tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91123982213633010142024-03-15T22:49:11.473-07:00First Person Monster BlogShannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-86349452943103186722014-12-28T10:31:00.001-08:002014-12-28T10:31:28.361-08:00Why would you pay for something that you can get for free?Hey Folks -<br />
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As promised (or threatened), I've finished the first volume of my e-book "I'm Rubber, You're Glue" which reflects the same time period represented in this blog. So why would or should you buy the book, when you've read everything here for free? I'll tell you:<br />
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1.) It isn't just a copy/paste job. By transforming my experiences into a coherent story, there is a flow like any good book and I hope that you'll not just read the chapters that interest you, but the entire story. Yes, some of the information I included in this blog is NOT in the book an vice verse. They are the same and they are different.<br />
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2.) You can keep it with you. You don't have to go to my blog and go through the postings. You get the .pdf and you can read it on your device whenever you want without needing an Internet connection.<br />
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3.) You're helping me move ahead. This sounds crappy of me, but it does take time to write all of this down and I have a HUGE job ahead of me covering the years between PUMPKINHEAD and JURASSIC PARK (which is the next book). By buying the book for a paltry $15 - you make it possible for me to continue writing.<br />
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4.) When you buy books 2 & 3, you're going to want book 1 anyway. Why wait?<br />
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5.) I'm putting together a dedicated/watermarked photo gallery that early buyers will get access to before the readers of the edited book. <br />
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I hope that you aren't disappointed by this turn of events. My plan is to finish all three books and then over time, come back and revisit this blog with EXTRAS that I could not include in the book because of length limitations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsCYnv8YwwtZmd6BgY04H02i1052HqUmvRCS1N9NH4yAUxuqPowJ9Up_vebBii4-AfL3V-7C4rXjhLHXaNrDPQzT8pYMoA6TwPlzJyVWNtjEDrVhG5F2d-CLXNxYQ0blywlonEgygnYc/s1600/PreviewCoverTweet001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsCYnv8YwwtZmd6BgY04H02i1052HqUmvRCS1N9NH4yAUxuqPowJ9Up_vebBii4-AfL3V-7C4rXjhLHXaNrDPQzT8pYMoA6TwPlzJyVWNtjEDrVhG5F2d-CLXNxYQ0blywlonEgygnYc/s1600/PreviewCoverTweet001.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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The unedited version of the book is available until January 22, 2015 and then it will go off of the market to be replaced by a SHORTER version of the book designed to appeal to a wider audience. You can buy the unedited version at Gumroad here: <a href="https://gum.co/KOwb" target="_blank">https://gum.co/KOwb</a><br />
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Thanks again for being such devoted blog readers, I hope I can transform you all into devoted e-book readers.<br />
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Happy Holidays, Happy New Year,<br />
<br />
Shannon Shea<br />
<br />Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-62157791493924592882014-09-10T09:38:00.000-07:002014-09-10T09:38:13.170-07:00To Celebrate My 30 Years in the Business an excerpt from my upcoming book:Many of you have been reading entries in this blog from the beginning and I can't thank you enough for the support. Your interest and comments are what has spurred me to get off of my butt and write a more detailed account of what happened entitled "I'm Rubber, You're Glue." I'm including this excerpt from the manuscript to give you a flavor of how the book will read. I hope you enjoy it:<br />
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I'M RUBBER, YOU'RE GLUE<br />
<br />
This excerpt is about the making of HOUSE (aka HOUSE - Ding Dong, you're dead)<br />
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<b>One rainy afternoon, two gentlemen from Northern California appeared,
both with their portfolios seeking employment on <i>House.</i> The
first was Tony McVey, a sculptor whom had proven himself by working
with stop-motion luminary, Ray Harryhausen. In addition to his
portfolio, which was exciting because of the nature of his work, he
had brought along a carpet bag. After he turned the last page of his
portfolio, he reached into the carpet bag and presented two
stop-motion puppets: A Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a traditional Medieval
Dragon (neck and head only). My heart stopped. I had never held a
stop-motion puppet in my hands and this opportunity transcended the
interview that was being conducted.</b></div>
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<b>
Tony informed us that only the extremities (head, hands, feet) had
been sculpted/molded/cast and everything else was 'built up' meaning
that using upholstery foam and thin sheets of latex cast in a flat
plaster mold of reptilian scales, he carefully built up the muscle
forms then covered them with the latex skin. He had skillfully
gathered the thin, scale-y, latex skin in natural wrinkles where they
would occur which only added to the realism of the piece. It was
impressive to be sure. I hoped that I would have the opportunity to
work with Tony because it would have been my plan to pester him for
information constantly, but it was not to be. Tony's pay rate was
outside of what James could afford, so Tony would be spared my
incessant questioning for the next 10 weeks of his life; he was safe.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
The second gentleman was Richard Snell. I don't know what happened
during that interview, perhaps having just been turned down by Tony
McVey left a bad taste in James' mouth, but whatever the reason,
James was not responding well to Richard. And to tell the truth, I
didn't get it at all. Richard's portfolio featured clean sculptures,
some light mechanics, skillfully painted maquettes and things – he
even had an over-sized mechanical dragonfly for which he had done all
of the sculpture/molding/casting painting as well as the mechanical
design and construction. James was unimpressed by any of it, and was
not disguising that fact. Richard, unfazed by James' reactions,
continued.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Reaching into a paper bag he had brought with him, Richard snapped a
pair of beautiful fangs he had made into his mouth. Richard revealed
that his grandfather was a dentist and had taught him how to make
exquisite custom teeth that were, by casual observation, better than
any fangs/teeth I had ever seen. James sat, unmoved.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Richard was not to be ignored and went into what I call
“full-salesman mode.” After James became dismissive of Richard's
sculpting, mechanical, and dental skills, Richard reached back into
the bag and handed a custom-tied wig to James. Richard went on to say
that he was a “wig master” (meaning he knew how to block and tie
custom wigs – a process too involved for me to describe here) whom
had furnished wigs to many important clients including Dolly Parton.
James held the wig in his hand, examined the tiny knots that held the
individual hairs into the delicate netting, and handed it back to
Richard. James had been swayed a bit, but not quite enough to bite.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
However, Richard wasn't done, not by a long-shot. He reached into
his bag and produced a small, black case, he opened it and produced
something that was unheard of at that point: custom painted, opaque
soft contact lenses.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
To put this in proper context, you have to understand that before
that time, custom contact lenses were predominately made by one
company in Los Angeles under the supervision of Dr. Morton
Greenspoon. They were made of hard plastic, hand-painted and sealed
with a thin layer of acrylic. They were expensive to make and
painful to put in an actor's eyes.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
And there sat Richard Snell, with the first comfortable alternative
to the process. If there had been a game show-type board, it would
have started flashing “WIN!” Richard opened a small bottle full
of saline solution and “poured” an orange lens with a vertical
cat eye pupil painted on it and put it into his eye. It was
impressive. He then went further and put a pair of lenses into
James' eyes. James went to a mirror and looked at his orange cat
eyes and smiled. Richard was hired on the spot.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
As Tony and Richard left, Rick Brophy asked James why he had hired
Richard. James said that the soft-contact lenses alone were reason
enough, but Richard did have skills that were needed for the project,
even if James didn't like him. It never got better between James and
Richard.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Within a couple of weeks, James and Rick had rented a shop space.
Located at what was called the “Golden Mall” in Burbank, which
was home to struggling boutique shops, questionable eateries and
liquor stores before the grand re-gentrification of the 1990s.
Homeless people shuffled around like zombies from a George Romero
movie in contrast to the nearly non-existent foot traffic from
shoppers.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
The space itself was not rated as a manufacturing zone (which is
what, technically, makeup effects studios are) which was evident by
many things. First of all, it was located upstairs, over a
used/collectible book shop. Next, most of the floors were carpeted.
At the top of the stairs was a large landing that must have been
designed as a reception or waiting area for whatever business <i>should</i>
have been conducted. There was one corridor than ran the width of
the building from front to back and on either side were rooms
(probably offices) with wood paneling. James assigned room-functions
(sculpting, mold-making, etc) and then assigned people into these
rooms.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Since the space was empty, the first order of business was building
tables. Our “runner” was also James and Rick's assistant, a
woman I had seen around campus at CalArts named Bobbi Heller. In
retrospect, I'm sure that it must have been a very frustrating job
for her to keep driving around Los Angeles picking up hardware and
supplies and returning to Burbank only to discover another 100 things
that had been forgotten, however, she didn't appreciate her all too
frequent trips back and forth to the hardware store.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
The tables, made primarily of 4' x 8' plywood on top of a 2”x4”
wood frame were designed by Larry Odien who had blown us all away
with his excellent portfolio that demonstrated unparalleled skill in
both the art and mechanical departments. A native-Californian and
ex-surfer, Larry was easy-going, enthusiastic, and an effective and
frequent problem-solver. Under Larry's direction, the rest of us cut
wood, drilled holes and bolted (rather than using screws or nails)
the heavy duty tables that would be burdened with large sculptures
and even larger molds.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Once all of the tables had been put into place and a small wooden
foam oven was built, we were all assigned duties and rooms and the
work began in earnest. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
While we waited for actors to be cast for the demon children, the
witch and the zombie-version of “Big Ben” (whose living
incarnation would be portrayed by actor Richard Moll), we began
working on things that we didn't necessarily need actors in order to
begin. Steve Burg, Howard “Howie” Weed, Brent Baker, Bill
Sturgeon and myself began sculpting creature gloves for a scene where
the protagonist, Roger Cobb (played by William Katt) would be
threatened by primarily unseen creatures on the other side of a
medicine cabinet.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
After a couple of days of casting each others arms, we began
sculpting. Meanwhile in the lobby area, Tracy and Barney Burman had
been set up with a long metal armature for a tentacle that was to
join the medicine cabinet creatures that would attack Roger Cobb.
However the most impressive of these projects was a Marlin fish wall
trophy that was to come to life.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
If there was one person that I would have to shine a light on and
dump praise upon during <i>House, </i>it might have to be Eric
Fiedler. Where it came to that Marlin, Eric was an impressive one-man
band.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>
</b><div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
<b>
Once he received a fiberglass taxidermy form of a Marlin, Eric went
straight to work sculpting. Within a short few days, he had the
sculpture completed, he made a quick mold of the eye area then began
the process of making a large resin eye that was expertly painted.
He molded the sculpture in fiberglass, cored the mold (again, using
fiberglass) molded the core (I could go on and on), etc...The bottom
line was that Eric nearly single-handed made that entire puppet and
it looked amazing.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
So for those of you reading this blog regularly, you see that I'm going into much more detail about certain projects and of course there will be links to photo and video galleries.</div>
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<b> </b></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">
Thanks to my family, my friends, my co-workers, my students and my fans. Time to begin another 30 years!</div>
Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-65307987160433224072014-04-27T17:08:00.000-07:002014-04-27T17:08:31.983-07:00To My VERY Valued Blog Readers:Hello Folks -<br />
<br />
I have to appeal to your sense of understanding when I say that even though I've been posting for years now, I still don't get the hang of all of the comments, advertising, etc associated with blogging. I've done my best but I'm sure it could have been better. That said, I want you all to know how much I appreciate your comments and your continued support and interest.<br />
<br />
So this is where I give you the good news/bad news:<br />
<br />
BAD NEWS: I think I'm going to discontinue this blog. Now before you get angry with me, let me explain. As you can, no doubt, tell, it takes me quite a while to sit down, scan photos, write up the chapters, etc. and time is money and I have very little of both these days. I really did start this blog for my memory (because I, too, used many exotic materials in my youth and there's no telling what kind of long-range damage was done) - I wanted to get it all down before I forgot it. So the problem is, how can I continue doing this without going deeper and deeper into debt. Here's my solution:<br />
<br />
GOOD NEWS: I'm going to publish a set of e-books. Now again, before you start torching me, calling me names, etc. each volume is going to be priced @ $9.50 - I'm asking for less than $10 for my story, my photos, and my home videos. That isn't TOO much to ask! That's skipping Starbucks for less than a week and you'll get more stories (not just a cheap re-printing of this blog), more photos, more video, more of everything. <br />
<br />
The First Volume entitled "I'm Rubber, You're Glue" will start with my Monster-Childhood and extend to PREDATOR. That means all of the movies you've been reading about in this blog will be covered a bit more and I'll post a page of photos that only YOU will have access to as a book-buyer. AND, there's no waiting for the book to be printed, etc. You can keep in on your hard drive, your i-pad, tablet, phone, however you read an e-book. <br />
<br />
The Second Volume will be "I'm STILL Rubber, You're STILL Glue" and it will span the years between PUMPKINHEAD and JURASSIC PARK! You'll hear stories about DANCES WITH WOLVES, LEVIATHAN, CHILD'S PLAY II and have access to photos and video.<br />
<br />
The Third Volume will be "I'm ALWAYS Rubber, You're ALWAYS Glue" and will start with my years at KNB EFX GROUP working on XENA/HERCULES up to working with Rick Baker on MEN IN BLACK III!!! So many fun stories, behind the scenes photos and video, and each book for less than $10.<br />
<br />
I really want this all to work so I'm hoping for your support. PLEASE let me know if I have it by sending a message here in this blog. If you think I'm being a jerk, let me know that too and I'll abandon the project.<br />
<br />
In any case, thanks so much for everything thus far. Your attention and interest keeps me going and I have SO MUCH to share with you all!<br />
<br />
Shannon SheaShannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-23520157356596946742013-12-22T23:42:00.001-08:002013-12-22T23:42:39.241-08:00Part 47: Will you EVER finish with THE PREDATOR?The race was on. We had new gloves to make, tons of dreadlocks to glue into heads, pieces had to be painted, the shop was in complete disarray which pissed off a couple of Stan's lifers. One late night, something had transpired - I wish I could recall exactly what it was now - but the result was that I lost my temper (which, believe it or not is something that I don't often do) and I punched a hole in the door leading from the sculpture room to the makeup room.<br />
<br />
What the HELL had I done? I loved working at Stan's and although at that moment the pressure was on, through my actions I had made "bad" - "WORSE!" I think a little squeak must have escaped my clenched esophagus because what happened next was an act of friendship that I will never forget -<br />
<br />
Without hesitation, Steve Wang mixed up some bondo, spatulated into the door and SCULPTED THE WOOD GRAIN PATTERN into the patch and when it set, Matt Rose MATCHED THE DOOR COLORS and painted the patch so it was imperceptible. They didn't make a big deal out of it, they just did it. At that moment - due to those actions - I knew we would be not just a team, but the kind of team that really had each other's backs. They say brothers are made on battlefields, the same can be said of people that unite on a film project when it appears the odds are against them. Steve and Matt are my "brothers" for life.<br />
<br />
The Predator suits were coming together. Pieces were hastily seamed, painted and coated with BJB SC-89 to enhance the colors and protect the paint jobs.<br />
<br />
Leslie Neumann appeared one day with the red-suit pieces and had made an extra body cover and gloves should something go wrong. She told me that she didn't know what to do with the backpack strapping so we would just have to tie it on with a piece of red spandex. It was a fantastic job and I was happy to get her some work while scratching something off of the list of things to do. I packed it into a cardboard box and put it with a growing stack of things that were to be sent via truck into Mexico.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVx684Ldn3LGcg1pYz6bLOQni9EzyDANC4jb8OXcG_lTYgXz3zXV0yuw2m2IGAHyzCMUQHbeWGCkAn4ZIrmdAMTlQxxEJJWeZGH3lN5MRhHFs9BivtiqkuO9XhQAjljwVZhOvr1ubEQAs/s1600/PredHeadPaint01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVx684Ldn3LGcg1pYz6bLOQni9EzyDANC4jb8OXcG_lTYgXz3zXV0yuw2m2IGAHyzCMUQHbeWGCkAn4ZIrmdAMTlQxxEJJWeZGH3lN5MRhHFs9BivtiqkuO9XhQAjljwVZhOvr1ubEQAs/s320/PredHeadPaint01.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alright Matt Rose! It looks fantastic! Get it into a BOX!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There were a couple of loose ends that had to be attended to - as I mentioned before, the Predator was going to perform emergency surgery on himself and although specialty prop maker Brent Scrivener had done an incredible job making this cool, motorized compartment containing surgical tools (one of which, Richard Landon had to re-configure from a "spreader" into a "clamp") we had to talk about BLOOD.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sv2sWwbZe_kB3Ls3ojFwjw_NiI_9esru14GPswg2qglBS4He1L9ZoexBO07f4toiaFirhXKcuh5GRbe0zdHJHinjYGwS2p6OztUTmS20hXOWirSqFU6Q5AcoEimiHSt0RONoGh_2oKs/s1600/IMG_3702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sv2sWwbZe_kB3Ls3ojFwjw_NiI_9esru14GPswg2qglBS4He1L9ZoexBO07f4toiaFirhXKcuh5GRbe0zdHJHinjYGwS2p6OztUTmS20hXOWirSqFU6Q5AcoEimiHSt0RONoGh_2oKs/s320/IMG_3702.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Propmaker extrordinaire, Brent Scrivener, built the medical pack - It could actually be filmed being removed from the backpack, but ultimately was only seen in this insert shot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Production had long before decided (and filmed shots where) the Predator's blood was ORANGE! Now, they wanted it orange but they wanted it to GLOW - especially in the dark. Oh, sure, now it would be as easy as rambling down to the local drug store, picking up some orange glow sticks and Bob's your uncle! Right?<br />
<br />
Wrong. This is 1987 (specifically January) and glow sticks are not just difficult to get just ANYWHERE but they only come in GREEN! After numerous phone calls back and forth to distributors, manufacturers, Joel Hynek in New York, Joel Silver in Los Angeles, the blood would HAVE to glow green. It would just HAVE to....After much brow-beating, Joel Hynek aquiesced and said that his team would rotoscope all of the orange shots, green - he wasn't happy about it. In hindsight, I wonder if he charged Joel Silver for overages? Hmmmmmm...<br />
<br />
Then, there was another issue: We were going to be in Mexico - specifically Palenque, Mexico which was close to the Yucatan Penninsula. It was warm in Los Angeles, but it was going to be very hot in Mexico. Kevin Peter Hall was concerned about being in a thick, foam rubber insulated suit and suggested (?), insisted (?) that we get him a "cool suit." Remember, this was 1987; who the hell knew what a cool suit was?<br />
<br />
Enter Chris Gillman of the Dilligent Dwarves prop building company (check out his blog here: <a href="http://diligentdwarves.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-never-suspected-i-would-start-blog-im.html">Diligent Dwarves</a>. He was friends with Kevin and had developed a mesh vest that had a serpentine pattern of vinyl tubes running through it. The tubes connected to a reservoir that held chilled water and spiralling through that reservoir was a coil of metal tubing that attached to quick disconnect fittings on either end. Propylene Glycol was pumped through the tubing essentially wicking off Kevin's body heat via the liquid and cooling it in the chamber and transferring cool water back to him. It was very ingenious. There was only one draw back - the unit was fairly large (about a 2 foot square) and a bit heavy (I think the unit weighed about 25 pounds or so). If we were going to be in a soundstage somewhere, I didn't think it would be an issue, but having Steve, Matt, Shane, Richard or I lugging this damn thing around seemed, let us say, unattractive.<br />
<br />
What I needed was brute strength and a great attitude! Someone who would lug this machine around the steamy Palenque jungle, stepping over vines and snakes with a smile on his face. But where? Where? OH YEAH, BRIAN SIMPSON!<br />
<br />
Steve and I made our case for the inclusion of Brian on the crew and Stan agreed and that's how a runner (technically) was brought to a film location and turned out to be a very, very valuable asset on such an iconic show. So the Predator on-set team was assembled.<br />
<br />
So now the questions started: When do we leave? Where are we staying? What is the location like? Will there be water to drink? All good questions and someone had to ask them. That someone was me. I called the production office in Los Angeles and spoke with the production coordinator, parroting many of the questions my colleagues had and asking a few of my own. She told me this: a.) We were going to the jungle. THE jungle. It is hot, full of bugs and snakes, and was a treacherous area to be in. Her suggestion, clothing wise, was to go to a surplus store and buy "rip-stop" pants, leather boots that went up to the ankle (in case a snake decided to bite), and fatigue shirts, hats, etc. I pretended to know what "rip stop" was, took down all of the necessary information and disseminated it to the crew.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, and we all need Passports. PASSPORTS?! This is when I learned that Hollywood can move mountains if it needs to. None of us had passports AND we needed work visas for Mexico. I had never been out of the country. Richard and Shane were good because they had been in England for ALIENS and still had their passports. I called the passport office on behalf of the crew to make appointments and was told that we could get them in THREE WEEKS! We didn't have three weeks. I made a call to the production office and was told that all of us going to Mexico without passports had to drive down the to Federal Building in West Los Angeles the next day to get our credentials.<br />
<br />
The first stop was a photo booth where we had to get pictures not only for our passports but for our work visas. Then, off to the Federal Building with our birth certificates (Thank God I had mine....I needed it to get married!). Within hours all of us had our new Passports. Three weeks.....THREE WEEKS?! This is Hollywood, baby! We need 'em in three minutes! <br />
<br />
About four or five days before we were due to leave, a big production truck showed up for us to pack. It had been outfitted per our request with a work bench and some racks and things to hold the suits up. It was to be our "home away from home" for the next couple of weeks. We packed everything and then packed everything else we could think of (including clay and plaster should we need to sculpt and mold things on location) that would get us through what was promised to be a very challenging shoot (you can see a shot of the truck behind the photo of Kevin and Stan in part 1)<br />
