Evaluation - Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my chosen option special effects make-up. I have definitely learnt a lot from the process of creating prosthetic and I created two designs, one of which was a snake bite wound and the other was a human hybrid crocodile.
I really struggled to begin with as I found special effects very difficult to pick up as the procedure was very intense and time consuming. What I felt most time consuming was blending the edges to make sure they were really smooth before applying the silicon; however Kat did show me another technique to use using one of the special effects tools which I felt helped me a lot. I feel with the more practice I get the more I will improve on this weakness. I would definitely say special effects was a lot more harder to grasp than I imagined, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it as I did and I managed to get there in the end. I was very happy with the end results of my prosthetics, I feel I just need to make sure I don’t get so hit up about it and to just take my time as I am still learning.
My positives from the snake bite wound were that I was very happy with the make-up in which I created over it and the swelling which I created around the outside of it. The only thing I would say which disappointed me about the wound would have been that I felt I created the snake bite wound itself perhaps just slightly too big in height and I had to use more product. However I did this because I wanted to show swelling as from my research this is something that is very common in snake bites.
Creating the hybrid I found very fun and I was happy that we had our own choice of what to create, it gave me a lot of excitement as to what I could create, I had so many cool and artistic ideas. However I decided on the crocodile and I was most happy with the way I textured my mould to give it the scales of a crocodile, I did this using my special effects tools. I did want to create more prosthetic on the body however I didn’t have enough product left to do this, so I worked with what I could to get the best outcome possible and I can say I am very happy with what I have achieved.
For some reason I lost the photo’s in which I saved on my SD Card, however I have backed it up with photo’s which I have taken from my phone which I hope will be OK.
Unfortunately I feel I didn’t include as much as I wished in my blog, this was due to personal matters, however I didn’t let it affect something that I love and I am passionate about so much. So I did the best I could possibly do. I feel I have gained so much from special effects and it’s a shame for me that it is over with now but I will continue my practice within this in my spare time to boost my skills and confidence as this is definitely the area of work I would like to work in when I graduate from University.
Technical File Evaluation – I found creating the silicon moulds a little bit daunting at first as there is a lot involved in order for you to get your perfect piece. I learnt how to sculpt a wound by using all the necessary tools from my special effects kit and using a hair-dryer to heat the clay to make it easier to mould. I learnt to make sure all edges of the clay were smooth so they didn’t show up on the prosthetic, this is something I struggled with greatly but Kat kindly showed me a better way of smoothing the edges with one of the special effects tools. I also learnt how to create the mould itself by using fixing spray, petrolease, a measuring cup, hot glue and weighing scales; this part I didn’t have a problem with, it was just making sure I added the correct ingredients to get the perfect outcome.
Then I learnt how to cast and apply prosthetic by using a protective layer of baldease and alcohol proportion 2:1 alcohol:baldease and mixing them together and spreading approximately three layers onto the mould. Then I had to mix the ingredients together again to create the pigment and once the pigment was dry, I could then slowly peel away the prosthetic using talc and a brush. Again I didn’t struggle with this part either, for me it was just trying to remember the order of everything.
I also learnt that it was extremely important to follow health and hygiene regulations at all times. Below is my list of health and hygiene which I followed.
Have hair tied back at all times
Remove all jewellery
Wear appropriate clothing so they don't get ruined from the products being used
Open windows as the products being used are very strong
Make sure the client isn't wearing Aloe Vera based products as this can react with the products
Always be sure that the client is not allergic to any of the products, if they are unaware then the signs will be itchiness or swelling which is then a key sign to remove the products immediately with cold water
Wear latex free gloves at all times
Do not contaminate any of the products, use a new, clean pair of gloves when dealing with different products
Use different spatulas to scoop out the product or to mix the products by labelling them, e.g. A, B + C
Wear a mask when creating the moulds
Always spray the setting spray next to an open window to prevent the increase of fumes in the room
Clean your mould with alcohol or acetone because if there is any product left on the mould then it will cause cross contamination
Do not put any products down the sink as this can cause poison in the water system. So therefore it is vital to use couch roll to clean up the products and then place it in the bin straight after
If any spillages occur, then it is very important to clean them up immediately using couch roll to prevent any accidents
Always keep a clean and tidy kit
Always store products in the correct place, e.g. in a cool area
I have learnt a lot from special effects and I will continue my practice in order to build my skills and confidence even higher.
