Applying a bold cap

Needed:

Water spray
Spirit gum- matte
Extra strong hair gel
Supra colour palette
Sponges
Stuff to blend the edges
Pin tale combe
Brush

Steps:

-Spray the hair with water!! **do not leave any bits of hair dry
- Rub hair gel in evenly
- Go through with a brush
- Apply the cap onto the head
- Cut the edges of the cap to suit the shape of your models head
*while cutting near the ear cut a straight line then a triangle shape towards the corner of the mouth
- Apply glue underneath the edges of the cap
- Mix red and white to create a pinky shade
- Apply the mixture onto the cap in order for it to blend it with the skin
- Powder

*can apply foundation afterwards for the colour to seem realistic

About my wound assessment...

Creating my own mould was a very exciting and educational process. I feel like I have found out a lot  of information that I did not know before, but most importantly I have acquired techniques and skills that I will most definitely use in the future while creating my designs and making them become something more tangible. Sculpting was the most exciting part for me as it was the part where it all started. I could have sculpted whatever I wanted, whatever shape I wanted. Personally, I found this whole process very therapetuic and relaxing. It is something that I will definitely do more often, even as a hobby. Even though it's quite time consuming, it is definitely worth spending some time on it for it to come out ideal. The tools that I have used to sculpt my mould, helped me a lot and that's made me realise how important tools are when making your own piece. Or even doing someone's make up... They are just as much important as the quality of the make up itself.

When it comes to creating the silicone mould, I have found that quite stressful at times, because I knew that if I contaminate the products- it won't work. It was the pressure of it not working out that made the whole process more challenging the anything I have ever done before. However, I have soon come to the realisation that only practise will make me feel more confident while creating my own silicone pieces and all of a sudden it wasn't that bad! There is a lot to remember during the process of creating your own piece so I have learnt that it is very important to have your notes with you because you do have to follow the instructions, as they are very strict and like I have mentioned before- it is very easy to make a mistake while mixing the two types of silicone.

Applying the wound was the hardest part. I found that I applied too much glue onto the wound itself, the edges started folding and that made it very hard to blend. This is unfortunately visible in the photos, however I do understand why that is the case, and know what to do to stop it from happening again in the future!

I have enjoyed every part of this process, even though like I have said above- it was quite stressful at times, but it was all educational at the same time. It has really helped me to stay focused and concentrate on my work instead of my nerves and I am sure that lesson with stick with me for a while, if not forever.

My Brave New World - Moodboard and atmosphere

 

Far, far away... There was a place that was so terrifying, people were not allowed to speak about it. No one wanted to know anything about this place, as they believed the creatures that live there might try and hurt them. They were believed to be so evil and dangerous, no one wanted to explore it or find out why. It was known to be the kingdom of darkness, it was known to be the only place on the planet with no daylight. Money was not a thing- everything you wanted to get, you had to fight for. If you are not covered in fur, you might freeze to death. 

It is a dangerous world out there...

History of Special Effects

Before the creation of movies, actors and actresses used make-up in order to strengthen their appearance when seen from a distance, making themselves look more attractive, dramatic or loathsome as required. This is because their features had to be visible to the whole audience, even in the most distant, low-priced seats. 

Theatre performers often found that they needed a different sort of make-up. Appearing in close-up on the larger than life silver screen, there was little chance of their features being missed. A more subtle, tonal make-up was therefore required. 

Appearing on film also presented actors with a new set of problems. Early black and white film was not capable of capturing every skin tone. Many actors, such as romantic idols Ramon Novarro and Rudolph Valentino, ringed their eyes with a wide rim of dark make-up so that the whites of their eyes would not blend in with the surrounding skin which became very pale when photographed or filmed.

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The sensational subject matter that quickly became the staple of the movies often called for more then simple tonal make-up - monsters and madmen were the order of the day. Actors such as Lon Chaney began to specialise in fantastic 3D makeovers, using a range of primitive materials to transform the actual shape of the face. Mortician's wax or putty was smeared on and built up in thick layers, the sculpted to create false noses, scars and other pieces. Perhaps the most unpleasant of these early materials was collodion, a syrupy liquid plastic normally used in the production of photographic plates. It was highly flammable and often irritating to the skin. Collodion, combined with cotton was built up layer by layer to give Boris Karloff his freakishly high forehead in Frankenstein (1931).

https://marruda3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/
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The mechanical and optical principles of cinematography provided film actors with opportunities not available to stage actors. The frame by frame nature of film meant that radical changes could be made to a performer's appearance between takes. This technique was used in the Wolf Man (1941) which was also the inspiration for my human hybrid. 