<br />
With everything packed and gone, there was nothing else to do but clean the shop up for the other Lifers (specifically, John, Alec, and Tom) who had begun pre-pre-prep on PUMPKINHEAD. We'll talk more about this later, but during the last few weeks of finishing the PREDATOR work, they had moved into the design room and had begun doing concept illustrations for Stan and the titular character. Much of our crew was laid off, but not before we assembled everyone for a crew photo in the front parking lot:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-p1sUmPbPkrZe3ZhQysBWkswXLb2Nc50ld1nkzbr5gCaJS4ENvu3N9QNH1gcRWzACxGmYYfXxCavhyphenhyphenw3GNFm0_-_UN56q29eXaaiI-ewcxyxH-gvwU0IteKb858l0rqO-rWIDNqvL4c/s1600/PredatorCrewPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-p1sUmPbPkrZe3ZhQysBWkswXLb2Nc50ld1nkzbr5gCaJS4ENvu3N9QNH1gcRWzACxGmYYfXxCavhyphenhyphenw3GNFm0_-_UN56q29eXaaiI-ewcxyxH-gvwU0IteKb858l0rqO-rWIDNqvL4c/s320/PredatorCrewPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Upper Left to Right: Screaming Mad George, Brian Simpson, Emilio Gonzales, Richard Landon, Brett Scrivener, Ed Yang, Grant Arndt. Middle Standing: Yours Truly, Jackie Tischner, Jackie Lancette. Bottom Kneeling Left to Right: Shane Mahan, Matt Rose, Stan Winston, Steve Wang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last stop was to an Army Surplus store in Northridge, California. We went as a group and started shopping for gear. I remember asking for rip stop and discovering that it was just that - fabric that had been woven in a specific way to stop a rip from spreading the way most fabrics do. I bought a couple of pairs of pants, a pair of long, black leather army boots (I felt ridiculous buying them but I thought "G.I. Joe - what the hell?"). I figured I'd wear T-shirts mostly, since the days would be hot, but purchased a camo vest (Why, Shannon, why?) and a floppy green hat that had the same silhouette as the hat Vincent Price wore in HOUSE OF WAX!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkieLGMmvTrPLaRQ7WllnV606w_Qx2p5GbgneHeVJ2KxKJ7x3Q8F5x2cPY12KlAsgwAW3yF-v6OXN55fTjrHAJnvHN7mYxqn59w0lp1VsC-9Le1wwudZTp_UeShNhtlrJRz5s6PLLpYbQ/s1600/HOWHat01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkieLGMmvTrPLaRQ7WllnV606w_Qx2p5GbgneHeVJ2KxKJ7x3Q8F5x2cPY12KlAsgwAW3yF-v6OXN55fTjrHAJnvHN7mYxqn59w0lp1VsC-9Le1wwudZTp_UeShNhtlrJRz5s6PLLpYbQ/s320/HOWHat01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it was this image that inspired the purchase of "My Lucky Hat"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju17lJrc9BCOMavYAg2FACvrZTfFZ13XC3hyfTMc_RjPsUSRX_FyaSqeRffAsa2Cl3n6aoJPODXRp8D21uJIWVQ4Y6Nctv-bFoielW_Lbj8LUTegcNsDXHNSoRupjGgxt5-btdWlpRbtA/s1600/AtTheRuins01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju17lJrc9BCOMavYAg2FACvrZTfFZ13XC3hyfTMc_RjPsUSRX_FyaSqeRffAsa2Cl3n6aoJPODXRp8D21uJIWVQ4Y6Nctv-bFoielW_Lbj8LUTegcNsDXHNSoRupjGgxt5-btdWlpRbtA/s320/AtTheRuins01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what I mean? When you see pictures of Stan wearing this hat, just know...it's MINE dammit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a cool hat. So cool that when we arrived in Mexico, Stan took it from me and wore it himself! But I'm getting ahead of myself (oooo, bad almost pun). I remember trying my "gear" on for my new wife and watching her laugh at me. I looked like I was going to a really dumb costume party. With my baby face, my love handles, and effects-guy mullet, I looked ridiculous. Still, it was what I had to wear in the jungle.<br />
<br />
Silly me.<br />
<br />
We met at the Los Angeles, International Airport early one morning in February 1987. We had our tickets, our passports, and our LUGGAGE. Matt Rose had packed a HUGE footlocker full of food and water, determined not to get sick or poisoned during our journey. Sheesh! Then he tells me that he's deathly afraid of flying. I thought he was kidding. He was not. He excused himself, went to an airport bar and got himself a drink to steady his nerves.<br />
<br />
On the plane, it became very apparent that Kevin was the "performer" and we were "the crew". We got on the plane and he sat in First Class and the rest of us made our way back to coach. Okay, so there WAS more leg room for Kevin, but then again, he was Screen Actor's Guild and according to the standard contract he HAD to fly first class. Little did I know that I would have MANY opportunities to enjoy the spoils of SAG later in my career.<br />
<br />
We landed in Mexico City (our first port of call on our way to Palenque) where we met our "contact" set up for us by production. I couldn't tell you his full name, but he introduced himself as "Harry" so he became "Airport Harry." Although a Mexican citizen, he not only spoke English VERY well, but was, if you pardon the expression, slicker than goose-sh*t. Harry met us at the gate, got us through immigration/customs, and then took us to the next gate (all of this was pre-911, when you could actually go to the gates without a boarding pass, but I digress). We shared a beer with Harry and he taught us some rude gestures and gave us some pointers like "Don't take ice that doesn't have a hole through the center of it, because that means it wasn't made with safe drinking water" (something to do with the freezing process), etc.<br />
<br />
Our next flight took us to a small airport in Villa Hermosa. We were met by a Mexican driver from production in a Volkswagen Van, the kind that are associated with hippies - the van, not the driver, and off we went to Palenque, and ADVENTURE!<br />
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Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-49489584066934164002013-09-17T20:05:00.000-07:002013-09-26T00:46:04.859-07:00Another Diversion from the Time Line - A Message to FansRecently, I've been accused of being "disgruntled", "angry", even a Practical Effects turn-coat. It seems that I'm in danger of having my "fan" card revoked. I think that much of this has to do with what many feel is my "bitching" about some of my experiences on different motion pictures either here on my blog, in comments that I've made on Facebook (my account, as of this writing, has been suspended), as well as blog/magazine interviews.<br />
<br />
Well folks, today is the day I set it all straight:<br />
<br />
<b>Is Shannon Shea a disgruntled makeup effects artist?</b> No.....and yes. One of the reasons I've started this blog is to give you a first-hand account, a personal account of what I experienced coming up through the ranks. Much of what happened was the result of the industry being fairly new, me being very young and immature, and the changing climate of Visual Effects altogether. But what I think fans - especially fans today - don't get is that this is not all one big party out here. This is work. Yes, we make monsters, have fun doing it, but at the end of the day it is commercial art. We have always had not just a responsibility to fans, but a very real responsibility to clients who pay us (never enough) money to execute effects for motion pictures.<br />
<br />
Sure, there are a lot of side things that happen, pranks, cartoons, short-films, personal projects, Halloween costumes that are a big part of the working environment, but at the end of the day, what we do is no different from any other manufacturing concern in the United States.<br />
<br />
So, you're knee-jerk reaction is probably - "Shannon Shea doesn't care about making monsters any more than some factory worker putting shoes together." That is simply untrue. I chose this profession. I've been a HUGE fan of dinosaurs, science-fiction, horror, and fantasy since I was a kid. Read the blog. Understand. But unlike SO many others who dreamed about pursuing this career, I got in my car and drove out of Louisiana to actually DO IT. And, I would hope that anyone who was designing shoes, cars, furniture, software, shampoo bottles, etc. was doing it BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT! Not, just for the money.<br />
<br />
If I was only interested in money, I can think of a million better, more effective ways of generating money than sitting in an un-air conditioned room, full of fiberglass dust and chemical fumes making monsters. I have done this because I love (still love) making monsters.<br />
<br />
The only reason I can be labeled disgruntled is because, from a purely personal stand-point, I think that the best years of practical effects were still on the horizon when digital solutions became the mainstay. Don't believe me? Look at WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (the live stage experience) or HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (the live stage experience) and tell me that you don't just gawk at how friggin' amazing it is. But....for some reason....producing this type of illusion is generally seen as not cost effective.<br />
<br />
Blame unions, blame untalented directors, blame whomever you want...practical effects are a very viable solution in the hands of courageous, mature-minded, clear-thinking filmmakers. Wimps need not apply.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpicwVfH_7qoYGHlrfdcNaEfFl4hy5J5fpVdeCZzTOqfTU2UvkgB7Df6R6Edobcqt5BrW_zG4wpigKzkeLdIIgPPP-_zrYfAgfhA_ep9ziErW7IY8ihQHQ4FRddhEpQ0kEBw4IFO-l0V4/s1600/BatmanReturns-031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpicwVfH_7qoYGHlrfdcNaEfFl4hy5J5fpVdeCZzTOqfTU2UvkgB7Df6R6Edobcqt5BrW_zG4wpigKzkeLdIIgPPP-_zrYfAgfhA_ep9ziErW7IY8ihQHQ4FRddhEpQ0kEBw4IFO-l0V4/s320/BatmanReturns-031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spraying glass micro-beads to this mockup penguin for BATMAN RETURNS. Not wearing a mask!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Why does Shannon criticize the work done in movies that so many of us love?</b> Do I? What? JURASSIC PARK<i>? </i> If all you ever seem to get from me is criticism than you are only listening to half of it. JURASSIC PARK<i> </i>was hard work. Yes, I did mention the project to Stan before anyone else. I got a hold of the UNPUBLISHED manuscript from Castle Rock productions through Greg Nicotero. No one had ever HEARD of "Jurassic Park" prior to that. I made a copy of the manuscript and gave it to my friend and dinosaur lover Mike Trcic. Stan had NO idea what we were talking about during TERMINATOR 2 because NO ONE had any idea what we were talking about, with the exception of the VERY few that read the manuscript. Those are the facts. Accept them, disregard them. You are free to believe whatever you want, but that is the truth.<br />
<br />
Now, if you are one of the super-fans out there who thinks that I have no right to say anything disparaging about the year and a half we spent making the world's first, full-scale, fully-animatronic, dinosaurs for a motion picture (no, I'm not counting the amazing dragon in SIEGFRIED because there was only one and it had a bunch of guys in it) then I'd ask you to do something: put yourself in my shoes while I tell you this quick story:<br />
<br />
I grew up LOVING dinosaurs. My love of monsters grew out of looking for photos of Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen's dinosaurs in <i>Famous Monsters of Filmland</i>. I had spent most of my life collecting toys, model kits, magazines, books, video tapes, everything I could about dinosaurs. It was my life's ambition to work on a project like LAND OF THE LOST or VALLEY OF GWANGI<i>.</i> So, imagine how I felt when I was told that I wasn't good enough, artistically, to key one of the main dinosaurs. I was 30 years old at the time. Full of piss and vinegar. Was I good enough? Probably not. But I doubt anyone is 100% self-aware and at the time it was a tremendous blow to my ego.<br />
<br />
But it wasn't just that. It was business also. While most of the crew went onto set for TERMINATOR 2, I babysat the shop, making sure the rest of the construction of the effects was getting done. Why should it matter? Because of the money. I was making significantly LESS money than my fellow set supervisors. When JURASSIC PARK<i> </i>arrived, I had 10 days, being paid as a puppeteer, on set. That, in comparison to the WEEKS others received. So....bitter? At the time....you bet. But wouldn't YOU be?<br />
<br />
When the <i>Jurassic Park</i> residual checks arrived, yes, I received a sizable amount of money, but nothing compared to my co-workers who could afford to put down payments on new homes (and, many of them were SINGLE and not raising a daughter). So....bitter? At the time....you bet. BUT....<br />
<br />
I grew up a bit.<br />
<br />
I realized what was really important to me artistically and that was creating - not just being a pair of hands making things for clients, but creating stuff for myself. I've made short films, painted, made and sold prints of my art, sculpted, produced a web series, written scripts for stage and film, acted and yes, even learned some 2D digital skills.<br />
<br />
So why am I perceived as such a grouch? Because I won't drink the Kool-Aide. I refuse to. I know what it is like to have $10 in my pocket and need to figure out how to make a zombie for a short film. I know what it is like to have hours in order to make and shoot a miniature cave set. I don't complain. I love doing it. But when you ask me to praise a $200 million dollar film with an army of digital artisans that have had two decades of technical development, visual reference and inspiration for their efforts my response is: Why should I be impressed? It was THEIR JOB to make those visual effects, and unlike folks who are making things in their garages or living rooms (I'm looking at you Miguel Ortega), these large VFX concerns have a responsibility to turn in digital effects that are at least on par with whatever the last enormous Hollywood Tent Pole Digital Epic was. There is little innovation past new software and user interfaces. Visually, the work is looking repetitive. So just BECAUSE there's a star ship crashing into San Francisco bay doesn't mean I have to wet my pants over it. It SHOULD look good. It had BETTER look good for as much money as they spent on the shot.<br />
<br />
I'm not a grouch. I'm a realist. And before you bang on about all of the talented people who flatten their asses moving pixels around, I get it. I've seen enough people flattening their asses pushing clay around and let me tell you....with little exception (and there are exceptions) most of those artists do it FOR THE MONEY. They expect to be WELL PAID let me tell you. If all of these folks loved their work so much, wouldn't they do it for free?! Isn't that what actors do now? It's all for "the love of the craft" the money is secondary. That's what the actor's union would want you to believe, otherwise our residual structure, and health care would at least be on par with what it was 20 years ago!!!!!<br />
<br />
I am nothing if not encouraging to new talent. Yes, a few folks have sent in over-exposed, out of focus photos of blood poured over their friends and have asked me how to work in movies (and how much they would be paid - seriously!) and to those folks I'm honest. I point out how much competition there is out there compared to what it was like 30 years ago. I point out that they have to bring their "A" game each and every day. Learn the craft! Learn the history! You have to now. It isn't a suggestion; it is a requirement.<br />
<br />
Some folks say that I am dismissive about relocating to Los Angeles to find work in a studio. The accuse me of trying to "hang on to my job" and am discouraging competition. I have a secret. I don't have a job. I'm freelance and now do so much more than pouring urethane in an effects lab. The reason I'm discouraging is because I receive at least 20 legitimate inquiries a year and I know too many people out of work to burden the industry further. Sure, if you are a trust-fund kid and don't NEED money, by all means COME ON OUT! Be an intern, work all day and get no pay, if that suits you. But when your request comes with "How much money will I get paid when I come out to work?" then forget it. This is a discussion for another entry, but I think you get my meaning.<br />
<br />
This, however, has little to do with the hundreds of students I've encouraged in person and on the Internet. I LOVE seeing great work and I LOVE seeing the enthusiasm that comes with youth. I encourage anyone and everyone who wants to make monsters to do so. I still LOVE Halloween and every year, like a moth to the flame you can find me at Michael's, Jo-Ann's, Target, and of course, Halloweentown browsing around, getting inspired by what is being offered for the season. And when I see that someone has taken that extra step decorating their yard, then I can be an annoying stalker. I respect the effort that went into it, the creativity, and the commitment. <br />
<br />
See? Does this sound like a grouch?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeERcrglSVbGKl7C4rjFR165frkHqJTq1nXz_tIMNtgruglG2LqgfH9KPVxU7cCvaKN1IP-lsQ2RsymxCZkiX8BtNFEtaqkamY0US-6dmSkJujyo8VAC-b2wKq9c_Q38fq27i8bnN8YY/s1600/FullSizeBabyTriceratopsHeadbeingPainted01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeERcrglSVbGKl7C4rjFR165frkHqJTq1nXz_tIMNtgruglG2LqgfH9KPVxU7cCvaKN1IP-lsQ2RsymxCZkiX8BtNFEtaqkamY0US-6dmSkJujyo8VAC-b2wKq9c_Q38fq27i8bnN8YY/s320/FullSizeBabyTriceratopsHeadbeingPainted01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is as far as I was allowed to paint the full-sized baby Triceratops head for JURASSIC PARK; somehow I have no right to feel disappointed that I was not allowed to bring it to fruition.</td></tr>
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<b>Shannon, why are you not in support of Practical Effects anymore?</b> Who said THAT? Because I don't run around condemning digital effects I'm a turn-coat? As you have already read, I don't praise them emptily either. I will always love and produce practical effects where ever I can. If a script or a shot can be done in the camera, that's what my aim is. However, only a fool throws out the advances that digital effects can bring. Removing Ralph Fiennes nose in HARRY POTTER... that was cool. Davy Jones in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN....come on....f-ing excellent. AND, yes, the dinosaurs in the JURASSIC PARK series. I love them all. I love the bugs in STARSHIP TROOPERS....I do.<br />
<br />
But this does not make me a turn-coat.<br />
<br />
There's a new GODZILLA movie coming out. I have no idea what the plan is. But show me collapsing digital buildings and a digital monster and I don't care how realistic it is....yawn time. I've seen it. I keep seeing it. I'd rather see a state-of-the-art suit with model buildings, high-speed cameras and PYROTECHNICS!<br />
<br />
I'm no turn-coat.<br />
<br />
I've produced two ULTRA low budget films this year and I've hired practical effects folks both times. Yes, they were fairly new to the industry and I didn't pay them tons of money, however, they delivered 100% and I couldn't be more proud of them. I've done very little 2-D digital animation, and some compositing but that, in my opinion, is what the computer excels at: it is a HELL of an optical printer.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8BkjlSTPxMERbosL9I5waF_sVa5IwbFp1wIZvdHiMYrMOr8aoDL9Bm8ncbhkUCU7Gia-saR81PAXwBfFRqWDJuIyFTW4_P7b-coAIm6sFDUcEcj2PayCEDZ5vBFHCUVDH2bl7FZoh9g/s1600/MakeupTent01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8BkjlSTPxMERbosL9I5waF_sVa5IwbFp1wIZvdHiMYrMOr8aoDL9Bm8ncbhkUCU7Gia-saR81PAXwBfFRqWDJuIyFTW4_P7b-coAIm6sFDUcEcj2PayCEDZ5vBFHCUVDH2bl7FZoh9g/s320/MakeupTent01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Makeup Effects tent on SCREAM AT THE DEVIL - All practical, all fantastic!</td></tr>
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So to sum up - I had some rough times coming up through the industry. I know many of you want to hear "OHHhhhhhh, everything was GREAT! It was all GREAT! Everyone was friendly and supportive and ready to help me at every turn." While there were many moments that happened, there were equal (if not more times) that I fell victim to ego, immaturity, greed, envy, exclusion, by myself and others. It's not a pretty picture, but it is the truth, and at least with me, I'll give you my version of the truth as I experienced it, not some white-washed, jazzed-up press release story. You all deserve to hear my truth but have the responsibility to draw your own conclusions and decide whether I was victim to my own demons or the stupidity of others.<br />
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I'm not a crank. I've said it before: I like what I like. You like what you like. When we disagree we should spend less time trying to convince the other that our particular opinion is anything more than that...our opinion. So go piss theater seats watching over-blown digital nonsense...I'll piss my couch watching VALLEY OF GWANGI. I'm still a die-hard fan of the stuff I love.<br />
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I'm no turn-coat. I'm a practical effects guy through and through, but I do recognize the necessity for digital effects when it is necessary, not when it is a crutch.<br />
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Lastly, if being a fan means that I'm required to stuff my flabby body into a pair of Hawkman wings, or automatically like any sequel, remake, re-imagining of any genre film, television series, comic book, web-series or novel because "it is good for the genre so it will generate more work for the industry" then do me a favor - revoke my card. Supporting crap is supporting crap. I don't care how phenomenal the effects are, I don't care from whom it came, SHOW ME SOMETHING GOOD DAMN IT! Not "comparatively good." Someone recently told me that the new responsibility of the fan is to "find something redeeming" in every genre film. F-that! It's not MY responsibility to wade through shit to find a Snicker's Bar.<br />
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I choose to not climb into the shit pit.<br />
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ADDENDUM:<br />
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Hey folks, just wanted to share some of my practical effects work on SCREAM AT THE DEVIL. First, we need a shot of gathering storm clouds, so we MADE them with polyfil:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b6WwXHdYSsGX1KNOwNQMtONxHTUSxyu8T_Fz10tLQZm7xlGDNzvK-rYnReIIla_mUNSY-s3IhAlH5R_SeB22sqh6EoV8jeHd4XDrk1XP_qM1T0w7GAy7Z6jrUjBrQaw9FqDfqCAVwS8/s1600/PolyfilClouds01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b6WwXHdYSsGX1KNOwNQMtONxHTUSxyu8T_Fz10tLQZm7xlGDNzvK-rYnReIIla_mUNSY-s3IhAlH5R_SeB22sqh6EoV8jeHd4XDrk1XP_qM1T0w7GAy7Z6jrUjBrQaw9FqDfqCAVwS8/s320/PolyfilClouds01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghswJiDE_L1UTIW6etbKK7O5uHWoTzR4ZV-5nMs9eHILT91v9QX759DXfbMcirVP3xjBNLIqNBds1-vNmY67I8H5kZuibjwPhvN3HDI4Di9CVx7MKKuqo9EWjGbUf0eB7GEokwCkFFYqA/s1600/ThunderClouds01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghswJiDE_L1UTIW6etbKK7O5uHWoTzR4ZV-5nMs9eHILT91v9QX759DXfbMcirVP3xjBNLIqNBds1-vNmY67I8H5kZuibjwPhvN3HDI4Di9CVx7MKKuqo9EWjGbUf0eB7GEokwCkFFYqA/s320/ThunderClouds01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom picture shows the "lightning" effect by inserting small light bulbs into the polyfil cloud!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We also needed a quick shot of HELL, so, I made this miniature in director, Joseph Stachura and actor Shari Shattuck's garage:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcpVl2ose3u6Z3jNcAaXxK1Zgjhr_dGwmIrK_vYo1ESfl3PaslMm54uZsuqmlLjT6lw1IldZckUi1e1vM5u-f5btUInMgjFWiJWFyEFwlkjVq1S5sDCY4U7jeu8m31417PrMox8CYzQU/s1600/HellMiniature02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcpVl2ose3u6Z3jNcAaXxK1Zgjhr_dGwmIrK_vYo1ESfl3PaslMm54uZsuqmlLjT6lw1IldZckUi1e1vM5u-f5btUInMgjFWiJWFyEFwlkjVq1S5sDCY4U7jeu8m31417PrMox8CYzQU/s320/HellMiniature02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait till you see what comes out of the PIT!!! All practical! Not digital at all!</td></tr>
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So, the practical effects continue! And for the moment, so do I.<br />
Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-44344476498578263232013-03-04T13:16:00.000-08:002013-12-21T13:54:50.520-08:00Part 46: The Saga of THE PREDATOR, Part 2Never had I seen two individuals whom artistically work so well together have such divergent work styles. While Matt Rose would sit in front of his Predator head sculpt, wearing headphones and listening to Ronnie James Dio cassettes, Steve Wang would have pop music (I can recall Janet Jackson, for sure) playing out on the studio's sound system while he worked. It wasn't unusual for Steve to step back away from what he was sculpting to demonstrate a dance step or two. No. I'm not kidding. But under the circumstances, what else was there to do? Fret? I was doing that for everyone, including Stan. As I understood it, my ass was on the line. Steve and Matt, having head-strong youth on their sides, were indefatigable machines working non-stop for hours and staying much later than any one else on the crew.<br />
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During the show, our runner, Jackie Lancette, was bumped into the front office to do clerical work and needing a new runner, Brian Simpson was hired. Brian was Drone Performer, Doug Simpson's younger brother who aspired to be a stuntman like his brother, but hadn't established himself in the industry yet. I had worked with runners before and since and I can say that Brian was the absolute best of the best.<br />
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None of us condoned speeding to pick up supplies, but Brian was somehow able to find, pick up, and in some cases, substitute correctly one product for another in about one half of the time I had ever experienced it before. Not only that, but he didn't care or grouse when he was sent to the same hardware store 5 different times in one day. There was no bullshit with Brian. He just....did. Believe me, it was a blessing.<br />
<br />