Monday, 30 November 2015
My final hybrid design
Below is my fiinal human hybrid design which is a crocodile. Firstly I began by applying glue to the back of my silicon moulds and I had to wait approximately 5 minutes for this to dry until it turned clear. I then stuck my moulds onto my models body, the biggest one I placed on her back and the other onto her left hand. I then blended the edges in using alcohol and a cotton bud which took me quite a while to do. After this I started to apply the make-up over and around the mould. I mixed a variety of colours together using my Supracolor pallet, I used a mix of green, black and red to get a variety of different shades of green to make it look more realistic and I did this on the back and hand. I then applied latex to the back and also on some parts of the right side of the face to create a different kind of texture for a crocodile and picked at it using special effects tools and this made it look very effective. I finished by colouring the face, neck and ears in with my mixed colours from my Supracolor pallet so it all blended in well. I created my Hybrid so my models left hand was coming over her right shoulder and her head slightly turned. I feel the outcome was very successful, I did struggle in some parts, for example, when mixing the colours I found it a bit hard to get the desired colour at first but once I managed to overcome this I was fine. I also struggled slightly when applying the latex I didn't feel the texture was looking as I had planned, however I kept going until I was happy with what I had created. I placed my silicon moulds on different parts of the body and placed latex across the face and back so you could see different parts of the crocodile coming through on the human to make it look more effective. I also wanted to use a contact lense on my model which I thought would have looked cool, however she was unable to place this into her eye so I wasn't able to use it. By the time I had completed the Hybrid I can say I was very pleased with the end result.
This was the contact lense in which I was going to use in my models eye, unfortunately she was unable to place the lense into her eye.
Creating my Silicone mould for human hybrid
The first silicone mould I created for my hybrid was the the main design of the crocodile which I will be positioning on my models back. I created texture on the mould by using different tools from my kit. I then smoothed out the edges so you wasn't able to feel any bumps, this took me quite a while to do but I got there in the end. When I had finished creating my sculpture I then built a barrier around the outside of it for when I pour the silicone onto the mould so it doesn't spill out. Then I sprayed fixing onto the sculpture and let it dry for 5 minutes and once that dried I then did the same with petrolease and let it dry for 5 minutes. I prepared my station by placing cling film over the top of the scales and weighed out 100 grams of silicone A and B with separate wooden sticks and gloves to avoid contamination. After mixing both ingredients together and pouring it onto my mould I realised this amount of silicone didn't quite cover it all so I then added another 100 grams of each to make sure I got the coverage I needed.
As I was running over time this lesson, Sue kindly said she would put the mould into her cupboard overnight so it had plenty of time for the silicone to dry. The next day when I came in the silicone had dried perfectly so it was now ready to pull away. Below is a photo after I had taken the silicone out.
Researching the use of Special Effects in Films
In the film Maleficents face looks very pale and this was created by using MAC Select Cover Concealer with a wet sponge in a colour paler than Angelina’s natural skin tone without any blush.
To get the red lips MAC’s Pro Longwear Lipgloss in Anthurium was used.
Labradorite stone was used to get the colours for the creepy eye look for Maleficent and the contact lenses in which she wears are hand painted which matched Angelina’s natural eye colour but they just made them look more magical.
Maleficent’s nails were painted a bone colour red on the inside of the nail and on the outside of the nail was just clear, however they looked slightly different in certain scenes of the film.
For Maleficent to have those amazing horns, a bald cap was put over her head to cover her hair and the horns were attached with magnets so it would be easy to take them on and off. The horns gave Maleficent an extra foot of height and the shoes which were created for her gave her an extra five inches in height!
The next film I watched and decided to do some more research on was Horns
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| https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/post/122263901761/new-horns-trailer-daniel-radcliffe-is-devilishly |
The primary task for KNB EFX was to create the various sets of horns worn by Daniel Radcliffe during his gradual transformation from Ig Perrish into a fully-fledged demon.
“We did four different stages of horns that we attached to Daniel, as well as a fantasy drug-dream prosthetic make-up,” recalled KNB EFX on-set make-up effects supervisor Mike McCarty. “We did a burn suit and accompanying makeup, the final demon look with its huge set of horns, a few blood gags, an exploding head and some mechanical snakes. We had Daniel in and out of prosthetics at least 35 times over the course of the shoot.”
