Prosthetic makeup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects. Prosthetic makeup was revolutionized by Dick Smith in such films as The Godfather. It was later led by such people as Tom Savini (Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow), Rob Bottin (The Thing, Total Recall), Rick Baker (The Nutty Professor), Screaming Mad George (Predator, Society), and Stan Winston (Jurassic Park, Interview with the Vampire).
One of the most important and essential techniques of prosthetic makeup FX is called "lifecasting" - it is the process of taking a mold of a body part (usually the face) to use as a base for the sculpting of a prosthetic. The material used is alginate, a substance derived from seaweed. A hard shell to support the alginate goes on top, typically made of plaster bandages.
Once a negative mold/life cast has been created, it is promptly filled with a hard sedimentary material called ultracal to make a "positive" mold. The form of the prosthetic is sculpted in clay on top of the negative. The edges of the clay should be made as thin as possible, for the clay is basically a "stand-in" for what will eventually be the foam latex (or silicone, or foam gelatine) prosthetic piece, and only thin edges will blend seamlessly into the face. Along the edges of the mold, "keys" or mold points are sculpted in, to make sure that the 2 pieces of the mold will fit together correctly. Once this second sculpt is completed, a second mold is made. This gives two pieces of a mold - a positive of the face, and a negative of the face with prosthetic sculpted in. The prosthetic material - be it foam latex, gelatine, silicone or similar, is cured within the two part mold - thus creating the beginning of a makeup effect.
[edit] The makeup gallery
- Jennie Bond: Posh Swap (and makeup application)
- Nina Bott: Stern TV fat makeup (before and after; makeup process).
- Vicki Butler-Henderson: Celebrity Swap.
(Vicki's entire head is covered with prosthetics during the makeup application.)
- Samantha Fox: Race Swap and makeup process.
- Julie Goodyear: Age Swap and makeup application.
- Rebecca Loos: Gender Swap and makeup application.
- Kelly Lynch: [Mr Magoo] (various disguises, the old lady and makeup application, the balding man).
- Larissa Meek: Average Joe Hawaii (plus makeup application and unmasking)
- Melinda Messenger: Celebrity Swap. (The makeup application for Melinda)
- Caroline Palmer: The Sun photoshoots (fat and race swap).
- Siân Phillips: Dune; I, Claudius and makeup application.
- Katie Price (a.k.a. Jordan): Jordan Gets Even and makeup application.
- Linda Robson: Celebrity Swap. (Linda’s makeup application)
- Melena Scantlin : The completed makeup and the reveal scene and the makeup process.
- Carol Smillie: Gender Swap and makeup application.
- Lea Thompson: A Will Of Their Own; Back To The Future Part II and Back To The Future (including [makeup application]).
- Tyra Banks - ABC News: Tyra Banks Experiences Obesity Through Fat Suit - to be shown on 4 November 2005
- Vanessa Minnillo - Vanessa: A Day in a 'Fat Suit'!, Vanessa makes the transformation (Vanessa tries on her fat suit), Vanessa's experience in the fat suit (Vanessa Minnillo in her "fat suit" and Vanessa walks in public disguised as a 350-pound woman)
Vanessa Undercover: After the 'Fat Suit'
Vanessa talks about her experience ("People were completely treating me like night and day," says Vanessa Minnillo. "It's really amazing how obvious some people are about [prejudice]," says Vanessa.)
Return of the 'Fat Suit' Investigation
Go undercover with Vanessa in the nail salon! ("It's the story I just couldn't let go of," says Vanessa Minnillo of her fat suit experience. Vanessa takes in the reactions to her girth at the nail salon/beauty salon.)