Matt had roughed in the head and it was evident that he would have to remove the mandibles and sculpt them as an appliance to be attached afterward. From being able to detail the inside of the fleshy membranes to sliding the finished foam-latex over the mechanics, it was definitely the best way to go. Matt made the mold on the Predator head, himself (with assistance from a couple of us). For those of you who like to know these things it was an Ultracal 30 mother mold with GI-1000 (silicone) poured into it. It was a BIG mold and I can still remember Matt sliding the stone mold pieces into place before sealing it up and beginning to pour the silicone.<br />
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We ran lots of foam latex in silicone molds in those days with good results. Most of the time, moisture and steam would be alleviated by utilizing a stone core, or a fiberglass core that had been peppered with tiny vent holes. Whenever silicone molds were baked, the temperature of the oven was reduced to about 160 to 180 degrees and the molds were baked for 8 to 10 hours in some cases. The only problem was that if too many runs were necessary, the silicone began to turn white (instead of its customary blue hue) and break down.<br />
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As Matt was sliding the mother mold into place, he nicked his sculpture (I would indicate where, but I like to keep that information secret - that way when people tell me that they have somehow managed to get a pull from the original Predator head mold, I can look at it in a second and know whether or not it is genuine).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67JhS_DcPji-_FBbmdkGydX-Mu8x3CrTSMmvktTuqhV8WRxgdKKGyHm_9P9KQox7UigbwJxdnt24xy5h4YuzlfOp7O3Oeox6YFy4Y_GbME2LF9fQi4S7LemzSbCZcXvePCGQfs9_K1EQ/s1600/PredheadCast001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67JhS_DcPji-_FBbmdkGydX-Mu8x3CrTSMmvktTuqhV8WRxgdKKGyHm_9P9KQox7UigbwJxdnt24xy5h4YuzlfOp7O3Oeox6YFy4Y_GbME2LF9fQi4S7LemzSbCZcXvePCGQfs9_K1EQ/s320/PredheadCast001.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black self-skinning soft urethane casting of Matt's Predator head. Steve Wang and Grant Arndt look on in horror!</td></tr>
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When the mold was opened a quick stone positive was poured out to the lower face area so that Matt could begin sculpting the mandibles. While he was waiting for the positive to be cast, he turned his attention to an unfortunate problem. The feet, having been sculpted prior to the body being completely finished, did not extend up the leg far enough (and consequently, there were other aesthetic issues). Matt jumped in and re-sculpted the feet.<br />
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Meanwhile, Steve was furiously busy sculpting and building the Predator weapons. Using a combination of clay and model parts, he constructed the cannon which was molded in silicone and cast in very thin fiberglass.<br />
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The casting was turned over to Dave Kindlon who was busy mechanizing the gun mount so it could be puppeteered. The idea was that the Predator's helmet and gun were tied together. As the Predator shifted his focus and attention, the shoulder cannon would automatically focus on what he was looking at. Of course, in 1986, we didn't have the know-how to make this happen automatically, but it would be executed by coordinating and rehearsing Kevin Peter Hall's movements so the puppeteer could anticipate and move the cannon accordingly.<br />
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An on-going disagreement had existed between mechanics in just about every studio and the people that ran the foam-latex skins. If the foam rubber was too dense, like it had been on MONSTER SQUAD, it did two things that mechanics hated: It limited the movement of the mechanics and burned out servo motors. After receiving the first test skin of the head (which was akin to shoe rubber) I set out to insure that I would hear no complaints from the mechanical department. Having extensive experience running foam latex and having been frustrated along with everyone else at the dense MONSTER SQUAD foam, I took a look a what was being done in the foam room and discovered a very basic problem - too much foam was being run in the mixers. Since the raw chemicals would fill nearly 1/3 of the bowl, when the high-speed mixing began, the volume would reach the top of the bowl quickly without whipping enough air into it. Hence, the result was dense foam.<br />
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I initiated a new formulation that would put a smaller amount of the chemicals into the mixer and whip it until it reached the top of the bowl and the result was a super-light foam latex that enabled the servos to move it with little resistance. While that served the head, the body was a different issue. Since the armor had been sculpted onto the body, we ran small amounts of dense foam, poured it into the armor sections, let it gel, pushed it down to make it even DENSER, then ran a softer foam for the skin sections. Because of the time constraints, we knew we would only be able to run two suits for the entire shoot.<br />
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Ah, yes, the entire shoot -- let's address that now. Originally, we were told that this was to be a 5 day pick-up shot week just to put the creature into the completed film (by and large, the film WAS completed). What could we possibly need more than two suits, right? Oh, yes, and for much of the film, the Predator would be optically camouflaged which meant that instead of our cosmetic suit, he would have to wear a red spandex suit that had the basic silhouette of the creature.<br />
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Enter Joel Hynek of Robert Abel and Associates. Quick VFX history lesson - Bob Able was New York based and had established a reputation for producing unique, strange, visually arresting commercials, especially in the 70's.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pfloPU6VpKc" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Since I was an effects nerd, I knew of their reputation and was looking forward to working with them. Again, be careful what you wish for! In all fairness, everyone was just trying to do their jobs with a difficult schedule and challenging effects.<br />
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Now that I'm older and more experienced, the thought of having to track a figure running through the jungle, removing the red element out and having to produce the displacement effect via traditional animation and optical printing techniques would make my head pop like I was being scanned! Then, however, I was a stupid 24 year-old kid who, although I was a fan, had big logistical head aches of my own!<br />
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I had to figure out how the red suit was going to be made and more importantly who was available to do it! Then I remembered my friend Leslie Neumann.<br />
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Leslie was married to my friend, composer, Drew Neumann with whom I had attended CalArts (in the experimental animation program). Leslie had worked at a place called Shafton's (that may be spelled incorrectly) and had been instrumental in building walk-around character costumes but when I contacted her, she was basically working out of her house from project to project. I discussed what we needed for the show and she agreed to meet me at the studio.<br />
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With the clock ticking, we knew that there were going to have to be some compromises. The first, most obvious one was having to sacrifice the Predator's "dreds" represented in the red suit. It wasn't that we didn't have some solutions to how to do it; it was that we really didn't have the time to test and build yet a fourth set of dreadlocks when we were rushing to just to finish the other three Predator heads.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsyLEl3g0JSks8_ry4HY4dhqUIedi0kBeU3QFx-Y_2Yq6RmIusjrGgPQ2UMig4v7nkEONAxg3B56R2X_PTd6dYuPvwryWCiOvxqR5fJApYrGix6Se4iazZtFlEZLsdk7xmgRJKedMicQ/s1600/SteveandEddie01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsyLEl3g0JSks8_ry4HY4dhqUIedi0kBeU3QFx-Y_2Yq6RmIusjrGgPQ2UMig4v7nkEONAxg3B56R2X_PTd6dYuPvwryWCiOvxqR5fJApYrGix6Se4iazZtFlEZLsdk7xmgRJKedMicQ/s320/SteveandEddie01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Wang supervises Eddie Yang as he trims and trims Pred-dreds! My grey camera bag sits on the counter behind them.</td></tr>
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I spent a lot of time on the phone with Joel Hynek discussing all of these issues prior to our showing up on set. After all, since Joel had been part of the Puerto Vallarta shoot, he had the practical experience and had indicated the type and color of the material Leslie would be building the red suit out of, as well as the fabric paint (Design Master brand - sold at Michael's) that we would need to have on set for painting out any stains that (we knew) would occur.<br />
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A simple set of polyfoam pieces were given to Leslie, along with a body form, and she went back to her house to begin sewing and assembling.<br />
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Now in the midst of all of this activity, some very important things happened - Stan became attached to a film as a director. For years, Stan had fantasized about directing his first film. Among them was one that he had developed, co-written, and with the help of his crew had done an incredible amount of art/sculptural work for entitled MORGOOLUM. However, MORGOOLUM would have to wait as Stan was being given the opportunity to direct PUMPKINHEAD, a script by Gary Gerani and Mark Carducci.<br />
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Without going too much into PUMPKINHEAD at this point, what is important is that Stan called his lifers back from their vacations to begin the design process while the PREDATOR crew continued pushing forward.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_uo9IXgekz3qLS5i5h6ewj0tFOpkDghlz7_fCD6eJBLM8MmpuW1boGPr0zQqCJ9enD-V-qGxrxnPdclB6IJCu7J_gmFrXUdIxQitfnjQtUqN8a7WJpuR3X3rrkybX06ZjoVAfPdvQbs/s1600/PredFiberglassBackPack01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_uo9IXgekz3qLS5i5h6ewj0tFOpkDghlz7_fCD6eJBLM8MmpuW1boGPr0zQqCJ9enD-V-qGxrxnPdclB6IJCu7J_gmFrXUdIxQitfnjQtUqN8a7WJpuR3X3rrkybX06ZjoVAfPdvQbs/s320/PredFiberglassBackPack01.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Predator Back Pack run in black fiberglass, awaiting gun mechanics and finishing!</td></tr>
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Earlier that year, my girlfriend, Tracy, and I had been burned by the IRS to the tune of $3500 (which was a lot of money for two twenty-somethings in 1986). Our accountant had told us that we would have cut that amount in half if only we were married and not living together. We decided, quite unromantic, that we should make the time and get hitched.<br />
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Knowing that Thanksgiving weekend was coming up and it would be the only 4 consecutive days off between November and February, we went to the L.A. County Courthouse and got married the Wednesday before Thanksgiving- the 26th of November, 1986 . And, just because Tracy and I took four days off didn't mean Matt or Steve did. They were back to work on Friday and continued to work through the weekend.<br />
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When I returned to the studio on Monday morning, I was surprised to see some new faces working there including Screaming Mad George who was painting a fiberglass Predator helmet that Matt had sculpted.<br />
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By now, I'm sure that most of you know that the iconic helmet or "mask" of the Predator underwent changes during the build. Yes, production had given us a piece of artwork that has been attributed by veteran VFX artist/designer/supervisor Alan Munro:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI4KrS48js_8DS1EemT1ByjfI2XDkQjY4vANo9TcfjwH4D6u17DOw7v8oVtgmc5CoukTvG8KuEVWGgsbguDIZLM_BXBrfiqvbVhyphenhyphenlcTBm2cuGj8NymKPtL2WJC41BGqIwnq0mIlU6eMU/s1600/AlanMunro01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI4KrS48js_8DS1EemT1ByjfI2XDkQjY4vANo9TcfjwH4D6u17DOw7v8oVtgmc5CoukTvG8KuEVWGgsbguDIZLM_BXBrfiqvbVhyphenhyphenlcTBm2cuGj8NymKPtL2WJC41BGqIwnq0mIlU6eMU/s320/AlanMunro01.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got this image PRIOR to beginning the work. Yes Alan did have some influence over the final design.</td></tr>
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However, we weren't following Alan's design to the letter and so Matt sculpted the first mask to be intimidating, beautiful, and yet look somewhat functional. If you have never seen it, here is a photo of the Predator wearing Matt's first mask:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCkGoTY6KL8o2G9rOnARzq4OlJiw2oPX8YisPIvQDAv3Pxg449PDygAru_oHLLoK4_hT-vkknKUaUSaYsXfXhqmUB8JhraogF9C3hmOHxWPnuNOu6IiBp8SByh07gFRsS41bB8TuB8C4/s1600/PredOriginalHelmet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCkGoTY6KL8o2G9rOnARzq4OlJiw2oPX8YisPIvQDAv3Pxg449PDygAru_oHLLoK4_hT-vkknKUaUSaYsXfXhqmUB8JhraogF9C3hmOHxWPnuNOu6IiBp8SByh07gFRsS41bB8TuB8C4/s320/PredOriginalHelmet01.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't it lovely?!</td></tr>
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But that wasn't the only element that would be changed. Steve and Matt fresh off their success with the Gillman from MONSTER SQUAD had sculpted individual finger cups that served as nails and finger extensions to give the predator long, thin, spindly fingers.<br />
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Production was going to stop by to see our progress, putting Kevin into the suit. I'll never forget Steve Wang showing me a photo of a locust and telling me that he was going to use it as inspiration for the paint job. In my ignorance, I didn't understand, but it would be an industry changer -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAPWxouIQZI6Or84xlI3PBYwRCuJOQj8KhwYrcFbj8ajGachA03_ro4876mGhXFdlG2KspKm5z5XmhgaKxSZnXCcxGvWffjNj6Af1wgflfH7htfHcpZwbyjaQelYaYp9APaf0GLzgqOM/s1600/DesertLocust1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAPWxouIQZI6Or84xlI3PBYwRCuJOQj8KhwYrcFbj8ajGachA03_ro4876mGhXFdlG2KspKm5z5XmhgaKxSZnXCcxGvWffjNj6Af1wgflfH7htfHcpZwbyjaQelYaYp9APaf0GLzgqOM/s320/DesertLocust1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't THIS photo, but one like it that Steve showed me in a book!</td></tr>
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Steve began painting the body while Matt turned the mandible sculpture over to the mold department.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpW7GkGxuAlbMUHPg2YpFfE6Hk-zx9vKekh7Pk0d1UEKXFCpGSX760j6gewgCQJTqrFjQTacTK1xqnwNrnCFEnmF5C2rF7Kr-QRy3Il2PpU0rHGx4xzCYZ7JzzCIc59oRywKaE4Nq06o/s1600/unpaintedPredsuit01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpW7GkGxuAlbMUHPg2YpFfE6Hk-zx9vKekh7Pk0d1UEKXFCpGSX760j6gewgCQJTqrFjQTacTK1xqnwNrnCFEnmF5C2rF7Kr-QRy3Il2PpU0rHGx4xzCYZ7JzzCIc59oRywKaE4Nq06o/s320/unpaintedPredsuit01.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The foam latex suit ready for painting!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP7vPJTtnZsrmL7zHha1wU28cqaxQEGdlk7VL_empfPaX_he27dp_KEHeg3ZBNRovVmalLFYTZ8wvcXsT-YO88RRMFMGtrCtTPBIdH7J2pQySolPhLkCXvYg9soD1tq2TE2e5GrI55O0/s1600/StevePainting01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP7vPJTtnZsrmL7zHha1wU28cqaxQEGdlk7VL_empfPaX_he27dp_KEHeg3ZBNRovVmalLFYTZ8wvcXsT-YO88RRMFMGtrCtTPBIdH7J2pQySolPhLkCXvYg9soD1tq2TE2e5GrI55O0/s320/StevePainting01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve paints the body. BTW - Check out what he's painting it with - A Paache "H" airbrush!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Richard Landon, supplied with fiberglass under skulls, soft foam rubber test skins and acrylic teeth had begun to mechanize the head. I recall that he fit 9 servos into the hero head that controlled brow movement, a cheek "squint" and the mandibles open and closed. When he demonstrated the mechanics to Stan, the lower mandibles opened but did not spread out away from the mouth. Stan asked that Richard add the movement in the 11th hour and with no more room in the head, he accomplished the engineering using an external servo that was about the size of a baseball. I remember him handing us the finished mechanics with the servo hanging from two cables on either side and saying, "Sorry, you're going to have to hide this somewhere.<br />
<br />
Luckily, the foam in the back of the suit was so thick, that we could skive an area out for the servo to slide into perfectly.<br />
<br />
On the day of the Los Angeles (technically, it would be Northridge, California) fitting, producer Joel Silver, director John McTiernan, and Kevin Peter Hall showed up at Stan's. We suited him up with as much as we had finished which was a suit, a pair of unpainted hands with the finger extensions, and a test, stunt head that Steve had painted but had no dreadlocks on it. <br />
<br />
As we stepped back and looked at the creature, we noticed that some things were going to have to change instantly. Kevin, although his fingers looked long and spider-leg-like, was having difficulty handling the weapons and holding onto the little tools in his medical pack. New gloves would need to be sculpted, molded, run, seamed and painted immediately. Also, originally there was to be a sword handle sticking out of the backpack close to the gun. You can see the "curve" of the blade represented by the curve of the backpack (which always reminded me of a shrimp for some reason). But when Kevin turned his head to the left, the protrusion of the Predator's muzzle would smack right into the handle of the sword so it was eliminated.<br />
<br />
From a trivia point of view - there were two fiberglass swords that were run and painted. They ended up hanging, blades crossed on the wall of our truck when we got to Mexico. Look closely in behind-the-scenes photos and videos and you can see them hanging there.<br />
<br />
Then, we put Matt's original helmet on to show them. Joel hated it instantly. He said that part of the mystery of the Predator was that first he was "invisible" then next when we see him, he's wearing a mask, and finally he takes the mask off to reveal the face. Matt's design "tipped the hand" too much revealing what was going on underneath. Matt, Steve, and I didn't agree. We loved Matt's mask, but being professional, commercial artists, a new mask had to be sculpted AND FAST! Our deadline was approaching.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah - something else. When Kevin put the suit on the crotch of it looked weird. Remember how I said that Steve had raised the belt line on the suit to give Kevin the illusion of having longer legs and a shorter torso? Well, now it was evident. Something had to be done. Grabbing a sheet of suede fabric, Steve created a quick loin cloth that not only covered most of the front (with the exception of the metallic codpiece) but the behind which looked like a pair of silver hot pants was camouflaged as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3a5_fLapAL_01uUNgZXR2cFQmtXSr9NKbR1vEblHksujtiEMp0Xk5x5Q5epiCDI_5ONuliihTn1yX00hIPslUyY1cE0eGJZAXulkT3Qk_PdpV6pHhVrXdTy_HN8bSlbgQxJ7qXjw0SY/s1600/MattandShane01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3a5_fLapAL_01uUNgZXR2cFQmtXSr9NKbR1vEblHksujtiEMp0Xk5x5Q5epiCDI_5ONuliihTn1yX00hIPslUyY1cE0eGJZAXulkT3Qk_PdpV6pHhVrXdTy_HN8bSlbgQxJ7qXjw0SY/s320/MattandShane01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Rose begins sculpting the new mask as Shane Mahan looks on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meanwhile, I called production and asked what the location was like. They told me that it was jungle. Not Hollywood-fake jungle - no, REAL jungle. They suggested that we prepare ourselves by purchasing military boots and rip-stop pants.<br />
<br />
What the hell were we in for?<br />
<br />
(Quick note: If you enjoy this blog, please take the time to check out our nomination of "Best Blog" on the <a href="http://www.rondoaward.com/rondo/rondos.html">Rondo Awards</a> and VOTE! Thanks!)<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-52285894579265371712013-02-25T15:26:00.000-08:002013-02-25T15:42:32.658-08:00A quick sidetrack before we return to our story...In 1992, I met with freelance photographer, Louis Psihoyos, who was working on assignment for National Geographic magazine. The assignment was that they would travel around the world and dig up (no pun intended) all of the new information about dinosaurs. He and his friend/assistant John Knoebber had stopped by Stan Winston studios to photograph the dinosaur construction. In his hands Louis had a digital 35mm camera - one of the first. I asked him what it was like not having film in the camera and he told me (then) that it made him a little nervous. He no longer had control of the negatives he shot (which was how photographers maintained control over the images they captured) and explained that once the image had been interpreted by a computer, making a duplicate would not result in any loss of image quality (which would happen if you traditionally re-photographed a photograph using film to make a new negative). Those words struck a chord with me.<br />
<br />
Most everyone in Hollywood (and in the world) has embraced digital technology and it has thrown incredible tools into the hands of many creative people who, otherwise, would find creating cost prohibitive.<br />
<br />
That is good. Right? Anyone who had the guts to pick up a Super 8mm camera (that's right, I said GUTS) and shoot a few days of crude stop-motion animation, knows what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
It used to be that you would buy a roll of film for about $7 (which was expensive), build your puppets, sets, and props, shoot the animation only to discover upon development that it was full of "flash frames" or parts of it were out of focus. And that was that. The person working at the drug store where you had it developed didn't care - you still had to pay the $7 (in the 1970's mind you) to have it processed. You, essentially LOST $14 and to many of us, that was MONTHS of allowance!<br />
<br />
These days, all you need to do is grab your laptop, plug your camera in and start capturing frames. You can look at them in a series, perfect the movement, make corrections - anything - all through the miracle of digital photography. Heck, I'll even go so far as to say that digital photography SAVED stop-motion animation. With a new generation of film artists raised on instant-gratification, stop-motion is no longer a "blind visual effect" the results of which would traditionally be seen only AFTER the film returned from a lab.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, for 40+ years, makeup artists were pushing the envelope of what could be accomplished with prosthetics to change the appearance of an actor into a character or in some cases a monster. Dissatisfied with limiting their vision to heads and hands, they began to branch out and construct full-bodied creatures. When that didn't satisfy movie audiences, intricate puppets were constructed and photographed.<br />
<br />
Laugh all you want, but when you stop and consider the man-hours needed to create a Godzilla film from the 1960's AND the risk it must have been to shoot it all on film with high-speed cameras, it staggers the imagination.<br />
<br />
Why? Because a team of artists and technicians had to build cities and vehicles in perfect scale WITHOUT the use of a computer. A team of people had to be confident enough in their skills to set miniature explosives and rig those buildings to come apart on cue. And if it DIDN'T work - the lab didn't care. You still had to pay to have the film processed.<br />
<br />
Miniature builders, glass matte painters, effects animators, rotoscopers, Optical Printer technicians ad nauseum were all trying to push what was being seen on screen stretching the limits of their imaginations and production budgets to bring the impossible to audiences in the name of entertainment. <br />
<br />
See, that's why I don't refer to these decades as the "photo-chemical" age, I refer to them as the "Special Effects Days" because creating an effect was special - it was unique. Sure, you could use the same techniques (even the same molds and suits for the most part) but invariably, there would be SOMETHING new that no one had figured out yet. There was some challenge that took the combined brain-power of a group of talented folks to figure out before the all-expensive film would begin to run through the camera's gate.<br />
<br />
Bored yet? Okay. So now where are we? Look on vimeo or youtube and you can see thousands of people making films in their backyards or on locations all over the world. The picture quality is fantastic (even mind-blowing in some cases). They don't own multi-million dollar visual effects companies; some of them use little more than an iphone and a laptop. I've heard it been said that a renaissance of sorts has begun. Or has it?<br />
<br />
During the Italian Renaissance did EVERYBODY have the skills of Michaelangelo and the ability to paint the Sistine Chapel? Could just ANYBODY pick up a hammer and chisel and begin to sculpt incredible figures like Bernini? Just because a group of talented individuals were given the opportunity to create timeless works of art did not mean that (proportionately) thousands of people were doing it.<br />
<br />
Our current creative environment is something much more akin to the American frontier. The computer has become equivalent to a gun which was called "the great equalizer" in its day because a person no longer had to be possessed of physical strength to survive in the savage wilderness. All they needed was the knowledge of how to use a gun. Sure, the better you were with the gun, the better you could protect yourself or exploit someone else but the gun was what offered the opportunity for equality.<br />
<br />
I don't think I have to spell out the comparrison here. Computers, like guns, are tools. They are used to get a job done, however owning this tool and having the knowledge of how to use it for visual effects sets an individual ahead of the curve compared to those who do not have a powerful/fast machine, the right software and the know-how. I don't think I need to tell most of you that I've seen films on the Internet with effects that nearly rival ILM scale projects. Look at Neill (District 9) Blomkamp's early work as just ONE example.<br />
