Cell Phone Spy Equipment ?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. Before Marshall (Kevin Weisman) hands any bit of high-tech gadgetry to his Sydney (Jennifer Garner) or any of the other SD-6 agents on "Alias," Chris Call and Chris Redmond have to build it. They're the prop masters on ABC's spy show, and they're responsible for anything that the actors pick up or use.

A. Their work covers things as simple as a lipstick to intricate pieces like a centuries-old clock -- pretty much whatever the show's creator, J.J. Abrams, and writers can dream up for Sydney and Co. to use. "We have a relationship with the writers," says Call, a 20-year veteran of the business. "They conjure up these ideas and then come to us [asking] can we do it." More often than not, their answer is "yes." They've designed a briefcase that turns into a rocket-powered luge and two creations -- the aforementioned clock and a music box -- of Milo Rambaldi, the show's Renaissance-era Italian scientist whose ahead-of-his-time works are pursued by SD-6, the CIA and several rogue groups. Abrams insists that, for the most part, the spy gear be at least slightly tethered to reality, which is why the show has so often used cell phones as spy equipment. "Part of the basis for that is that they're spies, and a cell phone is an innocuous item," Redmond says. "It's going to pass scrutiny if anyone's walking around with one." Redmond and Call have worked together on a number of feature films and TV series, including "American Pie," "Apt Pupil" and The WB's "Popular." They say they get a kick of out working on "Alias" because, despite television's accelerated production schedule compared to that of movies, they're given a chance to offer substantive input on how a prop will look or how it will work. "One reason we got hired and why they like is us we're able to bring stuff to the table," Call says. "There's a lot of room to be involved because it's a very complicated and busy show, and they're very open to people's input."

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