A significant breakthrough in make up came in the late 30's with the development of foam latex technology, used to make fake noses, chins and other parts that could be stuck on directly onto the actor's faces and bodies. The first major film to use foam latex appliances on a larger scale was the Wizard of Oz (1939). The make up artist- Jack Dawn, among others, created the magical make up for the film's much loved characters. The pre-made foam latex pieces could be glued to the actor's faces the start of each day, removing the need to build up fresh make-up each morning and guaranteeing consistent results. Foam latex appliances and costumes form the basis of many make up effects to this day. 

The changing style and subject matter of the movies has been the cause of many revolutions and evolutions in the work of a make up artist. The 1950's saw a rash of lurid science fiction films that required a range of aliens and atomically mutated creatures. This was the age of the rubber suit and a generation of stunt performers were dressed in latex to flail about in front of the cameras. The most fashionable couturier of the day was Paul Blaisdell, whose monstrosities added colour to films such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958). 

During the 60's, mainstream movies became increasingly explicit, and the film-makers dared show their audiences gruesome details of murders and mutations. Make up artists became as adept at re-creating the appearance of the insides of the body as its exterior details. The Exorcist (1973) brought new levels of horror to the screen and inspired a generation of make up effects artists specialising in fantasy and horror creations. 

Whether a film requires an actor to age by a decade or decompose in front of our eyes, to be subtly altered with a new nose or transformed into an astonishing character from our worst nightmares, special effects make up artists all over the world now use the same basic materials and methods. 

Rickitt, R. and Harryhausen, R. (2006) Special effects: The history and technique. United Kingdom: Aurum Press. 

Practising the make up for my wound assessment

Today I have practised the make up on my model. I am very happy with the outcome and the way it looks, as it is exactly what I wanted. Natural, dewy, but still gives off this nice feminine effect! 

Make Up For My Character - Face Chart

This is the face chart for my wound assessment character. I wanted it to be very natural, with loads of 'naked' tones... Dewy skin, but all very feminine.

I have decided for the hair to be curly as I feel like there is this stigma about it and a lot of people straighten their curly hair. Taking that into consideration I thought curly hair would look more natural then any other hair style, especially considering the fact that my model's hair is naturally curly.

Story for my shoot

She had a big heart, but it kept being broken... Everyday, she would come home and face him. The man that was responsible for her fear and her tears, which would mark her pillow every night.

He never cared. About her, or anything else apart from himself. Everyday after work he would go out to the pub... his excuse was 'he needs some time to relax after a stressful day'. The truth was- he had no care in the world. She would do all the housework, look after the kids, look after everybody else apart from herself.

One day she met Thomas. A very handsome guy who managed to put a smile on her face every time she saw him, which was very unusual. It is not something she was used to... But definitely something she appreciated. One night, he invited her for dinner, in a lovely restaurant, which she always wanted to go to... They agreed to meet at 6pm outside of her flat. She was very happy that day...She even sang in the shower. Her make up looked so good, her husband noticed something wasn't right...She put his dinner on the table after she got out the shower, as she forgot to do it earlier. He was angry... He thought he was her priority. Her hair was still wet, and she was half dressed. She said she was going out with her friend... He knew that wasn't true because of how much effort she put into looking good that night.

He started calling her names. She didn't say a word, she was scared... He threw everything off the table and the only thing that was left was a bottle of beer which he got on the way home from the pub that night. He smashed the bottle and with a piece of glass, cut her back. After that, her make up was ruined, and she gave up on going out thinking she will never be able to be happy again.

Sculpting and moulding a wound

Today it was my first time sculpting! Not in general of course. I got the chance to sculpt a wound, a glass shard wound to be specific. 

First thing I did was I sculpted my wound using all the wooden tools. The wound was placed on a plastic tray. 

*it is very important to wear a face mask while doing the next step!*

First, you need to spray your wound with the fixing spray. *Don't make it wet or shiny!*

After about 5 minutes, spray the wound with petrolease which will help to take out the silicone mould. Then, in order to create a silicone base for the wound you need to cut a cup in half. Place it on the plastic tray with the wound in the middle. The cup needs to be glued to the tray using a glue gun as it is more precise. 