<br />
Sure, there are a lot of crappy projects on the Internet as well but to that I say look at 90% of the original programming on the SyFy Channel. There is a LOT of dodgy effects work going on and yeah, I know, I know, I know the dance - no money, no time. it's meant to be campy, blah, blah, blah. What many don't realize is that poor digital effects are "conditioning" audiences. Since those who feel compelled to watch this stuff are seeing it in a "professional venue" (where sponsors are paying for advertising time) - they eventually accept this level of effect as "professional."<br />
<br />
So now we have our margins - on one end we have giant effects houses: ILM, Sony Digital, and I'll throw in Legacy, KNB EFX, and Pixar to be fair and on the other side you have little boutique effects houses and indviduals in their homes with a lot of imagination and the knowledge of Maya, Z-Brush, and After Effects.<br />
Throw on top of that the Gnomon School, The Stan Winston School of Character Arts, Creative Cow, Digital Co-Pilot, Free YouTube tutorials, and accredited universities and trade schools all over the world TRAINING new generations of VFX artists every year.<br />
<br />
Do you see where this is going?<br />
<br />
So now, after Practical Effects artists whom have been compared to "rock stars" have taken the back seat to visual effects companies and concerns, after Screan Actor's Guild puppeteers suddenly find only a few venues that still consistenly get them paid gigs, after Screen Actor's Guild stuntmen shit their pants as digital "stuntmen" began hitting propellers in TITANIC, after Local 706 makeup artists have had their work augmented or in some cases replaced by digital effects, and after film labs all over the world shut down or heavily reduced their payrolls because of the progress made by digital technology, NOW digital effects technicians and artists are calling for solidarity.<br />
<br />
To what end?<br />
<br />
Who came to the rescue of all of the UNION cel animators when Disney closed its doors? Who rushed to all of the non-Disney animators when their jobs were outsourced to Korea? All of this was done in the name of progress, right? It is what audiences wanted!<br />
<br />
When the WGA struck, SAG marched along side in "solidarity." When the WGA strike ended and the SAG strike began, what did the writers do? They worked - they didn't strike in solidarity. The in-fighting between SAG and AFTRA before the unions, the new "emerging markets" combined with the creation of SAG Low Budget and Ultra Low Budget agreements has caused a DROP in salaries and residual structures. Actors (with the exception of celebrity/actors) now earn less money. And actors are "above the line!" <br />
<br />
This is not a fair world, kids. This is what we call progress. The world has turned and it is what we all wanted. If Nooks and Kindles and Ipads were not so popular, then you could still find big bookstores in every mall. If there were no flat screen TVs and home theaters around, serviced by cable/satellite/on-demand networks, more people would have to go to theaters for entertainment. If, if, if, if....<br />
<br />
We all wanted this. We all wanted to know how - we wanted to know how the magic was made - from pop music to novel writing and what has happened? WE have disrupted how creative work is made and marketed and while a few of the old guard remain, making their millions, controlling what and how mass media is fed to the public, for the first time we see large numbers of independent creators out there.<br />
<br />
Yes, piracy is a growing concern, but had everything remained analog, think how difficult making copies of music, art, and movies would be. Am I suggesting we go BACKWARDS? NO! We're here! It's clear! Digital's not going to disappear! So why do I say all of this?<br />
<br />
Because we have to stop all of the horseshit. We have to stop the fighting and name-calling and everything else that we are doing. If you feel like you are being exploited by someone who is making tons of money off of your efforts - leave. Start your own business. Make your own movies. Is the market saturated? You bet, but all markets are saturated. We live in saturated times but in a way - that's good!<br />
<br />
You don't HAVE to watch "Honey Boo-Boo" if you don't want to; you have options. You don't HAVE to work in your hometown anymore if you can figure how to use and employ the Internet to your advantage. It is a brave new world (well, we can argue "brave" if you want to) but it is certainly very different than when most of us started in this business and for those of you starting your careers now - WATCH OUT! Twenty years goes by in the blink of an eye and soon you'll find yourself wondering how it is that you have become redundant. <br />
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All of us have a choice RIGHT NOW! You can weep and mourn for the way films were made and do your damndest to try and turn the clock back - or you can decide how you fit in. Not just as a VFX/digital/practical artist but as a human being. Strength and independence are the cornerstones of human spirit and creativity. You are creatively in so much better shape now than ever. Figure out your place or better CREATE your place.<br />
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You got your "great equalizer" right in front of you. Might as well parcel out a little spread o'territory here on the Internet and call it your own. Make whatever you want and share it with everybody else. Will it make you rich? I don't know, but I ask you this: Does it HAVE to? Sometimes just knowing you own a kingdom (virtual though it may be) is enough to make carrying the yoke for someone else a little more bearable.<br />
<br />
I bet Louis Psihoyos shoots with a digital camera almost exclusively now, but I also bet his deal as a photographer has been restructured and I also bet that he still has film cameras and film still sitting around his studio. He may have shot dinosaurs, but he refused to become one. Time to evolve. <br />
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Now....get back to work!<br />
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See you next time with the continuing story of the creation of THE PREDATOR (and should you feel lucky that you don't have to do it the way we did!). <br />
<br />
<br />Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-316610615052408282012-01-19T17:41:00.000-08:002013-12-21T13:55:09.669-08:00Part 45: The Saga of THE PREDATOR, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. We were in the thick of MONSTER SQUAD, when we began to see new drawings from Stan of a new alien character for the film PREDATOR. The makeup effects community in the 80's, although expansive, was still drawing from a common talent pool, so friends were always talking despite many studios' insistence on secrecy.</div>
<br />
Most of us had heard of PREDATOR, when it was floating around shops as a script entitled HUNTER. We also were aware that Steve Johnson's crew at Richard Edland's BOSS Film Effects had built a version of the suit and had already executed many of the gore effects for the film. So, why had the producers shown up at Stan's? It was very confusing, but an important lesson that I learned about film making: Films are made in post production.<br />
<br />
Trust me, I wish it weren't that way, but it is true. Shooting a film on set is necessary for gathering the material that you need to make a movie, and the better quality shots and assets, the better the movie. However, until it is all put together, there is really no picture. The reason I say I wish it weren't true, is because so many people "kill" themselves on set working their behinds off to make production days and furnish these incredible shots. AND, that's why a mediocre film can be elevated if a director is shrewd enough to shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot so that the editors have a lot of options to cut. There is an expression that many good performances by actors have been constructed by film editors. There is a lot of truth in that.<br />
<br />
With the the stories about the perceived failure of the BOSS Films Predator floating around the shops, PREDATOR had now found its new home at Stan Winston Studios. From my perspective, the only place where the BOSS crew went wrong (and by that, I mean, where production went wrong since they had to approve the design process every step of the way) was that they were way ahead of their time. Their concept exceeded the contemporary effects technology where it came to leg extensions.<br />
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Requiring a crane to hold the creature up on it's spindly alien legs severely affected the shooting schedule and was too limiting for director, John McTiernan, to constantly frame out. It is commonly known that action star, John Claude Van Damme was the performer in the suit; he had taken the job because he thought that his debut in motion pictures as Arnold Schwarzenegger's adversary would skyrocket him to stardom. He didn't understand that no one would ever see his face or body on screen and subsequently, he left the show when the BOSS Films Predator left the show.<br />
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What is ironic is that among the artists who worked at BOSS on that incarnation of PREDATOR was STEVE WANG!!! Fate truly had cursed him to be such an integral part of the show.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYt6auVZ_1I09_Tq4Qn7Cl-BWkyUnowXLAqw2eTXgTcSPjVp0znA9bx5eCHPlGP1-LgOBwqxOefaZsaNJRz-D57cKTAgQ2gr0kJNrBOIQWDodcaRwufYKppyPUXU3i6J-c8Ro1OhX_y0/s320/WForsche02.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boss Film's original Predator suit. <i>Photo courtesy William Forsche</i></td></tr>
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I've written a history of the Stan Winston Studios, PREDATOR design history for my column at Film School Rejects here: <a href="http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/blood-sweat-and-latex-the-predator-experience-part-i.php">Predator Design Story</a> and I really don't have much to add to it beyond saying that until all of the parties get together in one room, we'll never know the complete story and the bottom line is that the Predator was the result of an army of talented people who threw themselves into the project with an enviable sense of dedication. So, let's talk a little about how it all practically happened. I'm going to assume that you've read the article that I've linked to, but if not, don't worry, the story can continue.<br />
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Kevin Peter Hall was the first important component of the show. He had already portrayed an alien hunter designed by Rick Baker and applied by Greg Cannom in WITHOUT WARNING and he was fresh off of a very pleasant experience as the titular Sasquatch character in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDp4qDi9BRCfyZw9RNZXYRYhstElQKRTTXYd8qVCwMNaELo6Grh9J4yg-UPf62vCOwKFAQczlg6uNAd7qV5IfoKUeLlMh6SlEKFpzn1ky1XePTCkKVL_uDqo_v36sei8JqAo99DL-tlA/s1600/withoutwarning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDp4qDi9BRCfyZw9RNZXYRYhstElQKRTTXYd8qVCwMNaELo6Grh9J4yg-UPf62vCOwKFAQczlg6uNAd7qV5IfoKUeLlMh6SlEKFpzn1ky1XePTCkKVL_uDqo_v36sei8JqAo99DL-tlA/s320/withoutwarning.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He threw little alien frisbees that killed his victims that he dressed out like a real hunter.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBO7KPqLy5hZScI9cqSKdzZ8frmLRUMiRUQypimK03Ckp6EUtKC_GJb3d-YpleR_zypoePbLUAxWZRwVlPDGESBhgLA8WwgpqKUfiEAL44k03cuNxQ_yS9TrAOQQXwuJUMDY5AG2gIUs/s1600/harry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBO7KPqLy5hZScI9cqSKdzZ8frmLRUMiRUQypimK03Ckp6EUtKC_GJb3d-YpleR_zypoePbLUAxWZRwVlPDGESBhgLA8WwgpqKUfiEAL44k03cuNxQ_yS9TrAOQQXwuJUMDY5AG2gIUs/s320/harry.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although Kevin is known for the Predator, his true nature is best reflected in his performance as Harry.</td></tr>
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Kevin was an actor by trade, not a suit performer. Having been trained in improvisational comedy, Kevin and a partner were frequently on stage in Hollywood comedy clubs. Prior to his gig on HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS, Kevin had acted in a short-lived television series entitled MISFITS OF SCIENCE where e played a character that despite his impressive stature, could physically shrink down to tiny proportions (Ah, television writers! How clever can they get?! I can hear the enthusiastic guffawing and self-congratulations at that one-joke concept). What made Kevin such a great candidate to play the Predator was not just that he was a good actor, but his patience knew no end.<br />
<br />
We were kids, literally. Steve Wang and Matt Rose weren't even 21 year old at the time. I was 24. No matter what we asked of Kevin during the construction he was only too glad to help. He wanted to collaborate on this character and was in awe of the work being done at the studio. And, of course, he LOVED interacting with Stan Winston.<br />
<br />
Stan, a natural performer, and Kevin would launch into silliness every time Kevin visited the studio. Ah, the glory days. After being hired, Kevin had come to the studio and posed for photographs for the design maquette, however because of the studio's continuing obligation to MONSTER SQUAD and the time required to get a design concept approved by the PREDATOR production, we didn't see Kevin for a few weeks.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKsIv1j6FUrj8QVSoJrsKwiR1lIhSZbnHGdp6Mn9ndaaSc4cPpAfkwBD1kPzisCm9VoAQEW-zKfpbwdd7v52ozsZatLCZSM_RydUNEFaRFZ7thBDuVNxxAO9zJ6-po-lFvmz-p4TMPAQ/s1600/WForsche08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKsIv1j6FUrj8QVSoJrsKwiR1lIhSZbnHGdp6Mn9ndaaSc4cPpAfkwBD1kPzisCm9VoAQEW-zKfpbwdd7v52ozsZatLCZSM_RydUNEFaRFZ7thBDuVNxxAO9zJ6-po-lFvmz-p4TMPAQ/s320/WForsche08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin and Stan on set at the Creature Effects Truck (Matt Rose in b.g.). <i>Photo courtesy William Forsche</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By the time Kevin came back to the shop the second time, sculptor, Wayne Strong's maquette was completed and Matt Rose and Steve Wang were back from their Gillman duties from MONSTER SQUAD. Steve had done three drawings of the Predator, one head study, one full body standing drawing, and one of the character running toward the viewer. But before any artwork could begin, we needed to cast Kevin Peter Hall.<br />
<br />
As anyone in makeup effects can tell you, life casting is the foundation of any prosthetic or creature suit and there are many steps that have to take place prior to sculpting. In Kevin's case, since he was so tall (yes, he was 7 foot, 2 inches tall) that we needed to do his body cast as two, two piece molds - his upper torso, and his hips and legs. When the plaster bandage mold was completed (remember, no body scanning and outputting then...had to do it all by hand!), rigid foam was poured around a pipe armature.<br />
<br />
A drill bit was taped off at 1/4" (meaning only a 1/4 inch of the bit was exposed and able to drill) and the entire surface of the rigid foam was marked with these 1/4" pits. Then, the entire surface was sanded down until none of the pits was visible, effectively removing 1/4" of material from all over the rigid foam casting. This was done for a couple of reasons: 1.) it ensured a great fit for the suit. The tighter the suit, the less wrinkling and bagginess there would be and 2.) rigid foam, even when poured into a mold, expands a bit more once it is released from the mold. When the form was sanded, it was sealed and another, heartier plaster bandage mold was made so that a fiberglass body form could be run for sculpting and foam latex casting. <br />
<br />
Kevin's head, hands, and feet were cast in prosthetic grade cream and positives were poured and remolded in silicone for masters, sculpting and running cores. While all of this lab work was being done, Steve, Matt and Stan spent time figuring out a strategy to get the first leg of work completed. As had been established on MONSTER SQUAD, Matt would sculpt the head, Steve would concentrate on the body. Unfortunately, due to the time constraints, it was decided that the armor pieces, with the exception of the helmet, the backpack and the wrist units, would be sculpted on the body and become permanent pieces rather than sculpting a nude predator and having to work out the armor later. There just wasn't the time.<br />
<br />
As with the Gillman, it was decided that the Predator would have long fingers, so prior to the glove being sculpted, finger extension cups were sculpted, molded, cast and then put onto Kevin Peter Hall's hand casts. <br />
Meanwhile, MONSTER SQUAD had wrapped and the very fatigued group of Stan Winston's lifers came back to the shop. They spent time carefully storing and displaying the suit pieces and prosthetics while we PREDATOR-kids tore up the shop in frenetic activity.<br />
<br />
Perception is a tricky thing.<br />
<br />
It is difficult for any of us to be able to stand in another individual's shoes and be able to experience situations from a different point of view. For this story, the "why's" become less important and in an effort to elevate and celebrate the efforts of the Stan Winston crew, let's just stick to the facts.<br />
<br />
When most of the sculpting forms were completed, Matt Rose began work on the Predator's head. Steve Wang began the body sculpture, assisted by Alec Gillis, Shane Mahan and I (although, I would admit that aside from roughing forms out, I take no credit for the finished sculpt at all). John Rosengrant began roughing in the Predator's feet and Tom Woodruff, Jr. began sculpting the wrist-blade housing. By this time it was mid-Autumn and it was clear that everyone was physically pushing themselves in the wake of non-stop work since the "Go to the Head of the Class" episode of AMAZING STORIES.<br />
<br />
The responsibility of creating the Predator created substantial pressure on Steve Wang. With such a quick schedule, the body sculpture would have to be completed first and at a record pace. Steve told Stan he was concerned that the sculpture would not be as refined as he had hoped to which Stan told Steve that the Predator suit was going to be all about the paint job. How right Stan was. <br />
<br />
Steve Wang reminded me that he fell ill toward the end of the Predator body sculpt (I couldn't swear on it, but I would bet stress and fatigue contributed to Steve's sickness). I had been off of the sculpture turning my attention to other duties. In Steve's absence, John and Shane finished off the Predator body sculpture; Shane added the chevron details to the armor, as I recall. However, whether it was fatigue, or budget, or the impending pre-production of Stan's directorial debut, PUMPKINHEAD, whatever the reason, John, Shane, Tom and Alec took some time off.<br />
<br />
Shortly after, one day after work, Stan pulled me aside in the parking lot. He told me that he wanted me to "watch Predator" for him (which meant, act as a supervisor/facilitator). He went on to explain that Matt and Steve would be the last word on anything creative or artistic (naturally!) but that it would be my duty to figure out how everything was going to get done. And if it didn't get done...it would be my ass (yes, he literally said that). <br />
<br />
Mold maker, Steve Patino, showed up at the studio to make a fiberglass mold of the body sculpture. The Predator crew had been slowly building as other Stan Winston studio employees finished up on MONSTER SQUAD including Grant Arndt, Lindsay McGowan, and Emilio Gonzales. Mechanic, Wayne Strong, joined Richard Landon and Dave Kindlon in the mechanical department, to build custom air rams to extend and retract the wrist blades.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw02ltAWTu9_zdNVJkxWW0ngZPF5XAkdqiX0NEOFTgeQdLTAUY193Pl1zndC_8ctwerRWHafGzrtgtKV2ji7TFEFgxNML8ELnQFPdMBplB4Mpp-D_U3lgREwxtvNZGEsoT9IwxQ9ZLwA/s1600/PredMold01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw02ltAWTu9_zdNVJkxWW0ngZPF5XAkdqiX0NEOFTgeQdLTAUY193Pl1zndC_8ctwerRWHafGzrtgtKV2ji7TFEFgxNML8ELnQFPdMBplB4Mpp-D_U3lgREwxtvNZGEsoT9IwxQ9ZLwA/s320/PredMold01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A frame grab showing the Predator body sculpt walled and ready to be molded.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaawh0Q88b2Y8RxnsZNTvGDvLcQrI_aXr6-Qd4-D-e6OfSytTUkLd2H032gXvTbwgqy5KyXyUZd8GnnjKmHhBMV9iNxKp35ntqNBUL6i5JNraiZT8u-5-umvkzPL0Ffft-XIpwRHuRd20/s1600/PredMold02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaawh0Q88b2Y8RxnsZNTvGDvLcQrI_aXr6-Qd4-D-e6OfSytTUkLd2H032gXvTbwgqy5KyXyUZd8GnnjKmHhBMV9iNxKp35ntqNBUL6i5JNraiZT8u-5-umvkzPL0Ffft-XIpwRHuRd20/s320/PredMold02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another angle...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB3lNs6j3tqYIztZrYieWZ-OT79DPxC2hJs328qdvN6O3lJ19yvnuzge9zX5vr0K0r7cxISlT-S8SWVqD7Ru_sIRIAcoQGx7qatj-FcJUq4hmxQfwyoZVQK-v-Bgrhvos43Dm3tfFmf0/s1600/PredMold03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB3lNs6j3tqYIztZrYieWZ-OT79DPxC2hJs328qdvN6O3lJ19yvnuzge9zX5vr0K0r7cxISlT-S8SWVqD7Ru_sIRIAcoQGx7qatj-FcJUq4hmxQfwyoZVQK-v-Bgrhvos43Dm3tfFmf0/s320/PredMold03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...one more for good measure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With everyone now working at break neck speed, the Predator body mold was opened only to reveal a network of thin, spiderweb-like cracks that ran the entire length. We had no choice but to run it the way it came out.<br />
<br />
END OF PART 1. NEXT TIME - The pressure mounts as the crew attempts to finish the Predator. Oh, and by the way, we'll need a red suit for the Visual Effects department!<br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-40592917514253460102011-10-19T16:40:00.000-07:002011-10-19T16:40:22.357-07:00Part 44: "We're the MONSTER SQUAD"When we completed shooting on "Miss Stardust" we returned to the shop excited to begin preparations for MONSTER SQUAD. In anticipation of creating so many creatures and make-ups, Stan rented a third unit in the industrial complex. While we began putting together tables and moving equipment and clutter out of the main building, Stan, himself, began designing the monsters.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-wBLdwYaR7bYsx-Q9iAs4CY02hmZgnDjIo8WiCHxib06KL5KG5BKGxvUnQJBXabW_lBAO1JKpnGonU_-DpbFXLzPHCgvOGaEftLdDv5hQxdtSvcw4uXsU3cbtrbCk8VO3a0Mnc-Ove0/s1600/MonsterSquadInvite01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-wBLdwYaR7bYsx-Q9iAs4CY02hmZgnDjIo8WiCHxib06KL5KG5BKGxvUnQJBXabW_lBAO1JKpnGonU_-DpbFXLzPHCgvOGaEftLdDv5hQxdtSvcw4uXsU3cbtrbCk8VO3a0Mnc-Ove0/s320/MonsterSquadInvite01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I saved my screening invitation!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> It was clear from the beginning that this was not going to be a Universal picture, and, unfortunately, Universal held the rights to "certain features" on their classic monsters such as Frankenstein's flat head and neck bolts, as well as Dracula's widow's peak, etc., so Stan was instructed by production to re-design the monsters so that they would be instantly recognizable without infringing on copyrighted material.<br />
<br />
Stan began doing pencil sketches on tracing paper (his favorite technique) and soon had approved designs for all of the monsters: Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Wolfman, and the Gillman. Dracula would only require dentures and lenses from us, while his make up would be designed and handled by make up artist, and frequent collaborator, Hungarian-born, Zoltan Elek.<br />
<br />
While Stan was drawing, we began working on anything that we could that needed to be made but didn't necessarily need a finished design. A couple of zombie/corpse puppets were sculpted; one, of which, Dave Kindlon mechanized with refined radio-controlled Muppet techniques. Three actresses were cast as Dracula's brides and teeth and chest casts were made for fangs and "stake plates" for when Rudy dispatches them with a crossbow. <br />
<br />
Stan's lifers divided up the supervisory duties per creature: Tom Woodruff, Jr. would sculpt the prosthetics required for the Frankenstein's monster, Shane Mahan took on the Mummy responsibilities while John Rosengrant supervised the Wolfman and Alec Gillis would design and oversee the various "bat-guises" for Dracula. The Gillman (that's the Creature from the Black Lagoon to most of you folks) would be handled by Matt Rose and his friend who had joined him from San Jose, California, Steve Wang. Richard Landon would supervise the mechanical shop, assisted by Dave Nelson, Steve James and Dave Kindlon.<br />
<br />
