Makeup takes realism to new heights
Nikki Waldmann
Mesa Legend
In the movies when CGI just does not cut it, directors and producers turn to the next best alternative; special effects makeup.In almost every movie today one can find some type of special effects. This can range from something as simple as changing the actors nose, or giving the actor different ears for a day, to things like cuts and gashes to make actors look as if they are hurt.This particular makeup niche has sparked so much curiosity it has become a popular career path for anyone looking for more creativity with makeup.
Although different techniques are required for certain prosthetics, the process to create high quality prosthetic makeup takes time and hard work. It starts with an idea and that idea is then brought into the sculpting room. The sculpting phase is a very essential part to the makeup.
Clay is then sculpted and used create the appliance, if the sculpt is not up to par then the makeup will not turn out its best. After sculpting, the molding and casting process begins. This is where molds are filled with either poly, foam or silicone.
The artist will use a lifecast when they need the models face to work on. A lifecast is a mold taken of the model’s head typically used for the makeup artist to create prosthetics specifically for that model. Once the mold sits overnight and hardens the artist then removes the mold and cleans it up by trimming any rough edges.Once the cast is perfect, the artist will then finish by painting the prosthetic and adding any final touches that need to be added such as hair.
The special effects makeup that almost anyone can point out are the scary zombies seen today.
These techniques are seen in such movies as “28 Days Later”, “Dawn of the Dead”, and the iconic show “The Walking Dead.”
Millions of videos on YouTube are available to help people learn how to create a do-it-yourself special effects makeup for half the cost of makeup effects in real movie or television show.
The show “The Walking Dead” reports spending up to $3.4 million per episode to help give the show a more authentic appeal. The money for each episode is split up between different locations, special effects makeup, and extras wearing the makeup. Rachel Cannady’ a Georgia local and former zombie actor of The Walking Dead, shares that there are two different types of zombie actors, the background zombies’ and the hero zombies.
The background zombies usually wore smaller amounts of makeup which did not include prosthetic makeup. These zombies would be in far-away shots where the actor’s faces can’t be seen. The hero zombies were the only actors wearing the prosthetics since their roles as zombies require close up face shots. These are the zombies seen in a full frontal face shot.
Cannady said she would do this process all over again if she had time to do so. Since she currently has a full time job, she cannot commit to being a zombie as it is a full time job on its own.
A typical day working on the set starts as early as 6 a.m. in wardrobe and then off to makeup, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours depending on which zombie role the actor has. In regards to wearing the makeup, Cannady said, “It did feel cool to look so good just with minimal makeup. It was really just a lot of fun to wear. At the same time though, it always felt great to finally peel a prosthetic off after wearing it all day.” Cannady stated they would sometimes film up to 12 hours a day. She also said, “After a while the prosthetics did start to irritate my skin.” The special effects makeup industry contines to grow. Each year the industry has gotten more clever in designing amazing creations for movies, television shows, props for haunted houses, and more.