**It is also very important to wear gloves while moulding a wound!!

There are two types of silicone. A and B, and it is vital to remember that those two products cannot be contaminated as it will be not possible to use them again if that is the case. It is important to remember to use different sticks (I have marked mine A+B). Also, if you take the clear lid out of the product, it helps if you put it inside the bigger lid as it stops it from dripping!

Next, what you need to make sure is that your scales are on 0gm with the cup on top. The amount of each silicone is dependent on the hight/size of your sculpture. In my case it was 50:50, ratio is 1:1. This means there has to be the exact same amount of each silicone in the cup. It is very important to remember to use a different pair of gloves each time to use a different silicone. Next, you have to mix the two silicones together and pour it onto your sculpture. It will take a while for the silicone to dry, at least an hour. 

*tap the cup on a table to remove air bubbles!

Once the mould is all set, make sure you clean it with alcohol in order to make sure there's no clay cleft or any sort of fingerprints, etc. Next spray the mould with petrolease then pour the mixture into the mould in order to create the first layer. You can use a hairdryer to make this process quicker. Then mix super boulders in proportion 1:2 with alcohol. Make sure you mix it well in order to get the right consistency. 

*never put any of these products down the sink!!*

Next you need to measure 8gr of silicone B and 8gr of silicone A = 16gr. Then you need to add 75% of 16gr of deadener, which would be about 12 gr. After that you need to add pigment to the mixture in order for it to match your model. After you've poured the mixture into your mould, smooth the area with either a ruler or a metal mixing palette.

After that your wound will be ready to use!

Anatomy of the back

Like I have mentioned earlier on, in one of my posts I decided to create my wound on a back as I feel like I could be more creative when it comes to the incident itself. I want to come up with a story that is going to be realistic, which leads me onto the fact that I really want my wound to look realistic too!  

I decided to have a look at muscle structure etc. in order to really understand that part of the human body and be able to successfully re-create a believable Glass Shard wound. 

I have also gone on YouTube to listen and watch different videos on muscle structure. 

Now that I know what kind of a wound I would like to create and the location of it- it is time to think of the story behind it.

It cannot be a car crash because it simply wouldn't be logical! I always wanted to work in the TV and film industry and so I thought if I think of it like I was watching a film and then saw the wound- what would I think that had happened? The first thing that comes to my mind is a violent relationships. The woman said she'll leave him- he was drunk. She just got out the shower so the only thing she had on was the towel. He threw a glass at her and it hit her back (around the shoulder area).

The thought of making this project makes me so excited as it will give me a taste of what it is really like in the real world, doing 'real' jobs. I cannot wait to start sculpting and moulding my wound!

Type of wound- Glass Shard

Our first lesson involved pulling out of the hat a name of the wound that we will have to create on someone from the group. My one was 'Glass shard'. I am very happy with it as I feel like there is so much I can do with this type of a wound. I would like to create it in a place that is quite unusual, however I have researched different areas to gain more knowledge about the kind of impact that an injury like that can have on different body parts. The one that intrigued me the most was the back one which is demonstrated in the photo right at the bottom of this post, however a wound like this will take a lot of time to prepare so I do have to make sure I allow myself enough time to get it done, as I want the quality to be there as well. If it doesn't look realistic then it will look comical and that is definitely not what I am going for! I will soon start learning how to make a wound, which I am very excited about and can't wait to start creating my own work. 

INTRODUCTION

I have always been a fan of horror films... and that's where my passion for special effects began. I was always fascinated by the effect of a prosthetic and the way it changes the whole mood of a production i.e. a film. The power of it is amazing and I am looking forward to expanding my skills in this field even further. I want to be able to re-create the most famous prosthetic pieces and from that gain inspiration for my own work. 

There is many artists who's work has inspired me to create my own and try doing SPFX in general. 

Below I have attached a photo of my first prosthetic-look that I did for Halloween. I very much enjoyed creating this as it allowed me to make a normal looking face look,well... terrifying. It is the process that makes it so enjoyable for me, the outcome is just the cherry on top! I added the nose which was made out of a material that was very similar to silicone. 

I look forward to this unit as it will allow me to create more pieces like the one above (or maybe even better ones!).