There was no mistaking that most of the lifers were HUGE Universal Studios Monster Fans. During the prep, John Rosengrant, an avid plastic model builder, brought in some of his classic Aurora Monster models for inspiration. I had grown up watching the Universal monsters and reading Famous Monsters of Filmland, but I had a penchant for BIG monsters. King Kong, Godzilla and pals, Reptilicus, Ray Harryhausen's creations - those were the monsters that beguiled me. Not that I wasn't happy to be working, because, trust me, I couldn't have been happier, but after seeing those photos of the Queen Alien from ALIENS, I really wanted to work on a big monster.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFtmxeAlmD3x6L1gcr63lMmV4ythXbtm88EdDzER6aerOQ49dmd0k3WLvWqWm_H3iFBB6z8q1XGyz_EbGUgN6UR6ZxJJKixODkdmqJskeITUiw5i1ifxDCTvhi4R6RTnLf8A3gJD7P3U/s1600/FrankensteinAurora01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFtmxeAlmD3x6L1gcr63lMmV4ythXbtm88EdDzER6aerOQ49dmd0k3WLvWqWm_H3iFBB6z8q1XGyz_EbGUgN6UR6ZxJJKixODkdmqJskeITUiw5i1ifxDCTvhi4R6RTnLf8A3gJD7P3U/s320/FrankensteinAurora01.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Rosengrant's finished Aurora Frankenstein kit. Expertly done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gr96RzxfoxicclmwPUZqGdAgTGS421eTuatyHEXxhdlu2Fm97b9jC0cwll59drd2m-zZZpKt51kGYqhPUAPRetEmJmnhsGurif5KcgSGCuDJjGl3svZFXFMjVSly_118dp18NaNBlyI/s1600/DraculaAurora01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gr96RzxfoxicclmwPUZqGdAgTGS421eTuatyHEXxhdlu2Fm97b9jC0cwll59drd2m-zZZpKt51kGYqhPUAPRetEmJmnhsGurif5KcgSGCuDJjGl3svZFXFMjVSly_118dp18NaNBlyI/s320/DraculaAurora01.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosengrant's finished Aurora Dracula kit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJDmHMcyYzuQe_8QII3MIwT5ed-MxiBLnzVbV48uCbQ2n1wpIRtSHscDkCMxiTSJLS7TMLXdhBJrhRgO8k2dTyasmP0Py5YsaCEOzPn-2cVGZoXEmA1AzgZJFEU5UM_hKpIXp-FZpqos/s1600/MummyAurora01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJDmHMcyYzuQe_8QII3MIwT5ed-MxiBLnzVbV48uCbQ2n1wpIRtSHscDkCMxiTSJLS7TMLXdhBJrhRgO8k2dTyasmP0Py5YsaCEOzPn-2cVGZoXEmA1AzgZJFEU5UM_hKpIXp-FZpqos/s320/MummyAurora01.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosengrant's Mummy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjucw83FRi_OphXBGenE4fgslIgkrq9rR-Z4TO90sujnwChj6NVLnuUJKBIB4XJfswwBLTBAHYebsx70XUtlc1BPE-Ijiw38Dltf1aZSuju4H6C0VIhOQG5EuC0xVcMNsv-pYq2scu_jg/s1600/WolfmanAurora01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjucw83FRi_OphXBGenE4fgslIgkrq9rR-Z4TO90sujnwChj6NVLnuUJKBIB4XJfswwBLTBAHYebsx70XUtlc1BPE-Ijiw38Dltf1aZSuju4H6C0VIhOQG5EuC0xVcMNsv-pYq2scu_jg/s320/WolfmanAurora01.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosengrant's Wolfman. I had never seen these kits done better so I photographed them all. Wish he brought the rest in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Crews were organized by the lifers utilizing the remaining employees. Lindsay McGowan went to help Alec sculpt bats, Emilio Gonzales (an East Coast transplant) and I went with John to work on the Wolfman and his transformations. Lenny McDonald, a very talented artist that would go on to work for Steve Johnson for many of his films, floated in the shop doing everything from making the Gillman's eyes, to painting the undersuit for the wolfman, to sculpting the subliminal skull mask used in but a few frames of the film (the lightning strike visage - you remember!). Eric Fiedler helped out in the mold department (a serious misuse of his talents) and a young man, Grant Arndt, from the midwest, became our runner. However, as his talents would be recognized, he would move into the shop to work and would be replaced by Brian Simpson (Drone-performer, Doug Simpsons' younger brother).<br />
<br />
Foam latex was run by a recent Rob Bottin studios transplant, Jackie Tichenor and David Leroy Anderson (Lance Anderson's son) joined the crew impressing everyone by making swift silicone/matrix molds on life casts in a DAY (which was no easy task)! Dave Matherly and Anton Rupprecht helped round out the lab department. Last, but anything but least, was Michiko Tagawa, a skilled puppet builder from Japan who had helped Stan construct the dog-creature puppet for THE THING.<br />
<br />
So much work was done to create the monsters for MONSTER SQUAD, that all I can do is try to supply you with some highlights based on the creatures themselves...<br />
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FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER, as most of you know was played by actor, Tom Noonan. Noonan came into the studio for a life cast, which was supervised by Tom Woodruff, Jr. They cast his entire head and hands. Dave Anderson turned a based life-cast mold around in a day and Tom started sculpting the make up design that he would break down into prosthetic pieces. I believe he also sculpted the back of the hand appliances. Since Universal Studios-style neck bolts were out of the question, Stan put bolts on the monster's temples; I can still see Tom bending the small brass clamps that were used to give the illusion that they were securing the monster's skin at the forehead. After the pieces were molded, foam rubber appliances were manufactured. I'm not sure how many sets were needed, but I bet Tom Woodruff, Jr. could tell you because he painted all of them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjWhMWsSQEvhUbXSmeFYKeTVDbRPDjC5tJlxY0TrQeQnkE9NCjtbtLkIisus8uwqT2GHpS1zR0cbEjGpB7KEZ7zZgQMYpZ0yQdimryzcfTVKxPH18OKd7134fC8oFq13eLw2I24LwCfo/s1600/FrankieandDracSkullMask01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjWhMWsSQEvhUbXSmeFYKeTVDbRPDjC5tJlxY0TrQeQnkE9NCjtbtLkIisus8uwqT2GHpS1zR0cbEjGpB7KEZ7zZgQMYpZ0yQdimryzcfTVKxPH18OKd7134fC8oFq13eLw2I24LwCfo/s320/FrankieandDracSkullMask01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R) A painted study of the Frankenstein Monster makeup, The Frankie Halloween mask sculpted by Steve Wang, a skull and the Subliminal Dracula Skull Mask sculpted by Lenny MacDonald.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> THE MUMMY was played by a diminutive performer named Michael MacKay. To say Mike was skinny would be like saying that jalapeno peppers are a bit spicy. Mike was emaciated which was the perfect base for Shane Mahan to build his Mummy. The idea would be that MacKay would be in a suit, wearing a latex mask and for inserts, Dave Kindlon (and Steve James, I think?) built a mechanical puppet to really show the skeletal appearance of this mummy. I'm hoping that one of the other crew will contribute to this in the comment section, but I recall that Michiko built the mummy's bandage suits.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlvTbM5wOuxyQjJ0Z18YZjxWqQ2QD27jDp6An53ooPd2pY5MRSYgGpN_I5S_hIS-AIZOL0McW0bb90ZAEjwOcvkUVJ7n1osrianZdqu5ET7MYfz1lSm0j1qj6Mn6v2AFKCpJlzBZAiTU/s1600/ShaneMummy01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlvTbM5wOuxyQjJ0Z18YZjxWqQ2QD27jDp6An53ooPd2pY5MRSYgGpN_I5S_hIS-AIZOL0McW0bb90ZAEjwOcvkUVJ7n1osrianZdqu5ET7MYfz1lSm0j1qj6Mn6v2AFKCpJlzBZAiTU/s320/ShaneMummy01.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shane Mahan's Mummy Puppet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>THE GILLMAN would be Tom Woodruff, Jr.'s creature suit debut. A long time fan of classic creature-suit performer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janos_Prohaska">Janos Prohaska</a>, Tom convinced Stan that he would be an asset in a suit, not just because he was thin and over 6 feet tall, but also he felt that because he knew what went into making a creature suit, he would have a better idea of how to make it move well. He wasn't wrong. Tom was a fantastic Gillman and it was the start of a career performing in suits that continues to this day! The suit itself would be constructed almost exclusively by Matt and Steve. Steve, a relative newcomer to the shop, impressed Stan with his portfolio and was hired on the spot. After casting Tom's head, hands, feet and body, Steve and Matt insisted on shaving Tom's body cast down 1/4 of an inch all over it, to insure that the suit would be tight and form-fitting. Matt began sculpting the nail finger extensions on stone copies of Tom's hands, while Steve began sculpting the feet. The hands and feet were completed, molded and cast so that they could be put onto Tom's body cast so Steve could sculpt the scales to match exactly as they transitioned from the suit to the gloves and boots. A cast of Tom's head was made to be removed from the body form so that Matt could rough it out in water-based, WED clay and then pop it off of the body to be able to continue sculpting using a stand. This enabled Steve to work on the body without having to worry about Matt being in the way.<br />
<br />
When Steve had the shoulder area of the body finished, a quick mold was taken and a stone plug was fashioned so that Matt could use it as blending reference for the head sculpture. The body was molded in fiberglass by Steve Patino while the head was silicone with a stone matrix. The entire body and head were cast in foam latex.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE88W1JH2MetlbzEpS4crr2Bfaq1pIucxSnER4zuLQz8TznJ_39BiSA4GqEJlBwKiMdTyGNy_JtwctkbKDw13H4HicVpXEVAjNjEbRNCjlb0e5GYDS9kWfXczhWP-7hcY1-7Ppd4JP_4/s1600/GillmanSuit01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE88W1JH2MetlbzEpS4crr2Bfaq1pIucxSnER4zuLQz8TznJ_39BiSA4GqEJlBwKiMdTyGNy_JtwctkbKDw13H4HicVpXEVAjNjEbRNCjlb0e5GYDS9kWfXczhWP-7hcY1-7Ppd4JP_4/s320/GillmanSuit01.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Rose's and Steve Wang's Gillman Suit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> THE WOLFMAN actually required quite a bit of work since actor John Gries would portray the man cursed with lycanthropy and Carl Thibault would play the final creature. Gries had a slighter build and was of average height, where Carl was taller and beefier. Unlike Lon Chaney, Jr. who portrayed both Lawrence Talbot and the Wolfman, Stan's theory was that the illusion would be better sold if the Wolfman was physically larger after his transformation. Stan was insistent that there was a philosophical difference between a "Werewolf" which was something more like Rick Baker built in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON or Rob Bottin had constructed for THE HOWLING and what we were attempting.<br />
<br />
It was the mid-1980's and makeup effects was enjoying its Renaissance so producing foam-latex appliances wouldn't be adequate for our Wolfman. Stan designed a face that was an obvious departure from human facial anatomy, spreading the eyes apart and significantly lowering the forehead. His goal was that when the audience saw this Wolfman, they would know that it was not just an actor wearing prosthetics. Our Wolfman was to feature state-of-the-art animatronics.<br />
<br />
On the set of MISS STARDUST, Stan discussed how our Wolfman transformation would feature something that hadn't been seen before. Doing air-bladders beneath appliances had been done to death by this time, as well as long, drawn out transformations between puppet heads. In the script, the only time the full transformation from man to wolf...uh, wolfMAN was featured would be in a phone booth (remember those?). Stan came up with the idea of putting down a circular dolly track around the phone booth and using the corners of the booth as optical wipes between makeup stages. That way, our tortured lycanthrope would transform rapidly as the camera moved.<br />
<br />
So, it all had to begin with life casting. John Gries came in and we cast his head in two expressions, neutral and wincing in pain, then we cast his arm in a dynamic position as well as his back. We also cast Carl Thibault from head to foot and began making sculpting forms and clay presses to begin work.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27Od-5tVXlCta5Q72alHlA2cZ1fWrcnigGJsZPszV5MAyd1GJBpfPApU19q1rhokNRSTHrFFENgAHP51hPsaMnL_E9NLORKSpvn2XYi_gRh-9EB3d-4o7GiN8Qnw2cmAv0i0jOiib3rY/s1600/JohnGriesArmCast01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27Od-5tVXlCta5Q72alHlA2cZ1fWrcnigGJsZPszV5MAyd1GJBpfPApU19q1rhokNRSTHrFFENgAHP51hPsaMnL_E9NLORKSpvn2XYi_gRh-9EB3d-4o7GiN8Qnw2cmAv0i0jOiib3rY/s320/JohnGriesArmCast01.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Gries' transformation arm cast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> John Rosengrant was nothing if not pragmatic. He knew that there was a strategy needed to complete the Wolfman suit and began sculpting the head and the body simultaneously to insure proper proportions. He asked me to sculpt the hands and feet, but honestly, unlike what Matt and Steve had done with the Gillman, there was no way to pop the arms on and off of the main body to match proportion so I attempted to do it by eye.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C6jP6cWTf6CcPgNv5shPHOw1ObIswVInR_Tv6ciJgpuf01rIc4HGV85FsNnYjBEmDag4Q6ou0WQL-qil-TpjdFr9j4brj4NBub_TYKwMLKaC4AlUMnejZ-c6RNHX0mw4yDXs0yh1avg/s1600/OriginalWolfmanHands01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C6jP6cWTf6CcPgNv5shPHOw1ObIswVInR_Tv6ciJgpuf01rIc4HGV85FsNnYjBEmDag4Q6ou0WQL-qil-TpjdFr9j4brj4NBub_TYKwMLKaC4AlUMnejZ-c6RNHX0mw4yDXs0yh1avg/s320/OriginalWolfmanHands01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My original Wolfman hand sculpts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5BgjPmdrHbmzdn60Bkfp9xbTfvZ0gdDZ_ZBwc6ulPIoS2co5j6l4RNnHpDjuwrjJjHwiKGEVway-86VcVraylCgUiVqUdA9y7ZSroWUJIo1alBrl0dePVfeEPxtFiBSigW3uf921MKA/s1600/ShannonSculptsWolfmanFeet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5BgjPmdrHbmzdn60Bkfp9xbTfvZ0gdDZ_ZBwc6ulPIoS2co5j6l4RNnHpDjuwrjJjHwiKGEVway-86VcVraylCgUiVqUdA9y7ZSroWUJIo1alBrl0dePVfeEPxtFiBSigW3uf921MKA/s320/ShannonSculptsWolfmanFeet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculpting Wolfman feet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> When the body was finished, a quick fiberglass mold was made and a spandex, soft polyfoam suit was run, put onto a form and then handed over to fabricators who then made a Lycra covering. Lenny McDonald painted the suit, enhancing the sculpted muscle forms and freckling skin tones over it. The suit was then turned over to a crew to tie hair into it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RRHZ0-z60AMwLFn1LDOLALOkfTnxcOh6VcStrxEsSbMWEVRJOboBZXHOcnLy4AxK5r7giX6kuhz0ZX1iY3Cp4DyRdkkvRXo-txzD9VO32KFaIBoS-MqdlXkPPzo1mIbaMBIrwJSYB9w/s1600/WolfmanParts01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RRHZ0-z60AMwLFn1LDOLALOkfTnxcOh6VcStrxEsSbMWEVRJOboBZXHOcnLy4AxK5r7giX6kuhz0ZX1iY3Cp4DyRdkkvRXo-txzD9VO32KFaIBoS-MqdlXkPPzo1mIbaMBIrwJSYB9w/s320/WolfmanParts01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R) The blown apart Wolfman puppet, the transformation head puppet, and the final suit with RC Head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> While the long process of suit tying began, John finished off the Wolfman head sculpture and I finished the arms and feet. Or so I thought. It turned out that in my "enthusiasm" (which is a kind way to say that I didn't know what I was doing), I sculpted the arms too thick. Whenever you sculpt something with the intention of punching hair into it, the sculpture should be thin because the hair will add bulk. You've seen it before - a big, fluffy cat gets wet and looks like a skeleton. So, with the clock ticking I banged through a thinner, less anatomical pair of gloves. It was very disappointing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4r8ukU3NUs5LWE-KZnfhgMhvjELBJfLcsVjxN-CIb7FReG4L3fOIpBWNZX2vMmnltFQlgYCvjOwdBJVjK-Xw0AB0kXJVfn8iqiJPv_3xnuZ65Gt7O-ldrGc5fgLOU-wBKBgkrxV9mkM/s1600/RevisedWolfmanHand01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4r8ukU3NUs5LWE-KZnfhgMhvjELBJfLcsVjxN-CIb7FReG4L3fOIpBWNZX2vMmnltFQlgYCvjOwdBJVjK-Xw0AB0kXJVfn8iqiJPv_3xnuZ65Gt7O-ldrGc5fgLOU-wBKBgkrxV9mkM/s320/RevisedWolfmanHand01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wolfman hands that I had to sculpt in a day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmxFGB2DPMktqa1bI7gyAI6naJpSeekDMSlXwEPJihC9BoIA6nSQNJGBJwvMlkBZVSKq8ZqSdFzEQQNx9QADldChr6ivqEuiYm-5eZ8ixzHBM26YpsBcrc2tiA1JXnI8RACQqPtfMIUM/s1600/RevisedWolfmanHands02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmxFGB2DPMktqa1bI7gyAI6naJpSeekDMSlXwEPJihC9BoIA6nSQNJGBJwvMlkBZVSKq8ZqSdFzEQQNx9QADldChr6ivqEuiYm-5eZ8ixzHBM26YpsBcrc2tiA1JXnI8RACQqPtfMIUM/s320/RevisedWolfmanHands02.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compared to what I did originally, these are disappointing but became the gloves. Ouch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Speaking of disappointing, now would be a good time to tell you about the transformation. Again, John would handle the head puppet; Stan insisted that ONE puppet head be able to do just about everything. I was given an arm to do. The idea was that the arm would be sculpted mid-transformation so the exterior of the arm looked human while a wolf-like pad would be developing in the palm. Like the head, Stan wanted one arm to carry the transformation illusion, so I worked closely with Eric Fiedler and Richard Landon.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFbjGQSVjJgLf7qVeYLqxxYfiqaRw6V82qAPScTC8CovF2O9RO9rLi51ju0JPvWoe0lTed_e55KuVP5qsHEgdmNU9pP9YDITp3BveHoqvbPSjvJXoqko7X-xUe2CyPB6yMES5O1diHRQ/s1600/TransformationArmPalm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFbjGQSVjJgLf7qVeYLqxxYfiqaRw6V82qAPScTC8CovF2O9RO9rLi51ju0JPvWoe0lTed_e55KuVP5qsHEgdmNU9pP9YDITp3BveHoqvbPSjvJXoqko7X-xUe2CyPB6yMES5O1diHRQ/s320/TransformationArmPalm01.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The palm of my transformation arm sculpture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpwjj9U05RDgm11aRbQWyuc0tYHGmCNJQCWiedL1Xaow2pmKMiN9up5i-UE2g86QQMMLOpn8yCwOKP9kbLL81E06ZsZcHtapejL2M6bXDb5igpHx5zZ_xIWe7gNjvduO9Id1-Yzu4y5k/s1600/WolfmanTransformationHandBack01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpwjj9U05RDgm11aRbQWyuc0tYHGmCNJQCWiedL1Xaow2pmKMiN9up5i-UE2g86QQMMLOpn8yCwOKP9kbLL81E06ZsZcHtapejL2M6bXDb5igpHx5zZ_xIWe7gNjvduO9Id1-Yzu4y5k/s320/WolfmanTransformationHandBack01.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really tried to work some fleshy transformation elements.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmO7T2Gw0jU3JSD3L8wfjQpE8bxc_0eOnk0CpQW1k-U-KAy-MzSQBbsE7KKJ6sHRx1705HKzDshzq2ckSmQp7rVMfNGI6POBNQu7L5iAOI5YorjgR1B0IUAfc3qeymEdgD1xSea5Crvk/s1600/WolfmanTransformationHandBackDetail01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmO7T2Gw0jU3JSD3L8wfjQpE8bxc_0eOnk0CpQW1k-U-KAy-MzSQBbsE7KKJ6sHRx1705HKzDshzq2ckSmQp7rVMfNGI6POBNQu7L5iAOI5YorjgR1B0IUAfc3qeymEdgD1xSea5Crvk/s320/WolfmanTransformationHandBackDetail01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a LOT of detail!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The idea was that the arm would be shot in reverse. We'd start on the underside of the arm, see the coarse fur, the wolf-pad on the palm, and long nails. On action, we'd pull the nails in, the camera would move around to the back side of the arm and we'd pull the fur in through the skin. The result on screen would be that the arm would sprout hair, the camera would move, we'd see the wolf pad on the palm as the sharp fingernails grew. How much more simple could it be?<br />
<br />
The arm was made of foam latex over a fiberglass core that was peppered with small holes. Richard built the mechanism that would give the hand some movement at the wrist and enable the nails to grow. Eric punched all of the hair and then tied clumps of the punched hair together with cords. On action, we would pull the cords and the hair would just zip through the skin. Simple!<br />
<br />
To say the arm was a cluster-f*ck on set would be an understatement. It was a HUGE failure. There were too many variables, too many people involved; all I will say is this: it was the first BIG on-set failure I had ever experienced. And, because it was so labor intensive, we only had ONE SHOT at it.<br />
<br />
At some point we had heard from production that John's performance in the telephone booth was VERY animated and he was punching the glass as he screamed in pain. Cutting to a static arm with a purposeful camera move wouldn't cut into the scene, so we had to be prepared to slam the hand into the wall prior to executing the effect. That meant that the rig the arm was on would have to be rebuilt at the last minute to accommodate this change. Also, fearing too much drag on the foam latex, Eric lubed the hair so it would pull in more smoothly (which wasn't a bad idea, but the variables of the shot had changed). <br />
<br />
On action, we slammed the arm into the wall of the phone booth, pulled the nails in and pulled the hair. There was a millisecond delay then, <i>vip!</i> the hair pulled through at such a speed it nearly disappeared. Then the camera operator took his eye away from the lens and said that he didn't like the framing and asked if we could we do it again. Ugh. Shyte.<br />
<br />
We had better luck with the change-O head that had a combination of mechanics and bladders that spread the human eyes outward to mimic the final Wolfman, while pushing out the snout and inflating the cheekbones. Also, Emilio Gonzales built a back prosthetic with bladders that pushed muscle shapes and dental acrylic bumps to suggest growing vertebrae that also was effective. Two out of three isn't bad, but it stings when you are the one out of three that fails!<br />
<br />
For the scene where it appears that a dead John Gries transforms back into the Wolfman in an ambulance, a mechanical arm outfitted with bladders was built, and as the camera settled on the characters shoe, a puppeteer's hand inside one of the latex Wolfman feet burst through. That shot still makes me wince.<br />
<br />
The biggest disappointment was that the Wolfman was sculpted in a permanent roar. For whatever reason, (my guess is that Stan just didn't want that Wolfman to look anything but ferocious at all times), it wasn't sculpted in a neutral expression, so Dave Kindlon was severely limited to what he could bring mechanically to the head. In the end, it didn't matter much, because as we all know, the Wolfman had nards.<br />
<br />
As work on the Wolfman dissipated, I transferred over to the Dracula crew, assisting Alec and his crew with finishing the large bat puppet, the transformation arms, and the puppet body that was to represent Dracula in mid-transformation from bat to undead man. Lindsay McGowan had sculpted the little bat, while Alec had sculpted the bigger bat. Dave Nelson was chiefly involved with the mechanics of most of the Dracula pieces. The mid-transformation body was not unlike what Rick Baker had done with David Naughton in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON; the actor was put on a slant-board through a hole in the floor of the set and a puppet torso was glued and blended on to the actor's chest. <br />
<br />
However, unlike THE AMERICAN WEREWOLF, Alec upped the stakes replaced one of the actor's arm with a puppet arm in mid-transformation, complete with elongated fingers and wing membranes. A set of facial prosthetics resembling bat features were produced for actor Duncan Regehr, and the make up was finished with hair pieces.<br />
<br />
I had the pleasure of going to set a few days on MONSTER SQUAD, certainly not as much as any of the other lifers who, in general, had to be on set with their respective creatures. So while Stan, John, and Shane were on set, maintaining the Wolfman and the Mummy, and Tom Woodruff was in his Gillman suit, assisted by Matt Rose and Steve Wang, Alec ran the shop while we completed the Dracula transformation effects.<br />
<br />
I worked on the first, main unit shoot, not just for the disastrous Wolfman transformation, but for the day the Wolfman exploded and reconstituted (see: <a href="http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/blood-sweat-and-latex-lending-a-motorized-hand-to-the-monster-squad.php">Blood, Sweat, and Latex: Lending a Motorized Hand to MONSTER SQUAD</a>). I do recall another day when we were on a foggy swamp set where all of the monsters were playing. Duncan Regehr had some intense, quiet dialogue during a scene and Stan thought the camera had cut and just went into a loud, Jerry Lewis comedy routine. I don't know what was funnier, the routine or the fact that Stan had ruined a take, blushing while the A.D.'s then yelled cut and then called out for quiet on the set.<br />
<br />
Producer, Peter Hyams shot the scene at the beginning where Dracula transforms from a bat into his undead, human form. The crypt set was beautiful and it was so strange having a live armadillo running around on set. We shot a series of puppets and parts that day, starting with Lindsay's small bat, Alec's large bat puppet, then the series of transformation arms; I think there were three stages but only two were seen in the film (or maybe it was four stages and only three...).<br />
<br />
How about a little supplemental video?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jOMQfGueX44" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
While crews were busy finishing pieces needed to complete MONSTER SQUAD, and working on set with the performers, a group consisting of a couple of producers and a director came to the shop to speak to Stan about their troubled picture.<br />
<br />
It seemed that they had completed principle photography of their new sci-fi/action film, but were unhappy with the creature that another company had built and now, they wanted the genius behind the Queen Alien.<br />
<br />
The movie was PREDATOR, and my life was about to change forever.<br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-44725297278434502562011-09-15T16:27:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:27:33.750-07:00Part 43: The Amazing Story of "Miss Stardust"Steven Spielberg. A name so important that it appears in "spell check." JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, all have gone beyond being simple, fun, movies, to be accepted as institutions of contemporary film making*. So, when Steven Spielberg announced that he would be producing a television show, it was sure to be something exceptional. Using his influence, Spielberg attracted "A" list feature-film talent to be involved with his television series AMAZING STORIES. Robert Zemekis, Martin Scorsese, even Burt Reynolds directed an episode of the anthology series that revolved around fantasy, horror, and science fiction themes.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2CAT2rB5t_yv8xz-bcHjzOhOStpb_tZvybRQNK3eusi60h0RLrI08cWN9YDfsZeoWk41NwZexVCcf3hba6JHqAj6Mjzaz_oPX3YlcRLFZDsyq9J2ako9xOEjxUjNmskbnbKhQdZXzU/s1600/AmazingStoriesLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2CAT2rB5t_yv8xz-bcHjzOhOStpb_tZvybRQNK3eusi60h0RLrI08cWN9YDfsZeoWk41NwZexVCcf3hba6JHqAj6Mjzaz_oPX3YlcRLFZDsyq9J2ako9xOEjxUjNmskbnbKhQdZXzU/s1600/AmazingStoriesLogo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this series was just a bit ahead of its time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> As I mentioned last time, Stan Winston and his crew did an outstanding job for the Bob Zemekis episode "Go to the Head of the Class" creating incredible animatronic heads of actor Christopher Lloyd. So, it came as no surprise that Stan would get the call to produce more creatures for a new episode to be directed by Tobe Hooper entitled "Miss Stardust." In a nutshell, the plot involved a shyster (played by the legendary Dick Shawn) promoting a Miss Stardust beauty contest to chose the most beautiful woman in the universe, and, of course the crashing of that contest by aliens insisting on being represented, lest the earth be destroyed. Hey, they can't all be Shakespeare.<br />
