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COVERT AFFAIRS Set Visit and Photos

After jetting of to Atlanta last week for my set visit to Necessary Roughness , this week I was invited by USA Network to visit the set of both Covert Affairs and their new show, Suits . Stay tuned for my post on the Suits set visit, as well as interviews from the actors of all three shows.

Covert Affairs has returned for its second season and if the first couple of episodes are any indication, my guess is that this season is going to be just as exciting as last year.

The series shoots right across the extremely immense hallway from Suits but we were told by some of the cast that they’ve all been too busy to visit each other’s sets. Luckily, that’s what I and my fellow writers were there for and we were all too happy to scoot off and check out the Covert Affairs set as soon as our tour guide (also known as Stuart, a producer on the show who also runs the tweet cast) came to get us.

Walking into the CIA’s DPD (Domestic Protection Division) entranceway, I was once again struck by how easily I had been fooled by the clever production. Assuming they filmed in an office somewhere, I was not prepared to find the entire place to be inside the massive studio building, including a second story balcony and elevators that went nowhere.

Walking to our left down the hallway, we were taken into Arthur’s secretary’s office and then into Arthur’s office. Walking in, there is no doubt how important he is in the DPD as his office is easily the largest one in the place. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s larger than my entire apartment. Covering his walls were beautiful pieces of art, as well as pictures of Arthur with important people, such as President Obama. Standing only inches away from those photos, I was amazed at how real they looked.

Heading back the way we came, we walked past the elevators and continued towards the bullpen area where Annie sits. As we walked, Stuart explained that though Arthur’s office was on the same level on the set, in the show he’s on an entirely different floor. So when they shoot scenes in the hallway leading to the DPD, they re-set Arthur’s secretary’s office with a fake wall to look like the hallway ends there.

The bullpen was another huge room; Joan’s office and a conference room on the upper level, with ramps and stairs leading up to it. Since they weren’t shooting there that day, pretty much every surface was covered with plastic to keep everything from getting dusty. Annie’s desk is indistinguishable from the rest of the agents we worked with, but Stuart was nice enough to point it out to us and pull the plastic off of it so we could get a closer look.

A Short History of Fireplace Mantel Design | Trendy Fireplaces and ...

Article by Christopher W. Smith

In the early days of life in America, survival was hard-won. The people had to be self-sufficient in meeting all of their own needs, because there was no one else to do the work for them. Central to an early American home was the fireplace. It provided the major modes of cooking, lighting, and heating for the small homes. Starting around 1750, decorative mantels began to be found; however, most people had mantels that were more functional than architectural. Homeowners used them as convenient shelves where they kept candles and other necessities of life so they’d always be able to find them. It wasn’t until the early 1800s when coal and wood stoves came into vogue that fireplaces and mantels were relegated to the ranks of the ornamental.

Since those early days, the function and ornamentation of American fireplaces have seen many changes. Although fireplaces may still be used as a heat source in modern homes, cooking is no longer done on them. Fireplace mantel designs, which have gone through periods of ornate marbles and ostentatious design have settled into the 21st century with flair. Mantelpieces that were once hand-carved out of fine hardwoods are now being made by machines using plywood, fiberboard, and veneers. Even so, modern mantels and fireplaces can transform a simple room into a romantic haven.

Fireplace mantels are constructed using various materials. Marble, limestone, wood, cast stone, and cast concrete are a few of the substances that can be used to create original ornamental mantels. Fireplace mantel design is a matter of personal taste and should be in keeping with the room it goes into. For instance, putting a fancy, intricately-carved mantel into a casual family room would be incongruous. In addition, you can choose from stock mantels you buy at your local home improvement store to luxurious, custom-carved marble masterpieces.

A fireplace mantel (also known as a mantelpiece or a corbel) is easily the focal point of any room, just like it was in the days when the fireplace was the center of family life. Although the majority of mantels you’ll find for sale on the Internet have simple, elegant fireplace mantel designs, there are still shops which will produce any kind of mantel your heart desires.

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