy this wasn’t easy. I wanted a specific red that matched those of colonial houses in The Washington DC area where these scenes supposedly take place. After tons of searching we located them and found a terrific brick layer. This may sound odd to Australians but there are not many brick homes built in Georgia, they are mostly ticky tacky if you know what I mean (little boxes, little boxes). The large interior was built on stage mainly because the house was some way from the studio (even though it was on the lot) but it gave us the chance to go for cover in bad weather.

GL Is there much difference in your view between designing a TV production and a feature film?

GW I moved on after 5 years simply because it was time for a change. I have just completed a movie and noticed very much the difference in designing a feature as to a series. One of the key differences in this instance was the fact that a feature only has one director and if you get a difficult one……………..say no more. I found it refreshing to work with a different director on every episode of The Walking Dead as every episode only had 8 days prep they couldn’t be too demanding. Basically though, at the end of the day, you are bringing a story to an audience, whether it be on the big screen or a television set. You are still designing and building sets and environments.

GL In your long and distinguished career in film and TV what is your favourite production, the one you are most proud of?

GW I have to say I really do remember the most enjoyable times making films and two that come to mind were not successful at the box office. In fact, one did not even get a release and the other was a two-hour tv show. The Winds of Jarrah which was shot in Dorrigo NSW and A Bright Shining Lie, shot in Thailand. I think both of these movies had fabulous crews and for me my art departments pulled the cat out of the bag on both occasions for very little money. Don’t get me wrong, all my life I have been forever grateful to the people in my department who always work tirelessly on every show I have been on, It’s just the two shows I mentioned have burning memories for me.

GL What advice would you give to young emerging designers?

GW If I could give advice to aspiring, young, emerging designers I would have to say always look around you, take in everything you see, take photographs of everything, you may have to design something like this one day. Think outside the box, look to nature it holds so many design elements you can use. Don’t be swayed. It’s your idea, if you like it, do it. Very importantly though, love and respect the people who are helping you to bring your dream to fruition. You will never do it on your own. If someone in your department has a great idea, use it and give them kudos for it. It’s not all about you. It’s a collaboration and you’re holding the steering wheel. It’s been a great ride and the journey is not over. I am looking at a couple of new series but one never knows until the deal is done and you have your first cheque. It can be a tough road to travel at first but if you want it NEVER give up.