<br />
The alien contestant representative would be played by Weird Al Yankovic camouflaged by an elaborate prosthetic make up. Now joined by Alec Gillis, fresh from Kevin Yagher's studio, the lifers jumped at the chance to begin designing. Shane designed Weird Al's make up, which would be based on a huge head of lettuce - no, you read that correctly. Tom designed "Miss Venus", a tall, slug-like creature with dangling tendrils and big bulging eyes. "Miss Mars" was created by John, who envisioned her with a tall cranium, sharp teeth and pointed ears. That left "Miss Jupiter", a six-legged, six-breasted, horse-faced monstrosity designed by Alec Gillis.<br />
<br />
Other than Weird Al, the rest of the aliens would be elaborate puppets. It was about that time, that Stan saw the necessity to expand his operation. He had already rented a secondary unit in the industrial park that had served as a mold shop during ALIENS, but as I recall, Stan had vacated that shop once they left for England.<br />
However, Stan's intention was to move the mechanical department into their own space and so rented another unit that was directly opposite his bay door across the expansive parking lot. While a moving strategy was being formulated, Tom and Alec took advantage of the empty building began sculpting Miss Venus there.<br />
<br />
As Shane began molding lettuce leaves for the purposes of producing clay representations and John began roughing out Miss Mars another Stan Winston alumnus appeared at the studio. Having worked with the lifers in England on ALIENS, Linsday McGowan had spoken with Stan about the possibility of coming to America and pursuing his career in Los Angeles. Diminutive, soft-spoken, polite, funny, Lindsay found himself thrust right into a flurry of activity. Without a car, Lindsay would rely on public transportation or the kindness of others to get him from his apartment to the studio.<br />
<br />
He hadn't been in town for a week, when walking down Parthenia Street west toward Tampa, a black-and-white police car screeched to a stop in front of him. Two of L.A.'s finest threw Lindsay to the ground and began questioning him. As luck would have it, he fit the description of a suspect who had just robbed a convenience store. Once Lindsay explained who he was, and what he was doing in Los Angeles, the police realized they had apprehended the wrong man. "Welcome to Los Angeles." one of them said as they released him. <br />
<br />
Also around that time, Matt Rose rejoined the team as well. I could be wrong about this, but I believe that he began sculpting the arms for Miss Jupiter. My first order of business was on Miss Venus. Tom's design featured three dangling "feelers" that ended in a tiny, bee-hived shape swelling. Once Tom had the head roughed out, he made a quick alginate (flexible, dental, casting material) mold or "snap" which furnished an accurate base for my feeler sculptures to blend. Nothing beats experience. I had done something similar to this already in my blossoming career - the pineal gland for the Dr. Pretorious monster. Yep, time to break out the ole prolapsed rectum reference.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjab6cK2ygzgJ-T2r5lfINj1Zcs5Qe-ydhySmEHlcDNCl4E2STaYH53aJ6EXvDhptCP-eYTgQDPn_X0gIVTtrfxBK36G110cs0Cur27wUJPzRD1yuC_EPmJPw6dkMEZGyYFAx7jVS2R8/s1600/MissVenus01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjab6cK2ygzgJ-T2r5lfINj1Zcs5Qe-ydhySmEHlcDNCl4E2STaYH53aJ6EXvDhptCP-eYTgQDPn_X0gIVTtrfxBK36G110cs0Cur27wUJPzRD1yuC_EPmJPw6dkMEZGyYFAx7jVS2R8/s320/MissVenus01.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Venus, as she used to sit above the Foam Room at Stan's studio.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigldlxnvcYoDlumxCRLbrCN5Hp7VmkDZ4abVvnw2D4rBWwG1ZPdmSiqMl2dy8DbBEkAfjVmomSv_yt9qg-H5mr_jtsNnL0-x_-InwflzMtUE4TrrTcUXpDy90lWwcIzSWGF2sSRaK846k/s1600/MissVenus02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigldlxnvcYoDlumxCRLbrCN5Hp7VmkDZ4abVvnw2D4rBWwG1ZPdmSiqMl2dy8DbBEkAfjVmomSv_yt9qg-H5mr_jtsNnL0-x_-InwflzMtUE4TrrTcUXpDy90lWwcIzSWGF2sSRaK846k/s320/MissVenus02.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, prolapsed rectums at the ends of her feelers, poor girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Based on my sculptural performance, Tom then assigned me the task of roughing out Miss Venus' pudgy, three fingered hands. This is where I stumbled. Miss Venus, although a creature from another planet, was still "a lady." The hands I roughed out were...well, rough. Wrinkly and gnarled, they didn't match what Tom and Alec had sculpted on the body. Eventually, I was relieved of my hand sculpting duties and they were finished by Tom. I don't blame him. When I saw the finished hands they were smooth and feminine - worthy of an intergalactic beauty contest. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the mechanical duties had been split as well. Richard Landon and Dave Kindlon would be building the exhaustive mechanisms for Miss Mars. She would have a full radio controlled face, a neck that could stretch upward, mechanical arms and hands, as well as legs and feet. The entire puppet would be able to be mounted onto a rod that would go through the floor for gross body movement. Miss Venus seemed to be primarily Steve James' task with the help of his mentor, Dave Nelson, who was supervising the mechanics of Miss Jupiter. I suppose it wouldn't be fair to not mention Lance Anderson here.<br />
<br />
Lance, a long-time friend and collaborator with Stan, had built a tail mechanism for Stan's pet project entitled MORGULUM. It was an impressive five or six foot-long mechanism about 30 or so inches in diameter at the base, terminating in about a six-inch diameter tip.It sat on display in a corner of the shop covered in soft, charcoal-colored upholstery foam. Stan suggested that Tom use the mechanism as a base to build Miss Venus' slug-like tail, so the foam was stripped, the mechanism covered with plastic wrap, and a mold was made to generate a sculpting positive.<br />
<br />
As soon as sculpting armatures were built, Alec Gillis began roughing out the Miss Jupiter head while Tom Woodruff sculpted the body. Lindsay and I sculpted the left and right legs as she would need six of them (3 on each side). The large size of Miss Jupiter's head pushed the limits of Stan's small foam-latex oven and it was clear that the studio's needs would exceed the modest piece of equipment. Soon, we would a bigger oven.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21OwHKatFgawqH72ZLxHQwml04pkdzfkjW51gc5x7rDpmcfEi8nSh1H9pMdzfNpQHLJW1NgpaqqbD_av54shx6w-7grx_X6dgmkjx1lSKXLZ0Mi37ZrP33KapnWSPzL2bFSNnSffjjb4/s1600/MissJupiter03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21OwHKatFgawqH72ZLxHQwml04pkdzfkjW51gc5x7rDpmcfEi8nSh1H9pMdzfNpQHLJW1NgpaqqbD_av54shx6w-7grx_X6dgmkjx1lSKXLZ0Mi37ZrP33KapnWSPzL2bFSNnSffjjb4/s320/MissJupiter03.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Jupiter, striking an angry pose!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyRxn6k0RgRvieWjby5UVOypcZ4N78zc28tOEPshRSo-DemrfDYZrtTwFVHLn7sXqWZSpA8m8NCWw8kPe7Gxfni-Ye87Y2yPQcsGbMKOWs6Y5rJV28pZyCntxk_pU9QykwdHLl1gsnMs/s1600/MissJupiter04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyRxn6k0RgRvieWjby5UVOypcZ4N78zc28tOEPshRSo-DemrfDYZrtTwFVHLn7sXqWZSpA8m8NCWw8kPe7Gxfni-Ye87Y2yPQcsGbMKOWs6Y5rJV28pZyCntxk_pU9QykwdHLl1gsnMs/s320/MissJupiter04.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't understand how she didn't win the contest?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It was clear that for the larger bodies of Miss Venus and Miss Jupiter, running foam latex was out of the question so they were run in soft, urethane foam. Miss Venus had a latex skin where Miss Jupiter's mold was just released and run repeatedly until we were able to pull a soft polyfoam casting out, with the least damaged surface (Polytek's 1014 is a soft urethane foam that is not advertised as self-skinning. We were out to prove them wrong-ish). We managed to get one casting that needed extensive patching, but it worked...well...sort of...<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, on the Miss Mars front, there was a physics problem. It seems that the mechanical arms were constructed with differentials in the shoulders that were engineered to disengage, rather than strip the gears inside, under a specified amount of torque. In theory, the differentials seemed ideal for the task, but father physics stepped in with his concept of leverage. The weight of the spindly arms matched with their length was too much for the gear box, which prevented the cable controlled arms from functioning. This meant that the arms would have to be counter-balanced at the wrists with wires leading up to pulleys with weights attached at the ends.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmI_j2vwFoi69fanN4tSHjFb3Aa5_ASwckYksGU9ZG9M2HxiWCuZoDGeQXHhcjLAyUBk72CkI4NKyaDbQCVrjp7Y0w8DZjHwJt8P2XbZ_ED7WFLv6hE5ccMm_6Lse8LYVXDLVjAX7C3w/s1600/MissMars01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmI_j2vwFoi69fanN4tSHjFb3Aa5_ASwckYksGU9ZG9M2HxiWCuZoDGeQXHhcjLAyUBk72CkI4NKyaDbQCVrjp7Y0w8DZjHwJt8P2XbZ_ED7WFLv6hE5ccMm_6Lse8LYVXDLVjAX7C3w/s320/MissMars01.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Mars is pissed because she needed to be supported by wires...Not really, she always looks pissed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> In the art department, Matt, Lindsay and I were assigned to paint Miss Jupiter's body, arms and legs, based on Alec Gillis' paint job on the head. I only bring this up because Matt Rose taught me something at that time which stuck with me to this day. He asked if I had ever seen the skin on the inside of a baby's hand, or a baby's thigh. He indicated that they were covered in a translucent network of veins in varying shades of red and purple. Then, he demonstrated how to achieve such a look with an airbrush; this technique has remained one of the foundations of my painting.<br />
<br />
When the puppets were completed, they were trucked to Universal Studios where we set up on one of the stages. I say that with such aplomb, but at the time I was freaking out! Universal Studios was one of the most famous studios on the planet and to be there as an employee was mind-blowing! I really felt that I had landed in the big time when production told us that we would have a few days of (paid) rehearsals! Then, Stan Winston informed us that we would be "Screen Actor's Guild, Taft-Harley'd"; I didn't know what that meant. <br />
<br />
Those of us who were not in Screen Actor's Guild, would be permitted to operate (or "perform") in front of a movie camera without being in the union....once. We would receive our pay and residuals (what?!) based on a standard S.A.G. contract! All I know is that it was more money than I had ever earned up to that point!<br />
<br />
Production furnished us with musical playback for Miss Mars' Dance and Miss Jupiter's operatic performance. We puppeteers slowly began to develop a routine based on the capabilities of the puppets. For Miss Mars, Matt Winston and I would get on a platform above the stage where we would assist with the gross arm movements moving a horizontal pole back and forth with the counter-balancing pulleys on either end of it. During a lighting test, one of the weights came loose, fell, and struck the stage mere feet from where a technician stood. I shudder to think what would have happened had it struck him in the head!<br />
<br />
During our rehearsal, a member of the Art Department stopped by to see our puppeteering set up and was impressed. Apparently Rob Bottin and his crew had been on set a few weeks earlier with his creature ("The Greibble") and, according to this crew person, it took a bunch of people with enormous controllers to make it work They had had a hell of a time framing them out of shots. <br />
<br />
When shooting commenced we finally got to see Weird Al in his make up. Kevin Yagher, who, unlike the rest of us, was in the make up union, applied Shane's make up which turned out looking fantastic. Kevin was (is) an amazing artist. During the day when he was on set, keeping an eye on Mr. Yankovic's make up, he clipped a teddy bear out of a foam sponge using a pair of cuticle scissors! It was perfect and demonstrated how incredible his eye truly was! I've never seen anyone do anything like that since! Remarkable.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7wZvSp4A41QVhN0EKfcRXiay6QANAK1rqgA6Efe3Ax5Rex4N4-nj4vKrJXcdPP2n3v0oYz6C9N-q15jDNFUse-5aUcw9wbZOMatnzPAJYE9145QmNUkUm5mWszTKU7sT3lv9ZKaRzs8/s1600/WeirdAlCabbageHead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7wZvSp4A41QVhN0EKfcRXiay6QANAK1rqgA6Efe3Ax5Rex4N4-nj4vKrJXcdPP2n3v0oYz6C9N-q15jDNFUse-5aUcw9wbZOMatnzPAJYE9145QmNUkUm5mWszTKU7sT3lv9ZKaRzs8/s320/WeirdAlCabbageHead.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You are one, humorless vegetable, you know that?!" Actual dialogue delivered to Weird Al from Dick Shawn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Shooting the puppets went smoothly. The only hiccup was that Miss Jupiter's operatic playback was "enhanced" and no longer had the same tempo as the routine we had worked out. But we rallied and managed to get an impressive performance on camera. To get a look at our puppets in action, check out this link:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aU1bLmrOWE"> Miss Stardust on Youtube</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriE4gP-I8QtSoZLSVNN3zqj9xSSRJqZWTH_E62g14sPqkY5QIdESfvegGJkKajcy1AhwsfCKCbjn2PjWbbERhBhATUoYpo7O_v24QUm1iLfkAxL0B3cI1E9kz3sgIuZnkvDmqiwO4Ge0/s1600/MissJupiter01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriE4gP-I8QtSoZLSVNN3zqj9xSSRJqZWTH_E62g14sPqkY5QIdESfvegGJkKajcy1AhwsfCKCbjn2PjWbbERhBhATUoYpo7O_v24QUm1iLfkAxL0B3cI1E9kz3sgIuZnkvDmqiwO4Ge0/s320/MissJupiter01.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Jupiter, lit garishly, on set. Nice teeth, though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> It was also an honor to work on set with Dick Shawn. Even though we really didn't have much interaction with him on camera, watching him work was a treat. It is one of the many regrets of my career that I didn't ask him for an autograph at the end of the shoot; he would die, on stage doing his one-man show a year later!<br />
<br />
While we were at Universal, between takes, walking amongst the classic soundstages, Stan told us what our next job would be - a cross between GHOSTBUSTERS and the GOONIES entitled THE MONSTER SQUAD. And, it would feature the classics - Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon! <br />
<br />
I was just happy that there was more work on the horizon.<br />
<br />
*<i>I would have added later efforts such as SCHINDLER'S LIST and JURASSIC PARK, but at this time, those films had not been produced yet.</i><br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-34326942202715526862011-09-07T10:29:00.000-07:002011-09-07T10:29:18.220-07:00Part 42: Back at Stan Winston's StudiosDuring my first tour of duty at Stan Winston's back in 1985, things were a bit unusual. Stan's "lifers" as they had been called, had left for England within a few weeks of my employment with the exception of Alec Gillis. Although I had been introduced to and worked a bit with the others, Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, Tom Woodruff, Jr., and Richard Landon, I honestly didn't know that much about them or their working habits. But now, I had found myself back at Stan Winston's studio, invited by Stan himself, to join the team in their latest effort which was building a mechanical boar for the film BLACK WIDOW.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gjDIgoD558Wu89aL6NAchJ22lsGUj1_-Z_k3JfqyU82gDtEF6cBPe_KPN4Wvhu1LbaWE7upf1uqUaKGnXjYRAxwvGvcr1sQ64tQTBm7pABjKPAAA1OC4DpZHX6cjGfwZjuBbhFdF27g/s1600/BlackWidowPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gjDIgoD558Wu89aL6NAchJ22lsGUj1_-Z_k3JfqyU82gDtEF6cBPe_KPN4Wvhu1LbaWE7upf1uqUaKGnXjYRAxwvGvcr1sQ64tQTBm7pABjKPAAA1OC4DpZHX6cjGfwZjuBbhFdF27g/s320/BlackWidowPoster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
Okay, time for a disclaimer: <i>THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE FIRST-PERSON BASED AND ARE IMPRESSIONS AND REFLECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR. INDIVIDUALS SHOULD FORMULATE THEIR OWN JUDGEMENTS WHEN MEETING THESE PEOPLE FIRST HAND. </i>Right, onto the story.<br />
<i> </i><br />
Upon my re-introduction to the lifers and after working with them for a few days this is how I would classify them:<br />
<br />
Shane Mahan was an artist. A dreamer. He had such a charming and deep sense of self-deception that it was difficult to not like him instantly. He loved art, especially traditional fine art as well as the trappings of what I would call "the good life." I still like Shane very much but have a difficult time resisting the temptation to knock his rose-colored glasses off. Shame on me. Years after I left Stan's, my wife would tell me that Shane actually had the right idea about how to live life. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyle2ggVJNqL5LscdWt00GA9YR6gc3D-jrtYI9T0rdF_n7tMVLd4D0r3k9RP0aYjmSFFyGDmCRrT3IzDGrnEqPNbWaZVeA34wefnYVY6tHNuoSCTLQ48qiexCnUo4Aog3ywsVhBMbw7U/s1600/ShaneMahan01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyle2ggVJNqL5LscdWt00GA9YR6gc3D-jrtYI9T0rdF_n7tMVLd4D0r3k9RP0aYjmSFFyGDmCRrT3IzDGrnEqPNbWaZVeA34wefnYVY6tHNuoSCTLQ48qiexCnUo4Aog3ywsVhBMbw7U/s320/ShaneMahan01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He wore leopard print slip-on shoes in the shop...no kidding...</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Tom Woodruff, Jr. was the perfectionist. Highly talented and detail oriented. Of all of the TERMINATOR heads that were on display, Tom's was the one that was the cleanest. I recall being at Tom's house and seeing one that he had made for his home display that was more perfect than the one in the studio! Possessed of a wicked sense of humor, Tom's true passion was writing. He had dreams of writing screenplays and one day moving his family back to his native Pennsylvania.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcmLx5dE0a1CkBsvg8jZu25uNWKH6rwzuTs11lYsCSEKfu7jVzjUMwLEMO0i6Vn8-1i5oZxhIVyugCLGVHyVvjA2DY8g80Mx9U3XQyEYNGqucKyBlGC-7DT0MI3Ikn_W0cDMvF9jEju0/s1600/TomWoodruff01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcmLx5dE0a1CkBsvg8jZu25uNWKH6rwzuTs11lYsCSEKfu7jVzjUMwLEMO0i6Vn8-1i5oZxhIVyugCLGVHyVvjA2DY8g80Mx9U3XQyEYNGqucKyBlGC-7DT0MI3Ikn_W0cDMvF9jEju0/s320/TomWoodruff01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this frame grab of Tom because you know he just did something he's embarrassed about...</td></tr>
</tbody></table> John Rosengrant was the ramrod. It is difficult to see what a necessary and thankless position that is for anyone, and there were many times, in my immaturity, that I would see John as a frustrating figure at the studio. A bit hot-headed and deed-oriented, John made goddamn sure that the work was moving forward in the shop! Having had that position myself, since, at other shops, I recognize what a difficult position it is. I'll take this opportunity to apologize to John for my youthful lack of vision. He was doing what was best for the studio, which is what made him invaluable to Stan.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVTapzPbacf9U4LfoEIe_gJqp_7BSM3JXFD3sgXVhNPd00KHbRlhxMqjfOOHmC9BcY7Ie5wz70-S6BYPQnWqYOcRj_SXz8wO125_bz-7ElxyNqk-XRC8ksUBppTojVHpvqjTEbXOE9Z8/s1600/JohnRosengrant01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVTapzPbacf9U4LfoEIe_gJqp_7BSM3JXFD3sgXVhNPd00KHbRlhxMqjfOOHmC9BcY7Ie5wz70-S6BYPQnWqYOcRj_SXz8wO125_bz-7ElxyNqk-XRC8ksUBppTojVHpvqjTEbXOE9Z8/s320/JohnRosengrant01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I forgot to mention that John, too, was a good sculptor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Richard Landon was the head of the mechanical department. Educated and intelligent, Richard attempted to bring logic and dispassionate thinking into the studio which was a difficult notion. Ironically, Richard was also very sensitive and polite which meant that he wasn't always heard above the rabble. I admire Richard for his stalwart service to Stan Winston and his bottomless patience. I never possessed those admirable qualities.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxA1gaYKkMTAKeGbSAuYlD1xK4aVKwAGLpYd4sc-3_iOUgbL1jMR_AJaKe7-ODDLMaV_ifGEpnjWELWMQ755kro1iuUGjHmQg6MNMAL6SM37dYRxIYkh6uK9JT_4HMoTe-1S7av0uG68/s1600/RichardLandon01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxA1gaYKkMTAKeGbSAuYlD1xK4aVKwAGLpYd4sc-3_iOUgbL1jMR_AJaKe7-ODDLMaV_ifGEpnjWELWMQ755kro1iuUGjHmQg6MNMAL6SM37dYRxIYkh6uK9JT_4HMoTe-1S7av0uG68/s320/RichardLandon01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard looks like he's thinking about something. He was always thinking about something, bless him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Other familiar faces had returned to Stan's as well, such as Dave Nelson, and Steve James, who were designing and assembling the chain link running mechanism for the boar (truly amazing). And it was during this time that I met someone who would become a life long friend, Stan's son, Matt. <br />
<br />
Matt was just instantly likeable. He was such a fan of his father and the studio's work that it was disarming! He had boundless energy and enthusiasm and would be working at the studio that summer between school years.<br />
<br />
At the time of my return, Alec Gillis had taken a sabbatical and was helping his friend Kevin Yagher with a demon puppet for a film entitled TRICK OR TREAT. But he was due to return sometime in the future. Of course, at the helm, was the man himself....Stan Winston.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPs_YU3RpNa60h-wOiEJe1DYlrd9wbiY995ggsIyg7oNw2PMu3Kp-u9hCYOuBiQMNHoyxWJNZg1DRRD6BWtTCorstVvrQS0QIbreNFm0iIdhiQYT6iwijjcFHQzg4lypypqRjd3jMCeQ/s1600/TheMan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPs_YU3RpNa60h-wOiEJe1DYlrd9wbiY995ggsIyg7oNw2PMu3Kp-u9hCYOuBiQMNHoyxWJNZg1DRRD6BWtTCorstVvrQS0QIbreNFm0iIdhiQYT6iwijjcFHQzg4lypypqRjd3jMCeQ/s320/TheMan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There he sat in his office, no multiple Oscars nor high-tech furniture yet. A star on the rise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> As I put my tool box down on a workbench, I was greeted by a large, red fiberglass mold; its silhouette was immediately recognizable as some sort of pig. Also, in the mechanical area of the shop was a chain-link mechanism. These were the parts of the boar puppet that were under construction for BLACK WIDOW. The idea was that the antagonist, played by Theresa Russell's, would trick the protagonist, Debra Winger into the forest where she would be threatened by a wild boar.<br />
<br />
For shots of the wild boar chasing at Ms. Winger's feet, this puppet would be utilized. Built like a wheel-barrow, it was only the front 2/3rds of the body. Where the rear legs would have been, instead was a beefy frame with wheels that a puppeteer could motivate, coordinating with the movements of the front legs to give the illusion of running.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuLLuHBdADA555GiFqizjnWhbwZ4VireX0rINloNjS7dBvOWdfyrBSl_EB3hfqxAE2Xp5-It1MBt8HbioA7-o8d9HpvUG5I0tICrxnQijKpfSKoY8WiRqpN_zTirIrX3XHpcGwjSQEQk/s1600/BoarMechanics01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuLLuHBdADA555GiFqizjnWhbwZ4VireX0rINloNjS7dBvOWdfyrBSl_EB3hfqxAE2Xp5-It1MBt8HbioA7-o8d9HpvUG5I0tICrxnQijKpfSKoY8WiRqpN_zTirIrX3XHpcGwjSQEQk/s320/BoarMechanics01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the mechanism balanced across the foam room counters.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZft8LIjmmnnb1IO3sYx7mXNuZhAFvCcJBC8ccT0a6HJG7ePcjG5Eg76NhMQ75DH8afpVI34h9WCyMX3dfPmvxxG3Z1P-Qo1L8MTU2xJoHneTFhlOryj3qrT5qdvEUgBq6EbSyhJWP5lc/s1600/BoarMechanics02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZft8LIjmmnnb1IO3sYx7mXNuZhAFvCcJBC8ccT0a6HJG7ePcjG5Eg76NhMQ75DH8afpVI34h9WCyMX3dfPmvxxG3Z1P-Qo1L8MTU2xJoHneTFhlOryj3qrT5qdvEUgBq6EbSyhJWP5lc/s320/BoarMechanics02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those of you who are mechanically inclined, here's a close up of the shoulder array. Very impressive stuff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was told that it would be my responsibility to cast the skins for the puppet. The head would be run out of foam latex, and the body would be a thin skin of regular latex over a soft urethane filler. The mold was cored to create a thickness of about a half an inch, so that was going to be a challenge.<br />
<br />
Stan Winston's foam room was just a bit bigger than a utility closet in those days (see the photo above). He had several Sunbeam Mixmasters and two injectors that were acrylic-bodied with machined aluminum tips and plungers. The injectors were not something you could just stroll down the street and pick up, they had been custom built per specifications; one held about two large Mixmaster bowls, the other about four bowls of foam. The acrylic had been machined on the ends, threaded like a big screw so that the cap and tip as well as the plunger guide could be attached to withstand the immense amount of pressure exerted on the injector while filling molds. To make matters worse, the threads were relatively thin, meaning that it would take a fair amount of revolutions to completely seat the cap on the acrylic tube.<br />
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I've spoken about running foam latex in many of the past blogs, but running foam at Stan's and using those injectors was a new experience. Prior to running the foam, it became a responsibility to clean out the injector, castor oil all of the rubber O ring seals, and make sure that everything would be ready to go, quickly, in order to get the foam latex into the injector, cap sealed, and then material injected into the mold. It sounds easier than it was, especially doing the lion's share of the work by myself.<br />
<br />
The initial run of any mold for a mechanical character, would be a test skin. The overall quality of the foam and the run was less important than providing the mechanical department with something that they could begin working with to strategically plan how they were going to assemble the animatronics. The skin served as a departure point for the engineers to request a softer foam while indicating stress areas to be reinforced. It also gives the foam runner the opportunity of working out any bugs in the casting of the skin, so that subsequent runs only get better.<br />