The makeup and prosthetics team benefited from the company’s long association with director Alexandre Aja. “KNB EFX has done all of Alex Aja’s projects since The Hills have Eyes (2006),” McCarty remarked. “I’ve personally been on set for most of them: Mirrors,Piranha 3D, Maniac, Horns, and his current project, The 9th Life of Louis Drax. As Alex likes to say, we’re part of the family.”
Despite their fantastic aspect, the look of Ig’s horns was developed using real-world reference material. “We looked at a lot of horns in nature, and went back and forth with what our conceptual designer John Wheaton came up with,” McCarty explained. “We got notes from Alex, and ultimately ended up using various stages of ram horns as reference.”
After the initial sculpting stage, the horns themselves were cast using dental acrylic.
“Dave Grasso and Jaremy Aiello handled most of the sculpting duties in the shop,” commented McCarty. “Then Jason James ran the horns out of acrylic and attached them to a wire rig we made on Daniel’s head cast. The horns were set at the perfect angle so we could just plop them into place, and they would naturally rest there.
“Then we hid the wire rig under Daniel’s hair. We had a few hair clips attached to the rig as well, so when he shook his head, they wouldn’t move. Once we had them secured, we hid the edge with a small prosthetic to blend them and make it look like they were coming out of his skin. Mike Fields and myself shared the application duties, and so did it twice as fast as it would have taken one artist.”
For a scene in which Ig gouges his horns into a plaster wall, a more resilient solution was required. The solution was to produce a robust, wig-covered helmet, on to which the horns were screwed.
To effect Ig’s climactic transformation into demon form, Radcliffe wore a full-body foam latex suit. “The suit created the burned look, and then we had a cowl, some face pieces and some hand pieces, which we blended into the suit,” explained McCarty. “The huge horns were super-lightweight. We just clipped them into place on a helmet under the cowl. We painted bright neon orange paint into the cracks in the suit. VFX were able to key on this and add fiery lava to make it look like he was burning from within.
“The whole final demon makeup took us only two hours; it was applied by Mike Fields, Maiko Gomyo and myself. If you can do something that extensive and still keep makeup chair times down, it’s better for the actor – especially when they have a such a physical day ahead of them. And Daniel Radcliffe was a joy to work with.”
As well as Radcliffe, McCarty and his team also had the opportunity to transform Joe Hill, during a visit by the author to the set. “Joe wanted to try the horns out, so we glued a small set on him,” McCarty recalled. “That was kind of cool. He was really glad KNB EFX was involved, and he loved everything we were doing. That was a nice justification for the hard work we had put in.”
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| https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/2aob8l/teaser_poster_for_horns/ |
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| http://channelufx.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/daniel-radcliffes-horns-from-october.html |
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| http://pandaschoice.com/2014/10/31/horns-2014/ |
info: http://cinefex.com/blog/horns/
Researching crocodiles
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Breeding of a crocodile - Loud bellowing proceeds mating under water. One month later female lay up to 90 leathery shelled eggs that they incubate for 2-3 months in nests. Some species lay eggs in a special location in order to avoid total loss by flooding or predation. High temperature during incubation results in more males than females. A baby calls its mother with squeaks and breaks out of the egg shell by pipping with an egg tooth on the tip of the snout. The mother carries young to creche where she will guard them until they become independent, which clearly means that there is a great amount of parental care provided to the young ones.
How crocodiles move - On land crocodiles may slide along on their bellies, scooting with their feet. Sometimes they adopt the high walk and raise their bodies fully off the ground. The gallop is when the crocodiles run with their tails in the air, usually seen when they are being chased. The tail walk is used to snatch prey from branches above the water. In water, crocodiles swim using powerful sweeps of their tails.
What crocodiles eat - After lying hidden for hours, a crocodile suddenly seizes prey from riverbanks and drag it under water until it drowns. Crocodiles cannot chew, so prey is dismembered by shaking and spinning. The whole animal is eaten. Strong juices and pebbles in the stomach help break down the food.
