LEAH GRAZIANO
Special to The Leader
Have you ever wondered how shows like “Fredtown, USA” and “Fred Before Bed” get their props? That backdrop you see on “Fred Before Bed” and the funny props used in Fredtown come from the hands of Clare Osborn.
Osborn has been creating props for WNYF, SUNY Fredonia’s TV station, since her freshman year.
“When I was younger, art was definitely one of the first of a few talents for me to discover. I have always been a huge painter,” she said.
Osborn didn’t get into crafting props until she came to Fredonia in 2015.
The cityscape backdrop on “Fred Before Bed” is a part of a three piece series she has been working on. The interesting part about her series is that it is all about sunsets. Osborn has incorporated sunsets into most of her art pieces since high school. The same shades of yellow, pink and orange she used then have now followed her to Fredonia.
“I have been practicing how to paint these sunset skies for a while, and they have made their way into multiple pieces of mine. It is kind of like a re-occurring theme. When it came time to redo the “Fred Before Bed” flats, I was like ‘well, gosh, I know exactly what I’ll do!” she said.
Flats are those panels you see behind the “Fred Before Bed” desk. They are large wooden boards that are 15×8 feet according to Osborn.
“I had this one painting that was a self-portrait. It was a milk carton with the missing kid’s pictures on it and that’s what I turned into a self-portrait,” she said. “But the background was a sunset and I really liked it and I wanted to continue on with this story. So the next painting I did was a sunset but it was the house that we saw on the milk carton and a police car pulling up.”
However, not every prop she makes is as nice as a sunset.
“Some of the things we have been asked to make are a little twisted and warped,” she said.
One of the most “elaborate” requests she has gotten involved a six piece flat set up, marble counter tops and a full kitchen.
“They wanted six flats made either repurposed or made from scratch because they didn’t like any of what we had. We didn’t have to do any of that, though. Compromises were made, and decisions were agreed upon,” she said.
Osborn’s favorite prop, however, was a puppet made for her friend Will.
“This wasn’t requested. I just made it at my own accord. ‘Kenspiracy’ had a puppet show episode and there was a puppet of Brendan [Lynch], there was a puppet of Ken [Dowd], but there was no puppet of Will. So I was like ‘I’m going to make him a puppet’ which ended up being a skull taped to a string, and you can just bounce it around like a puppet. It was just a floating skull,” she said.
Will Sattelberg graduated from Fredonia last Spring and was very humored by the puppet she made for him.
“My first reaction was ‘classic Clare.’ Clare made some of the best stuff for ‘Kenspiracy’ and just for the station in general. Even simple props were always really funny and creative,” he said. “You can always tell when she was involved with a prop or a gag.”
The prop team involves Osborn and her assistant Olivia Connor. Together, the two of them work to create these flats and other props for the various shows at WNYF.
“The nice thing about WNYF is our e-board has assistants. She definitely helps me balance the work. If I am in a bit of a crunch, I know I can come to her and she could help me finish the project,” said Osborn.
When it comes down to a time frame for making the props, it can take two weeks to two months.
“It all just depends on the nature of the beast,” said Osborn.
Aside from being creative artistically, Osborn also has to be creative to make her props look the way that they do.
“I figured out how to drill a hole through glass,” she said.
This process involves a piece of cardboard between the drill and the glass sheet. The cardboard acts as a cushion, so the glass doesn’t split.
Dowd, who graduated from Fredonia last Spring, approached Osborn and asked her to make the rust on a prop for his show, “Kenspiracy,” a bit more realistic.
“We were kind of finicking with some ideas and eventually I landed on mixing some saw dust with paint which gave it that clumpy texture that rust has,” said Osborn. “That was a fun one to make because it got used so much and it became a big piece for their show and everybody signed it at the end of the season. It was made with teamwork!”
Osborn gets to do what she loves every day.
“I have always enjoyed art, and I’m glad I can carry it on in school. It lets me continue on with this artistic outlet,” she said.