<br />
So there I was in this tiny foam room, with a red, fiberglass, boar head mold. I had delicately attached a nylon stocking over the core positive (the piece inside of the mold that displaces the foam to a specified thickness) and had cut out the areas where the core contacted the inner surface of the mold. I had drilled tiny "bleeder" holes throughout the core to allow air to escape while injecting that would cause air bubbles or voids in the skin. Everything was ready. Injection gun was clean and I was ready to run foam.<br />
<br />
Chemicals weighed carefully, Mixmaster speeds and running times executed and recorded with precision, it became time to add the final chemical that would "gel" the foam to prevent the air cells from collapsing as the material baked out in the oven. At this point, I leaned out of the foam room and asked someone to help me.<br />
Sometimes it was Matt, or Shane, or Tom...whomever was free to throw on a smock and lend a hand.<br />
<br />
Dispersing the gelling agent into the foam was putting the operation against a unreliable stop watch. As I've said before, there were so many conditions that could make foam latex gel too fast, or not at all, so what any foam runner had when they were performing their task, was an <i>idea</i> of how much time they have to effectively get the material into the mold.<br />
<br />
The foam was front-loaded into the injector (the cap end) as the plunger sat at the very bottom of the tube. Once filled, the cap was screwed on (All those threads! It felt like an eternity!) and then the plunger was carefully pushed upward allowing the large air voids and bubbles in the mix to escape until the foam latex hit the cap. A bit of material was allowed to escape from the tip and then into the mold the injector went! Slow, steady pressure was exerted on the plunger as spirals of foam began appearing at the bleeder holes. When finally, all of the holes bled and there was enough back pressure on the injector, a ball of water-based clay was pushed into the injector hole as the injector was removed to maintain the pressure and prevent the latex from spewing out. WHEW! Done! Now all that had to be done was let the foam gel and then into the oven.<br />
<br />
Within a few minutes, the foam had gelled completely. Ah, success! I carefully moved the mold into the oven, set the temperature and timer, and then returned to the foam room to clean up (another thankless task for foam runners!). I went to open the injector cap to clean it out and it is stuck. Solid. Like through some alchemy the acrylic had permanently bonded with the aluminum. The cap, which was about three inches in diameter, was larger than any channel-lock pliers in the shop and the acrylic was too fragile for me to put it into a table vise. I held the injector between my knees and tried to twist the cap off. It wasn't moving. I unscrewed the bottom, pulled the plunger, and the excess foam out of the tube and tried to clean as much as I could from the reverse. I tried to twist again...nothing. Ugh...<br />
<br />
I opened the foam room door and asked John Rosengrant for a hand. He came in, saw what I had done and slapped me upside the head, like a father from the '60's would do after his kid had just wiped his ketchup stained lips with his shirt. It was more shocking than painful, but...he had just hit me...right? "Don't let the foam gel in the closed injector!" he snapped. All I could do was hang onto the acrylic tube while John wrenched it off. "After you finish injecting the mold, unscrew the cap immediately next time!" he added, and then left.<br />
<br />
What could I do? Go tell Stan? Confront John and get my ass handed to me? I was too shocked and stunned to know what to do. I had just arrived back at one of THE best creature effects studios in the world. Was it worth risking dismissal? At the time, I thought not. My ears and cheeks burning red, I continued cleaning the foam room. <br />
<br />
It was a sad and defining moment at Stan Winston's studio for me. I had returned, but not in the way I had hoped.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-59739959692953455452011-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:24:00.655-07:00Part 41: Evil Dead to Cute DogsAs Mark Shostrom and company left for North Carolina, I found myself unemployed again. That was short-lived after a call from a friend, Scott Wheeler, who was working for Ellis "Sonny" Burman at Cosmekinetics in Northridge, California.<br />
<br />
Apparently, Sonny had been hired by the EVIL DEAD II production to make some specific props: A giant Evil Tree puppet, three miniature Evil Tree hand puppets, and the Evil Deer Trophy Head for "the Laughing Room" scene.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zzqeQxCI_HLrn7ymEGm6iOPX2TQFUe7uOao3w4KnfTtL4_zRYepUO6HMCzFMD0Sl_ADLct-xK3bAQzspQNVETVKJ-4XLVEz05PCVlVAdRoTZkvr5FmQRKmDW1YDsN3wz6K3I0OUscUs/s1600/ed2_deer_head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zzqeQxCI_HLrn7ymEGm6iOPX2TQFUe7uOao3w4KnfTtL4_zRYepUO6HMCzFMD0Sl_ADLct-xK3bAQzspQNVETVKJ-4XLVEz05PCVlVAdRoTZkvr5FmQRKmDW1YDsN3wz6K3I0OUscUs/s320/ed2_deer_head.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How could you forget THIS guy?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>But more importantly, Sonny built the all-important, iconic chainsaws that Bruce "Ash" Campbell eventually uses to replace his dismembered hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pMVC4uNwJurJy2TYcDfwTBWU8kq_MYlEUz2duB6WgraK6wslnc7pV2PfXmEcv5goRxdBIMES2qA_CNob3QRQXlwDpHizluxcwpZo1fK-WslpDHnIIU8U6dXGHyZ0fUWqDpnfPz_kyzI/s1600/evil-dead-2-chainsaw-300x171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pMVC4uNwJurJy2TYcDfwTBWU8kq_MYlEUz2duB6WgraK6wslnc7pV2PfXmEcv5goRxdBIMES2qA_CNob3QRQXlwDpHizluxcwpZo1fK-WslpDHnIIU8U6dXGHyZ0fUWqDpnfPz_kyzI/s1600/evil-dead-2-chainsaw-300x171.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Groovy"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRT3JPoUQXV6APTiTDJDzRRfFtnG6IsR-CVdpthyxLmaKW9Q0DTGDtPQcQGXOwOufS6hHDfnLv8euesSj5TOwF6R9BX_y-w8CGC7GJoFtKSzkdrO3gdnDKQQX1KLv1K-nR4WuTC3KK1bg/s1600/Chainsaw_Ash_s_Chainsaw_by_ForgedwithFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRT3JPoUQXV6APTiTDJDzRRfFtnG6IsR-CVdpthyxLmaKW9Q0DTGDtPQcQGXOwOufS6hHDfnLv8euesSj5TOwF6R9BX_y-w8CGC7GJoFtKSzkdrO3gdnDKQQX1KLv1K-nR4WuTC3KK1bg/s320/Chainsaw_Ash_s_Chainsaw_by_ForgedwithFire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonny made several versions of this saw for different purposes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Scott, again, was going to North Carolina while I was going to remain in the shop with Sonny, but in any case, they needed assistance with running foam latex, and some finishing work before the pieces shipped to location.<br />
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Cosmekinetics was in the same industrial park that Stan Winston's studio was located in, but however close together they were, the studios themselves were worlds apart. Sonny Burman, first of all, was ex-military. At first that may sound a bit daunting, but I found Sonny to be a straight-shooter. He never said anything that he didn't mean or couldn't back up and I admired that. When I worked for him he must have been in his early 50's and I'll tell you this: He looked like he could have crushed a girder with his bare hands! I had heard a rumor that during the shooting of THE TERMINATOR, James Cameron was frustrated with the Endoskeleton puppeteers who were working in a trench and began yelling at them. Sonny responded, by shouting that if Jim didn't shut up, he (Sonny) was going to leap out of the trench and knock Cameron's dick in the dirt! True? I don't know, but if Sonny had yelled that at me, I would have unloaded my colon into my pants.<br />
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Sonny's partner was Bob Williams who was intelligent, level-headed, and had a wry sense of humor. The entire time I was there, I never saw Bob get ruffled. Frustrated? Yes, but he always handled it calmly and with a droll quip.<br />
<br />
Arriving to work my first Monday, I was greeted by the sight of a casting of the full-sized Evil Tree puppet. It was only 1/2 around (I would say roughly 3 1/2 to 4 feet in diameter)I want to say that the casting was latex and soft polyurethane foam behind it. It was backed by fiberglass, but not the traditional laminated layers of cloth or matte, but was covered in "chop" from a "chop gun." Pardon my naivete but I had never seen fiberglass chop before and I was impressed. It made sense. Something that sized, to laminate layers of matte would have taken a few people many hours to build up a significant thickness. With the chop gun, it had taken one person just a few hours.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQoqdXLrMMqBORyNdLo4oTTdyMAJPR5R9cEBQteKBC12-1lhvuFEMGpuHfi3iIWWCY8KiaS-XLut_otuLL3Qg5Q2WbNskTTDvX0LmB0B43zBnFF7t6Lj0isLxw-j9mpqdgvChi0gPNvo/s1600/EvilDeadIITree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQoqdXLrMMqBORyNdLo4oTTdyMAJPR5R9cEBQteKBC12-1lhvuFEMGpuHfi3iIWWCY8KiaS-XLut_otuLL3Qg5Q2WbNskTTDvX0LmB0B43zBnFF7t6Lj0isLxw-j9mpqdgvChi0gPNvo/s1600/EvilDeadIITree.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Calling all evil trees! Calling all evil trees!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unfortunately, all of the chainsaws were completed by the time I showed up. All expertly aged and matching one another, Sonny and Bob had built at least 3 that I recall: a hero working chainsaw (with no chain), a light-weight smoking shell that Bruce wore on his hand, and a soft version for stunts. There may have been more, but it is difficult to remember.<br />
<br />
What I do remember were molds. Four of them to be exact. All made from pink Tool Stone (which was a mold making favorite back in the day). Three of them were miniature Evil Tree puppets complete with Tool Stone hand positives in puppeteering poses. The last was the Evil or Laughing Deer Trophy Head. Scott Wheeler had sculpted the deer head and for some reason we had run the foam latex for it at Mark Shostrom's shop. Perhaps that's what gave Scott the idea to call me to work at Sonny's when the Shostrom team left for North Carolina?<br />
<br />
Scott took the skin back to Cosmekinetics and finished off the deer there. He recently told me that he hand-laid crepe wool for the fur! That's a lot of work. However, when it was time to run the miniature Evil Tree molds, I was working at Sonny's.<br />
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A little more information for those of you reading this who don't know of the pitfalls of running Foam Latex: it is environment sensitive. How the foam reacts has a lot to do with the air temperature and humidity. Most shops have environmentally enclosed rooms to run the foam latex, but Sonny? Nope. I was to run the foam latex on a shop table in the middle of the room during spring time in the San Fernando Valley. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.<br />
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As a consolation tactic, Sonny and Bob bought an electronic Ph meter so that I could get a reading prior to adding the last gelling chemical that reacted based on the mixture's ammonia content. So, I would stand at the Sunbeam Mixmaster spinning my bowl, watching my stopwatch, then Sonny or Bob would come over with a small plastic case that housed a "pen sensor" on the end of a coiled wire. They would dip the end into the mix and let me know if I had to add more ammonia or not before the gel. Believe it or not, we got it to work and somehow or another I managed to run the foam.<br />
<br />
Working for Sonny was a joy. It truly was. And Sonny was so cool; he took most things in stride. Like the time I found one of the HOWLING II werewolf masks just bunched up under a table. I unbunched it, put it on, and then leaped into Sonny's office growling. Sonny, who was reading a Motor Cross magazine, lowered it for a second and said, "Damn that Jack Bricker." (Jack Bricker had supervised the show for Sonny), and then lifted his magazine and went back to reading while I stood there with a smelly old foam latex mask on.<br />
<br />
Some time later, he also decided that it was time that I get over my ridiculous fear of snakes. See, Sonny had this terrarium that was at about eye-level and in it was a disgusting rattlesnake that he kept as a pet. One day, Sonny arrived on his motorcycle with a small cardboard pet carrier. On the exterior of the box it read: "Someone loves me." and "I've found a home!" <br />
<br />
Sonny got off of the bike and told me that it was the day I was going to get over my fear of snakes. He grabbed me by the shoulder and moved me to the rattlesnake tank. He opened the pet carrier, removed a little white mouse and dropped it into the tank. He then put his hands on my shoulders and held me, facing the tank, so I HAD to watch the rattlesnake eat the mouse. As the rodent landed, I heard the rattlesnake buzzing angrily. Sonny began saying that my fear of snakes was based on not having and understanding and an appreciation of how they work, what they do, how they do it. If I just saw for myself...THUNK! The rattlesnake struck the mouse and the venom did its work.<br />
<br />
At least I think so.<br />
<br />
What Sonny didn't see was that my eyes were closed the entire time. After I had heard the thunk, I opened them to see half of a mouse sticking out of the snake's mouth. Yech! Appreciation? For THAT? I'd just as soon stay away from snakes. Indiana Jones and me. We hate snakes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4OSfaURQz_JC4lX2xvFg3r-JIFTrC8ievl63DMlj6KOZ1Y9Vu2CNhkHGulc8IvPrDiLYNsk66euZwZI7X4DzN5Yuv0hncyhpl3x3EBDIm9lEnXVuK2ySUaEDDYZeoXTOPMB_1rsHri8/s1600/Z7850167-Rattlesnake_eating_a_house_mouse-SPL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4OSfaURQz_JC4lX2xvFg3r-JIFTrC8ievl63DMlj6KOZ1Y9Vu2CNhkHGulc8IvPrDiLYNsk66euZwZI7X4DzN5Yuv0hncyhpl3x3EBDIm9lEnXVuK2ySUaEDDYZeoXTOPMB_1rsHri8/s320/Z7850167-Rattlesnake_eating_a_house_mouse-SPL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, the rattlesnake treatment didn't work....yech!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>During my time at Sonny's, he landed another job. It seems like Hollywood was going to produce another sequel to the successful BENJI dog movie by Joe Camp. This one was going to be entitled BENJI, THE HUNTED and was going to to feature a group of puma cubs that Benji would rescue after their mother had been killed somehow.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AuCEQx-9Mr0RR-yT_5IPV_P65qmtuGo3nL1fPiFmwGiEA0n2dH3WfrNueDGOC3xyQTY1MCnVKPg_t5HS-9dyV0ZsI2TENXxPZ4EOr5zAReesdyVqXGVu0bSgKSyg3qp2kdbGc-573jE/s1600/benji_the_huntedposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AuCEQx-9Mr0RR-yT_5IPV_P65qmtuGo3nL1fPiFmwGiEA0n2dH3WfrNueDGOC3xyQTY1MCnVKPg_t5HS-9dyV0ZsI2TENXxPZ4EOr5zAReesdyVqXGVu0bSgKSyg3qp2kdbGc-573jE/s320/benji_the_huntedposter.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, that's not a Rob Bottin werewolf chasing them. But. Hmmmmmm....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sonny had received a call from Steve Martin's working wildlife, a motion picture animal training and rental facility north of Los Angeles. They needed some fake puma cubs to train Mr. Benji. The idea was for Benji to carry the cubs like their mother would which is an unnatural action for the dog to perform. So, off to Steve Martin's working wildlife, I went, with a camera and a measuring tape (<a href="http://www.workingwildlife.com/pages/100/Working_Wildlife.htm">Steve Martin's Working Wildlife</a>).<br />
<br />
I arrived , parked and began to walk up a hill to the compound where the puma cubs were. As I walked, I froze as a black leopard came around a bend only to be followed a split second later by a trainer holding a leash. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn it was one of the black leopards from THE CAT PEOPLE. Who knows, it probably was.<br />
<br />
I met the trainers, who were very nice, and they handled the puma cubs while I tried in vain to measure and photograph them. They squirmed and tumbled while "crying". The trainers explained that they would be needing a fake puma to work with the dog because every time they had given him something to carry the way they hoped he would carry the puma cub, he would shake it like a rag doll. That would be disastrous. The idea was that the body of the training puma would be hollow and they would be able to add weight to it in order to train Benji to not shake the damn things! Also, if they needed shots where carrying the puma cubs would be dangerous, they could use the artificial stand in as to not risk the life of a cub.<br />
<br />
So I returned to Cosmekinetics and Sonny felt that I should just build the cubs myself since I had been the one to see them in person. I sculpted the puma in two pieces: the head, and the body. I molded them separately and Bob made an armature that would be run into the foam latex to keep the arms and legs from being too floppy. There were at least three made: one that was a simple training cub, no frills just the bare minimum for what Benji needed for day to day training and two more that were essentially camera ready. <br />
<br />
With little to know experience, I did manage to do some fur transfer which is the technique of taking artificial fur, removing it from the material backing and adhering it to another surface (in this case, the artificial puma cub). The final product was effective and the clients were happy with it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y2fFyGUIr9zk27dWJO-Yme8u2Y2dhpkZMoF429aeXMrX1gIXK9FbqU5ZJ-Sk-S1GVuM_zqjxcaVB2AIsGiTeVd2hJ4qkDGU-wF8pgE2AeUFJeCSwLgMVzSKB9XSNwimMABzQZsiWjRs/s1600/BenjiTheHunted01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y2fFyGUIr9zk27dWJO-Yme8u2Y2dhpkZMoF429aeXMrX1gIXK9FbqU5ZJ-Sk-S1GVuM_zqjxcaVB2AIsGiTeVd2hJ4qkDGU-wF8pgE2AeUFJeCSwLgMVzSKB9XSNwimMABzQZsiWjRs/s320/BenjiTheHunted01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, maybe not PHOTO real, but it would be good for dog training!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlR9ZT6MfZP-rw6IPiPWiNDL0u04JkBtY9uTCjzKJ1MDCkYINBkWxAv2msn75fuAfWeiTiT6czWsc4vXtwrnRDuaGc7AOmuRPHiOE8AoTkMyn6vxAt8yZzIM90HlSFFAPbZjj7n7wIhQ/s1600/BenjiTheHunted02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlR9ZT6MfZP-rw6IPiPWiNDL0u04JkBtY9uTCjzKJ1MDCkYINBkWxAv2msn75fuAfWeiTiT6czWsc4vXtwrnRDuaGc7AOmuRPHiOE8AoTkMyn6vxAt8yZzIM90HlSFFAPbZjj7n7wIhQ/s320/BenjiTheHunted02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His hollow belly could be filled from the back with weight. Ironically, that's Stan's studio reflected in the doors to the left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhyphenhyphentvbqilgsISUdbWQtQF4ybKR9Vamr_UowqMT9tJUxBlCVf7Wwjw1RhRHJ9vtvGvbdpa1vj6hS_hGQ1NTrdnUNRdgHC35cPDGrmvJ8b8ReXX9gqdMhVo4w61LgtLy7QIeKrDzbuO4Gg/s1600/benji-the-hunted-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhyphenhyphentvbqilgsISUdbWQtQF4ybKR9Vamr_UowqMT9tJUxBlCVf7Wwjw1RhRHJ9vtvGvbdpa1vj6hS_hGQ1NTrdnUNRdgHC35cPDGrmvJ8b8ReXX9gqdMhVo4w61LgtLy7QIeKrDzbuO4Gg/s1600/benji-the-hunted-1.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? That cub would have been shaken like an old dish towel without the proper training!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> One day, while dumping a garbage can in the huge common dumpster that serviced the entire industrial park, I ran into Stan Winston. The crew was back from England and already back to work. He had seen the issue of Mad Movies that featured my Evil Ed puppet photo and asked if I had sculpted it. I told him I had. He then asked where I was working and I told him I was around the corner at Sonny's. I couldn't tell him how long Sonny was going to keep me employed, so, Stan, being Stan, decided to come with me and ask Sonny himself.<br />
<br />
Stan met with Sonny in his office while I went about my business cleaning up at the end of the day. Finally, Sonny called me into his office. He told me that Stan wanted to hire me and the only thing Sonny had coming up was to do on-set maintenance on an alien puppet for a television series called ALF. They were going to start shooting the first season soon and I would be on set to repair the puppet if needed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji_9HnBMCg8o46JwyIJ2JpRo1r9BJfIzHw5Wd_VfoWlp0oyBeYQHC7Ukhwjvx6oI92jrRSpOtjU05fYRHASeL6t6N2tcL0RRPaiObGc8dz0dLNCziIpjDM9ZsFXL1FhSYDK5glGZGmEQ/s1600/ALF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji_9HnBMCg8o46JwyIJ2JpRo1r9BJfIzHw5Wd_VfoWlp0oyBeYQHC7Ukhwjvx6oI92jrRSpOtjU05fYRHASeL6t6N2tcL0RRPaiObGc8dz0dLNCziIpjDM9ZsFXL1FhSYDK5glGZGmEQ/s320/ALF.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The photo Sonny showed me looked something like this. Seeing the black, air brushed paint, I was not enthused.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Having no idea what the hell ALF was, I thanked Sonny and told him that I'd like to return to Stan's if that was okay with him. We parted on good terms.<br />
<br />
That was the last time I worked with Sonny, but of all of the bosses I have worked with over the years, Sonny was truly one of the best (if not THE best). By this part of the story, EVIL DEAD II fans are probably wracking their brains wondering if they had seen Sonny's name in the credits.<br />
<br />
I don't believe you do.<br />
<br />
Sonny received a call from production during the shoot, unhappy about something, and I heard Sonny in his office read them the riot act. Sorry, but I have to admire the courage it took to do this. He dressed them down, standing behind his product and crew like none other. It is this type of integrity that is so rare in Hollywood. Right or wrong, Sonny sided with his business and in his opinion he had done what he had been paid to do - honest work for the price and if they didn't like it....well...you know. I had seen the work done by Cosmekinetics and so have many of you. Sonny, like all of the effects companies, Shostrom's, Beswicks, Gardner's, had delivered. Sonny just wasn't going to take production's shit and didn't.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, Hollywood is not the land of integrity and for what ever reason, a few years later Cosmekinetics closed. I have heard through the grapevine that Sonny, also a talented make up artist, had gone back on the union roster and returned to make up full time. What a loss. I was sorry to see Cosmekinetics close, however it did raise one question in my mind....<br />
<br />
What happened to that rattlesnake?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-87334004987344218362011-08-18T21:15:00.000-07:002011-08-24T08:52:33.469-07:00Part 40: EVIL DEAD II - The First Truly Defining JobThis is a difficult post. So much has been said about the making of EVIL DEAD II that I'm afraid that this will all seem redundant. On the other hand, history IS history and I was fortunate enough to participate in one of the greatest cult movies ever made.<br />
<br />
After STAR TREK IV wrapped I found myself back in our little apartment in Eagle Rock, CA unemployed for what seemed like a day or two. Mark Shostrom called me to tell me that he had just landed the sequel to Sam Raimi's incredible midnight movie classic THE EVIL DEAD. I had seen THE EVIL DEAD but not in the theater. Oh no. I watched the film on video in a dark room, by myself in the middle of the night. It was so unique, frightening, funny, weird, and wonderful that by the time it was over I wasn't sure how I felt about it other than I loved it. I had also seen CRIMEWAVE (The XYZ Murders) and loved it! So the opportunity to work on EVIL DEAD II would be a career high, after two previous career highs. I seemed to be on a wave and was so happy and fortunate to be invited to participate.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiA4aXpwr4oCXoEjK3WIm6948cJdlLl-xX3mu83Apan179_No0SEr7jMoSx2Eyv0qb7mMMAdrbVd-eegiQ54d8ZDj4Et3QF6R0s1sNRPCYON-JbbQSBTNn1nujwKHkI4leIfr9tnpmtQ/s1600/EvilDeadIIPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiA4aXpwr4oCXoEjK3WIm6948cJdlLl-xX3mu83Apan179_No0SEr7jMoSx2Eyv0qb7mMMAdrbVd-eegiQ54d8ZDj4Et3QF6R0s1sNRPCYON-JbbQSBTNn1nujwKHkI4leIfr9tnpmtQ/s320/EvilDeadIIPoster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Mark told me that he had also hired Howard Berger and a friend of his, a sculptor from Pittsburgh that he and Greg Nicotero had worked with on DAY OF THE DEAD. This was Mike Trcic. Greg had already worked for Mark as his coordinator and would be returning as well as Aaron Sims, who Mark had asked to do a few designs. Because of the nature of the effects in the film, Mark said his plan was to parcel it out amongst the artists and have each artist take care of one of the major characters in the show. He would be handling the "Henrietta" chores. It was to be be the largest, most ambitious possession character in the show. Howard would handle all of the "Ash" possession make ups on Bruce Campbell. The "Linda" corpse effects would be sculpted by Mike Trcic. Aaron Sims would work on Ash's "Evil Hand" as well as Henrietta's "Pee Wee Neck" as Mark referred to it. That left the character of "Evil Ed" in my hands.<br />
<br />
