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.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/library/files/2012/08/
Lon-Chaney-in-Phanton-of-the-Opera1.jpg

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/
the-wolf-man.jpg

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.