Crocodile features - During the night, crocodiles can easily be detected due to their “eye shine” which works as a red reflective look that they assume when illuminated in the dark. The tail of an estuarine crocodile measures to be 49.5% of its total body length which is also the longest for any crocodile. The tool helps to push the animal through the water and spikes located along the top of the tail become an important entity of the tail. It’s not just that they increase the surface area and henceforth thrust for the tail but as they are made of cartilage they have a considerable blood supply and choose to be an important device in thermo-regulation processes.
Types of Crocodiles:-
This group contains different types of crocodiles and somehow all are equally unique and fascinating for a nature lover. Let’s acknowledge their varieties by knowing a little about them.
Cuban crocodile: As the name itself indicates that they are only found in certain swamps of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, unfortunately this crocodile is highly endangered nowadays. At a mere length of being three meters (9.84′) long, it surely can’t be considered as a large one among crocodiles, and it doesn’t wear a very unusual appearance either, but don’t get fooled by this; it is indeed one of the most extraordinary crocodilians, and according to zookeepers who have worked for a long time with them, suggests it to be among the most aggressive of them. Well! A far a humans are concerned, attack on humans are rarely reported.
African dwarf crocodile: These are inhabitants of tropical rivers and swamps of western and central Africa, they are honoured to be the smallest true living crocodile species. It just measures 1.5 meters (4.92′) long (rarely 1.8 meters – 5.90′) Quite shy predator which eats insects, frogs, fishes and whatever body it comes across. Thankfully it is not that dangerous to humans unless harassed (though a female protecting her eggs in the nest may attack any invader, as all fellow crocodilians). A fascinating physical appearance is that they are not just plated on the back, as in every other crocodilian, but also in the belly including the throat region.
Slender snouted crocodile: South East Asia, particularly Malaysia and Borneo are their habitats. They are not so oftenly reported as one of the largest crocodiles but there is plenty of proof of them reaching incredible sizes like 6 to 7 meters.
Yacare: Sometimes known as the piranha yacare, the Yacare are a part to the group of the caimans, mostly South American siblings to the famous alligator. The piranha seems to be its most preferred prey, and so is its popular name.
Spectacled Caiman: Only caiman that can be spotted in the Northern Hemisphere (its northernmost point marks the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca in Mexico), and is also a very common crocodilian present in the world.
Dwarf caiman: In reality there are two species of dwarf caiman. As for their small size (usually under 2 meters (6.56′) length) and somewhat cute appearance (big eyes, short upturned snout), and the basic fact that they are not endangered. Dwarf Caimans have lately renowned as a popular as exotic pets.
Chinese alligator: Credited as an inspiration for the Chinese dragon myths. The only species of genus Alligator, leaving the more famous American alligator. The latter can easily grow up to lengths of 5 meters (16.4′) and is aggressive and powerful enough to destroy humans.
Freshwater crocodile: This Australian freshwater crocodile is another crocodile having a slender snout adapted to prey upon fishes. Although it attacks people on seldom occasions, which happens only when the crocodile is trying to protect its nest or territory, or when it has been infuriated but most of the time it is a very calm and harmless animal.
Gharial: The Gharial is considerably the most bizarre looking crocodilian. Its very long, very slender snout is adapted to catch fish, as are the interlocking, needle-like teeth. Gharials are possibly the most aquatic of all crocodilians, and they have very short and weak legs; they actually only leave water to bask in the sun and to lay their eggs. They are found in India and Nepal and is among the largest of its fellow mates.
Broad-snouted caiman : The broad-snouted caiman is a crocodilian reptile spotted in eastern and central South America, including southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. It is found mostly in freshwater marshes, swamps, and mangroves.
Creating my Make-Up look
I put my inspiration from all these designs and created my own make-up look for my hybrid. I firstly shaded the whole face a pale green colour, I then contoured the cheeks, nose, jaw line and around the head with a darker green creating a heart looking shape on the forward as shown in photo 2 from my research. I then used latex over the forehead and created a scaly look by picking at it and then went over it with different shades of green so it shows the different tones used. I then placed latex on the chin too but picked at it a bit more to get a slightly different effect from the forehead and then again went over it with different shades of green. I then created the eyes with flicks starting from the inner eye as shown from my research in photo 3 and then went over the eyebrows with a green from the supracolor pallet and brushed them up to make them look more fluffy. I finished the look with a metallic green lipstick. I have brought some cat eye contact lenses which I will be using for my final look.
Below shows photos of the make-up look I created for my Hyrbid.
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