Mark asked if I was interested in doing some drawings. The only note I got was that Ed was going to have an over-sized mouth. Hmmmmmm. I got to thinking. The best over-sized mouth make up I had seen was the one that Steve Johnson had done for the character of Amy in FRIGHT NIGHT. In fact, I LOVED that make up. But what could I do to sort of take it to the next level? I thought back to my Halloween costume the previous year. Remember? This one:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5g4TH3LLRLMfk0mbc6_JpknTKSHZydGPa5gG2C9SXYuSH0bENWlLCamgkA9H5ugTLrmuBmlxm7cc0Qranj3dDOMGVnfswqlv07opcLwZtuFlI-9RDMjmzdjQNLlWcA8nrMf7p4KlgQg/s1600/ShannonHalloweenCostume85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5g4TH3LLRLMfk0mbc6_JpknTKSHZydGPa5gG2C9SXYuSH0bENWlLCamgkA9H5ugTLrmuBmlxm7cc0Qranj3dDOMGVnfswqlv07opcLwZtuFlI-9RDMjmzdjQNLlWcA8nrMf7p4KlgQg/s320/ShannonHalloweenCostume85.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For all intents and purposes, this was the prototype for my Evil Ed make up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My goal was to do a practical big mouth but somehow hide the fact that beneath the over-sized, foam latex mouth, there was a regular sized human mouth beneath it. That's when I came up with the lamprey multiple rows of teeth idea. This did two things (that you can barely make out in the photo above): It successfully hid the actor's mouth and it allowed the shortening of the nose length to really exaggerate the size of the mouth. If you look closely at the photo, you care barely see the indication of the shortened nose. Armed with this experience an inspiration, I drew this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzajsisJXVp6QL1cBWLMz6rFZVsQbQSAzZeUZUJ9BzYJnipN2ytZD_tTklH4NsXQKta4HEMPSB7dajizrWv5zgEW2abFq6A_GU0AGCGJbzpvZ97lbyh3sR4Sx81Mzts783Q2X1jtGNzw/s1600/EvilEdDrawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzajsisJXVp6QL1cBWLMz6rFZVsQbQSAzZeUZUJ9BzYJnipN2ytZD_tTklH4NsXQKta4HEMPSB7dajizrWv5zgEW2abFq6A_GU0AGCGJbzpvZ97lbyh3sR4Sx81Mzts783Q2X1jtGNzw/s320/EvilEdDrawing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My design for Evil Ed. White prismacolor on black paper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of course this was just a conceptual piece. Not having access to who was actually playing Ed nor the limitations of his transformation, I tapped into something that had scared the hell out of me when I was a kid - the cover of one of my brother's books, "Tales To Tremble By". Here, take a look at the cover and you can see my inspiration:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KdwwzsXdRjh57pp75wWnwSZYByazf5ceCqIT7U6g9nZFwSmzvin-pugrGWhp4ZsxImtYkBBZO4fl8NSVfbgND3b8FzrFbPkS4l9yCPqX2MTe4umJNB7wT83Ye2emhmdvINSheORAQ7M/s1600/ttb-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KdwwzsXdRjh57pp75wWnwSZYByazf5ceCqIT7U6g9nZFwSmzvin-pugrGWhp4ZsxImtYkBBZO4fl8NSVfbgND3b8FzrFbPkS4l9yCPqX2MTe4umJNB7wT83Ye2emhmdvINSheORAQ7M/s320/ttb-front.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't remember a single thing about this book, except its haunting cover.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I showed the first piece to Mark and he responded positively to it and asked me to draw a couple of more sketches, one of "Henrietta" and the second, a variation on Evil Ed that showed a bit more than just his face. I drew two color pencil sketches that were ultimately never used. Besides, I would have a lot of work to do for Ed anyway.<br />
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After we all met in the shop, it was evident that we would all have to establish our working areas because there were so many artists and so many pieces to build in the show. Within a few days, actors began arriving for life casts. The first up was Ted Raimi, Sam's little brother whom many of you might recognize from his later efforts like SEAQUEST and the SPIDERMAN series. Ted arrived first because he was going to go into the suit to portray the possessed Henrietta. As Sam Raimi put it - He could torture his brother on camera with no fear of repercussion.<br />
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We life cast Rick Francis, who would portray Evil Ed, Denise Bixler, Linda, Bruce Campbell, Ash, and finally Kassie Wesley, who played Bobbie Jo. I can't remember why it happened, but we realized that we needed a pair of leg casts for Bobbie Jo after Kassie's casting session had been completed. Calling her back would have been a problem, so we called in my girlfriend (at the time), Tracy, to come in and get her legs cast up to her hips!<br />
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And the, the sculpt-a-thon began...Howard started on sketches of Bruce Campbell's possession make ups. Mark started on his Henrietta sculpts, Mike Trcic began work on his Linda headless possessed Linda body, Aaron worked on Ash's possessed hand, and I began Evil Ed's appliances.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2aUNNWGyonYLfPB7k-nLXb_DkBuz2j_cwLR16fNWnGrjDGfe65JfBmLiEX1sJKzbhkK9Bq0CNDS-gpNF1miwwwdL0Eqd9YQqzYtPBaFPAXRlSJSuYi90w0ePEnirQvxnq5mTmiHNBWI/s1600/TonyGardnerinShop01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2aUNNWGyonYLfPB7k-nLXb_DkBuz2j_cwLR16fNWnGrjDGfe65JfBmLiEX1sJKzbhkK9Bq0CNDS-gpNF1miwwwdL0Eqd9YQqzYtPBaFPAXRlSJSuYi90w0ePEnirQvxnq5mTmiHNBWI/s320/TonyGardnerinShop01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How often do you see video of a photo being taken or vice versa?</td></tr>
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I can't remember how many weeks it had been before Bob Kurtzman and Dave Kindlon returned from Italy and the shooting of FROM BEYOND. Bob came back to the shop to help out Mark with the hand and feet sculptures of Henrietta. Dave was "farmed out" a few jobs, but more on that later.<br />
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Sam came by early on to see Howard's sketches and check on our progress...<br />
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Finally, it is revealed. My "true" inspiration for Evil Ed:<br />
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After Mark had finished the Henrietta suit, Don Pennington (SPLASH, COCOON, THE ABYSS) was hired (I have NO idea who contacted him or how we got in touch with him or him with us) to make the fiberglass mold on the huge body. Again, I'm not sure why Steve Patino was not hired; perhaps he was too busy at the time. I'm not sure but he might have been building stuff for John Carpenter's PRINCE OF DARKNESS around that time.<br />
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So Don came in and did something that I've never seen someone before or since do when prepping the clay for molding in fiberglass: He had Mark buy two cases of Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic spray and then sprayed all 12 cans on the sculpture allowing each coat to dry completely before going on to the next layer. I recall that it took him the better part of a day just to do that. Don Pennington knows his craft where it comes to fiberglass! The mold he made was outstanding. I wonder what Mark did with it when he closed that shop location in South Pasadena???<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiek3IPZEHqloBBcIzecRaMDdqsZk2GPOfbCHboVe5rpt8KsY-4NZvzAxYCURsRMSVvsFWoR7Bc4Ysn0MA7ZXfLaaxneJ2g3q6rxibDfwwn-BBWScA7ZObD-_Cjam3My9vwOCQcwFzWLE/s1600/SculptingJoke01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiek3IPZEHqloBBcIzecRaMDdqsZk2GPOfbCHboVe5rpt8KsY-4NZvzAxYCURsRMSVvsFWoR7Bc4Ysn0MA7ZXfLaaxneJ2g3q6rxibDfwwn-BBWScA7ZObD-_Cjam3My9vwOCQcwFzWLE/s320/SculptingJoke01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, I didn't ACTUALLY sculpt like this, but wouldn't it have been cool if I had?</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Inevitably it was time for foam running (which, generally Howard, Bob and myself would do first thing in the morning so the molds could get loaded into Mark's oven early.<br />
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For Evil Ed, I had sculpted the facial appliance that had broken down into two parts: The face, and the bottom lip. The pieces needed to be pre-painted so that the multitude of teeth could be glued in prior to the application. I also fashioned a set of dentures for Rick that not only changed the shape of his pearly whites from their photogenic straight appearance to jagged, sharp teeth and I even included a set that protruded from the roof of his mouth!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLr7WRxv0SWpZ-K0hnbTPKQkRUwNRXcaCqxzkA7dyiyXGsqtYLyB5uPpiIoQajxs6yz2Nmvo-UxYOqTWvp7xF-ig0SGJR_20TLpoTA7nEaBmrSBwbSGqfkRjgbxPRHmssp2nO5A5CCV0/s1600/EvilEdApplianceSculpt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLr7WRxv0SWpZ-K0hnbTPKQkRUwNRXcaCqxzkA7dyiyXGsqtYLyB5uPpiIoQajxs6yz2Nmvo-UxYOqTWvp7xF-ig0SGJR_20TLpoTA7nEaBmrSBwbSGqfkRjgbxPRHmssp2nO5A5CCV0/s320/EvilEdApplianceSculpt01.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on the appliance sculpt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJYs9_oQDJQPPJgWX_JVsugGd4f0T3zkQs-SEQ0RonWn6kqQH4FoQRj0ef3cyTU4yb2_fTvNY2FBzRbWSvd5u2Mr6KGXFjUXLHUs-CqND4m-ffx4dDfcPUOGVc2510lTDHNH7kXzx77Q/s1600/EvilEdApplianceSculpt02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJYs9_oQDJQPPJgWX_JVsugGd4f0T3zkQs-SEQ0RonWn6kqQH4FoQRj0ef3cyTU4yb2_fTvNY2FBzRbWSvd5u2Mr6KGXFjUXLHUs-CqND4m-ffx4dDfcPUOGVc2510lTDHNH7kXzx77Q/s320/EvilEdApplianceSculpt02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how I was able to shorten the nose by burying Rick's real nose within the upper lip?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The effects lenses (because it had been established in THE EVIL DEAD that once possessed, your eyes turn pure white) were handled by Larry Odien. Larry, had researched soft effects lens-making techniques and had ventured out making his own lenses. So Ed would not only wear his facial appliances and teeth, but lenses AND latex finger extensions I had sculpted for him as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIF9N9gAFnhgbYMtFxnpEznUcZKwc9PzsjeXMdPxh5Hp3klh0yvqQ6HJwTG1wGVpuLjvGy59sNRNvETQ504RvpV431QknlPFyAz2k884azigrdbDOcz0iVe4mJJ1M1xb8fR8TNl4sH5A/s1600/SculptingFingerExtensions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIF9N9gAFnhgbYMtFxnpEznUcZKwc9PzsjeXMdPxh5Hp3klh0yvqQ6HJwTG1wGVpuLjvGy59sNRNvETQ504RvpV431QknlPFyAz2k884azigrdbDOcz0iVe4mJJ1M1xb8fR8TNl4sH5A/s320/SculptingFingerExtensions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, the 80's, when we loved finger extensions!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I had pulled a clay pour out of Rick Francis' head mold and began changing it to match the appliance sculpture with the understanding that it would have an asymmetric expression. The idea was that Ash was going to chop the top of Ed's head off, revealing a shriveled brain (Mark Shostrom's genius idea) and the piece that hit the ground would appear to have a different expression as the eyebrow moved up and down. Dave Kinlon mechanized the little eyebrow move via cables.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckvuqdeTISHPIKqjlK__DylsbA-lkQOLenu9qraybSbGN2Sjd6uQmXkUNZG3DkNVrBmeR-tdhtTNeaTHoE5pmXySmCNKkaOmVQaaaUJimPR4ByMw5Pv51YxBSpnXX2R95Sf_g8m8AN9U/s1600/RickFrancisClayPour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckvuqdeTISHPIKqjlK__DylsbA-lkQOLenu9qraybSbGN2Sjd6uQmXkUNZG3DkNVrBmeR-tdhtTNeaTHoE5pmXySmCNKkaOmVQaaaUJimPR4ByMw5Pv51YxBSpnXX2R95Sf_g8m8AN9U/s320/RickFrancisClayPour.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick Francis' clay pour became...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifWlOSXPaYyuBFObg9pRO9f9fJfUbUG7xLAZoSYgIRnEUGRovmdSzFykVZPnZCS6QSXszBaVleG9zWbhUnXzfRJ6sC2CoBYrxyJehI1Q7UnYogj4uQ28SwJn09EBc6qv0jN_GdkkaT04/s1600/EvilEdHeadSculpt03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifWlOSXPaYyuBFObg9pRO9f9fJfUbUG7xLAZoSYgIRnEUGRovmdSzFykVZPnZCS6QSXszBaVleG9zWbhUnXzfRJ6sC2CoBYrxyJehI1Q7UnYogj4uQ28SwJn09EBc6qv0jN_GdkkaT04/s320/EvilEdHeadSculpt03.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...this sculpture of the Evil Ed puppet head. This photo appeared in MAD MOVIES, a French publication. Remember that for later.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GJc7EwipnqrEA67BCZH77S85QxoZ-pvpgFM0oeTDVNgp345r9yV0gHBAeG32nfTL-8ZzmErhIRw3SV1MgKYukd_isJ4_uOdBEBvVgPmcb2-rIov6DLdPZyFvLyYC8Nr5NRs0_ql7nDQ/s1600/EvilEdHeadSculpt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GJc7EwipnqrEA67BCZH77S85QxoZ-pvpgFM0oeTDVNgp345r9yV0gHBAeG32nfTL-8ZzmErhIRw3SV1MgKYukd_isJ4_uOdBEBvVgPmcb2-rIov6DLdPZyFvLyYC8Nr5NRs0_ql7nDQ/s320/EvilEdHeadSculpt01.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't recall why, other than sculpture quality, I replaced the clay ears with flexacryl copies from Rick's cast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I made a second fiberglass core (thinner than FROM BEYOND!!) cut the foam skin and the fiberglass along the bias that divided the face's expression. The result was that the remaining face looked shocked where the chunk on the ground looked angry. I fabricated a brain by putting foam latex into a syringe and "noodled it" around a small cut piece of upholstery foam. For the webs, Mark gave me some DuPont Elvacite (that plastic that Dick Smith had used on SCANNERS to make fluid-filled bladders) and using a hair drier and a chip brush I created the webs by stretching the Elvacite from the inner head cavity to the withered brain. The result was quite amusing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEsCaE2XsVvexv0d-NLkR4h7GThskiOc2tvoLcNIZsV89LJ6taQ1akYGip73hOKS9Xrkxl6AhBfIpeAbV8d2UOSF1y3nEVNBOzVGJ3zGHkUwQL8Zdjj0vHmBtUWPfv4vrCOpQRbPb0X8/s1600/ChopTop01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEsCaE2XsVvexv0d-NLkR4h7GThskiOc2tvoLcNIZsV89LJ6taQ1akYGip73hOKS9Xrkxl6AhBfIpeAbV8d2UOSF1y3nEVNBOzVGJ3zGHkUwQL8Zdjj0vHmBtUWPfv4vrCOpQRbPb0X8/s320/ChopTop01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Chop Top" with his withered brain and Elvacite webs...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXHc5111PsbQ47m6iE2KGOzVeWzg16CrqyUA7wT0g1s3LyUdW9_cb3FvfcXPUWh2RSEugjdXI4hxCRg8rPPnRjNwbG2gAzSX0ZYXQaMP_AUwugVp9pQLwd9XMG6HAhIaFjbaLuDjX3v0/s1600/ChopTop02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXHc5111PsbQ47m6iE2KGOzVeWzg16CrqyUA7wT0g1s3LyUdW9_cb3FvfcXPUWh2RSEugjdXI4hxCRg8rPPnRjNwbG2gAzSX0ZYXQaMP_AUwugVp9pQLwd9XMG6HAhIaFjbaLuDjX3v0/s320/ChopTop02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the left over piece, mechanized by Dave Kindlon so that the eyebrow moved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This was in the spring of 1986 and the details of why a.) either I decided I was not interested in going on location or b.) it WAS decided that I wasn't going on location are fuzzy. I will say that I was the only crew member that was living with their girlfriend if that means anything. Honestly, I think it was better that Bob Kurtzman went instead of me. Bob was (is) a much better make up artist that I ever was (am). I knew that if he applied Evil Ed, it would be superior and take much less time than if I was there sweating my butt off struggling to blend foam edges down. And when it came to blending edges, Bob was amazing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02AIL530dvqZ9qySoVXXMVWzMRZB7bRcxXKlaYPLkj4j3DJyPY3wYeSzX0JlFzK4sVLkDwW5T3zbrkiK-Zo2Oj671OdDl7lsI6gXGwZsStntZJZS7gWcs9G-0C0EjNuigJYPhMqIjezk/s1600/evil+dead+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02AIL530dvqZ9qySoVXXMVWzMRZB7bRcxXKlaYPLkj4j3DJyPY3wYeSzX0JlFzK4sVLkDwW5T3zbrkiK-Zo2Oj671OdDl7lsI6gXGwZsStntZJZS7gWcs9G-0C0EjNuigJYPhMqIjezk/s320/evil+dead+II.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, so not technically "first person" but designing and sculpting this make up has been one of the defining pieces in my career.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So much was going on in that little shop in South Pasadena, that I need to break some things out that when I recall them, it impresses me. The first is that Mark Shostrom, who landed the job, sculpted that giant Henrietta body and head on his own in oil clay (Roma plastilina for the body, white oil clay for the head). Nowadays that sculpt would be done in less-expensive water clay and would get "banged out" in a few days. Not so with Mark Shostrom. That sculpture meant the world to him; he took his time and refined the hell out of it and I think it shows. The Henrietta demon may not resemble Lou Hancock, the actress who plays the human character Henrietta, however the result is now an icon of horror thanks also to Ted Raimi's fantastic performance.<br />
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I would also like to recognize Aaron Sims, who at the time was still relatively new to the business, however, Mark let Aaron spread his wings and sculpt several important items. Ash cutting his own possessed hand off with a chainsaw is still, to this day, one of the defining moments of EVIL DEAD II. Aaron's illustrations and sculptures set a foundation for what he has managed to accomplish for himself today as one of the preeminent creature designers and production designers working in contemporary Hollywood. Good show!<br />
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A few weeks before everyone left for North Carolina, Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert came to the shop for a marathon make up test day. Howard made up Lou and Bruce, Bob and I made up Rick Francis. The only thing missing that day were lenses, but in any case, I was able to see that my "big mouth" theory was going to work well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUUVEcZ2UX6T8z4zGvRMCLwPrz7P4hRdV-qshh3OwBL_JPsA-QJyl-MLKYgaNxxnyBPCp9j5ASGL8ePpIeHfRucC9U_2QRv8Ap72B2myJWo4NGqpXSOU-pIEp0M8awwVzn2Cawft1xD8/s1600/HowardMakesUpLou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUUVEcZ2UX6T8z4zGvRMCLwPrz7P4hRdV-qshh3OwBL_JPsA-QJyl-MLKYgaNxxnyBPCp9j5ASGL8ePpIeHfRucC9U_2QRv8Ap72B2myJWo4NGqpXSOU-pIEp0M8awwVzn2Cawft1xD8/s320/HowardMakesUpLou.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howard doing an out of the kit possession make up on Lou Hancock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9LPTn4BHkWYeHjEFZ_66TCiEacoO9e2t-OqrqGIYHTyJKtUdnLiKJ8GQKi3VZ16VvjeFmWsv_NlrOkigXltiEPyWwzgS-Q9aOS7shnenrlTkzepuM_3rAfTBclPYOg_jnyxD3238TOQ/s1600/HowardMakesUpBruce01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9LPTn4BHkWYeHjEFZ_66TCiEacoO9e2t-OqrqGIYHTyJKtUdnLiKJ8GQKi3VZ16VvjeFmWsv_NlrOkigXltiEPyWwzgS-Q9aOS7shnenrlTkzepuM_3rAfTBclPYOg_jnyxD3238TOQ/s320/HowardMakesUpBruce01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howard applying an Ash possession make up to Bruce Campbell.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7OGQCBWCzfNk59HSgR9SOvSXC-sMK_uwNSvvXIccn3bK_LrcABZBnmPhGdOqqy1c45rm-avXswy_t-m8Ov3ztL6KewEdWVxdMD06F5ZzH6pm2pgAF8FtK7gQ2vv7DDIe46ztBsB5Fvw/s1600/BobmakesupEd01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7OGQCBWCzfNk59HSgR9SOvSXC-sMK_uwNSvvXIccn3bK_LrcABZBnmPhGdOqqy1c45rm-avXswy_t-m8Ov3ztL6KewEdWVxdMD06F5ZzH6pm2pgAF8FtK7gQ2vv7DDIe46ztBsB5Fvw/s320/BobmakesupEd01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob applied the camera-left side of the test make up...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKGH1NEG33VeyIIlO_T3dcRbaqlGR3-vQ4tBYetZ6hITtlwbLe3RPiU34HdJ-pJ_3gSGK9CRr6392a2TmkNA5Q5-onK9LLnLKSjKUOvTptOmXRwlCG5qR78Rp9gYYJLZfe0SORa1Zs0Y/s1600/ShannonandEvilEd01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKGH1NEG33VeyIIlO_T3dcRbaqlGR3-vQ4tBYetZ6hITtlwbLe3RPiU34HdJ-pJ_3gSGK9CRr6392a2TmkNA5Q5-onK9LLnLKSjKUOvTptOmXRwlCG5qR78Rp9gYYJLZfe0SORa1Zs0Y/s320/ShannonandEvilEd01.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I applied the camera-right side, although technically I'm taking the make up off in this photo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhKlab4yM9Egt09SheU7n5kjnM2wn333vmuYNj7BbYC-o-AXNgfA9D4WlYvbD-uvuZy3RTab0APuVhESoHJ8dZ94VJ2PtE1Vr1yy54XTeHBt_gqwECDhbEnL9xXds-xzZnMl2pEXHf00/s1600/EvilEdMakeUpTest03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhKlab4yM9Egt09SheU7n5kjnM2wn333vmuYNj7BbYC-o-AXNgfA9D4WlYvbD-uvuZy3RTab0APuVhESoHJ8dZ94VJ2PtE1Vr1yy54XTeHBt_gqwECDhbEnL9xXds-xzZnMl2pEXHf00/s320/EvilEdMakeUpTest03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's how Rick looked in the shop from the side. Look how BIG that mouth looks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEYXP-xm3t9lO9rxgwUOWPeRn-kmj17mUZFOpmjM8xiJ9tIP6sKfXO0CupkVKC_czkrBrutWMguCZe1ij8h1fO8FsGrRVWTdKSKO4cBijDKZ4D59W4q0Wa5ab4koo0hMffIBPhBwFg3w/s1600/EvilEdMakeUpTest01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEYXP-xm3t9lO9rxgwUOWPeRn-kmj17mUZFOpmjM8xiJ9tIP6sKfXO0CupkVKC_czkrBrutWMguCZe1ij8h1fO8FsGrRVWTdKSKO4cBijDKZ4D59W4q0Wa5ab4koo0hMffIBPhBwFg3w/s320/EvilEdMakeUpTest01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? Teeth on the roof of his mouth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Satisfied with what they had seen, Sam and Robert Tappert left the shop and we all were elated. Everything looked awesome however, there was one thing Sam requested that wouldn't get made until reshoots later that year: An over-sized Bruce Campbell head that would have a "hollow eye" that could be filled and drained with white fluid to simulate the eye metamorphosis during possession. Bob built that after they had all returned from location.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W0bW7Ib4M7eEYQZzUIVFFRzZCC4tqu_nS9FnH2svmjsegXqkwaHL5g2gfPM7DYA4t_5vcgUkcPQJsrWgqMWmfuIlXmn3dFFyLqCfaakD_1eVmXorkwlNe7WPaoYJq0Pqt8D95AFV1HA/s1600/BruceCampbellFakeHead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W0bW7Ib4M7eEYQZzUIVFFRzZCC4tqu_nS9FnH2svmjsegXqkwaHL5g2gfPM7DYA4t_5vcgUkcPQJsrWgqMWmfuIlXmn3dFFyLqCfaakD_1eVmXorkwlNe7WPaoYJq0Pqt8D95AFV1HA/s320/BruceCampbellFakeHead.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Bruce Campbell head went to North Carolina for "Fake Shemping" - a Sam Raimi term meaning to stand-in for an actor who is about to be physically abused on screen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> One the last days before we shipped everything, we tested the Evil Ed puppet to see how effective it would be. For the most part I was happy. Unfortunately my biggest regret was that the hair work on the puppet didn't match Rick Francis as closely as it should have. I do remember that the heads were farmed out at the last minute to be punched by someone off-site and when they returned, we barely had the time to shoot some video tests and photos before they were packed up and shipped away.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAogFrIDLF3njbz5ekZveoPOEv2ljQzEMPb8Wsl8wXuk079WT-qhYs5sfnu0p72Dc5sL4-TJsdL1kmyur0kqkz1JCOMDYyDIigXPHjqFevJJyzhm_wuK5VcUkZyWFKyTdXXysDtNbSfzI/s1600/EvilEdPuppet02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAogFrIDLF3njbz5ekZveoPOEv2ljQzEMPb8Wsl8wXuk079WT-qhYs5sfnu0p72Dc5sL4-TJsdL1kmyur0kqkz1JCOMDYyDIigXPHjqFevJJyzhm_wuK5VcUkZyWFKyTdXXysDtNbSfzI/s320/EvilEdPuppet02.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Evil Ed puppet prior to shipping and filming.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaCk-RVre2iukcmf9RY5LrA8H7H93VAyNE4FrJ6ceikQVQ1X8PYOQNHNn6awxd6t1TAvMM3iYzcXi2l0NYka-PiVY9MEzLKTqy8k9SVETS71NfxpP3ohN65eGvwxNj6PoLMhFzagqvIU/s1600/BobandPuppet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaCk-RVre2iukcmf9RY5LrA8H7H93VAyNE4FrJ6ceikQVQ1X8PYOQNHNn6awxd6t1TAvMM3iYzcXi2l0NYka-PiVY9MEzLKTqy8k9SVETS71NfxpP3ohN65eGvwxNj6PoLMhFzagqvIU/s320/BobandPuppet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob tried the puppet on to get a feel for it when he operated it on set.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> This is where the First Person of this Monster blog stops. We packed everything and it shipped to North Carolina. At the time, Bob, Howard, and Greg all lived in a rented house that we called the "home of wayward make up artists." As they packed their stuff to go to location, I stopped by and said my good-byes. I felt a bit like Chuck Yaeger watching the other test pilots go off to become astronauts. And in a way it was.<br />
<br />
What those guys experienced in North Carolina really defined THEIR careers in many, many ways. It established long-lasting relationships between them all and Rob Tappert and Sam Raimi. During the shoot, they sent me a video tape to share their experiences, but since I wasn't actually there, you'll have to watch a DVD or Blu Ray of the film's extras to get a sense of everything they went through. <br />
<br />
No one could have predicted what a cult sensation EVIL DEAD II would become. But it would be some time before the film opened, and I was to continue working on the show, but at another location.<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-50985660950822387122011-08-10T09:11:00.000-07:002011-08-11T10:13:47.794-07:00Part 39: Boldly going where three films, a television series, and an animated series had all gone before.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIgtJGxjz4K0eGtURNMlWvbnulBeSg2JRhdi2XLC_OYKMdEhqmphbZiNOTTW3A2A_GpFIpoIoZDJBwAdU9Bv_R-M8YZvqdWGnv76Mg3hegG3_beL1n2HIjI55cRKoRyxEUSj-7Qj4oug/s1600/004-the_voyage_home_poster_art.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIgtJGxjz4K0eGtURNMlWvbnulBeSg2JRhdi2XLC_OYKMdEhqmphbZiNOTTW3A2A_GpFIpoIoZDJBwAdU9Bv_R-M8YZvqdWGnv76Mg3hegG3_beL1n2HIjI55cRKoRyxEUSj-7Qj4oug/s320/004-the_voyage_home_poster_art.png" width="234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I was first contacted about STAR TREK IV by James Cummins. It was strange because, although we were still friends, he had been disapproving of my professional decisions such as when I went to work for Stan Winston on ALIENS. Not that he was working, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Regardless of what IMDB says, James' contribution to ALIEN PREDATORS (as it was released) had been prior to HOUSE when the project had been called THE FALLING. That means that over a year had passed since HOUSE and James hadn't taken or landed any work. In his defense, he always had said that he wanted to write and direct his own films and was one of the first (to my knowledge) to face the stigma of the "Make Up Effects Artist Who Wants to Direct". While he was fighting for his opportunity, his money began to run out and he needed to find work.<br />
<br />
I'm unclear on the details but enter Kirk Thatcher. (It is difficult for me to write objectively about someone who is such a good friend, but I shall endeavor to do so.) Kirk was (is) a very big personality. A talented illustrator and designer in his own rite, Kirk had done some conceptual art pieces for HOUSE prior to James' arrival on that project. I believe that prior business relationship was the catalyst that drove James to speak to Kirk (who was then assistant to director Leonard Nimoy) about submitting designs and bidding on STAR TREK IV. Who could have foreseen that Jame's pursuit of the show would cost him a friendship?<br />
<br />
James called me because he recalled an alien design I had done in New Orleans and was interested in reworking it. You might recall this (I can't remember if I posted this earlier...):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVzmIM-PM6xgzjtMgn8Ejn6_efZYgzAhoLmKo1m9cidROLxrom-vUy60zMaNCjnvFtsqEMtcgw4sUUAyH3hemOoNcIHXyd1g7GkeuJo0vf6Ih8MhxVYTfupeWyjF_-GSF5sDAlr-909k/s1600/ShrimpAlien.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVzmIM-PM6xgzjtMgn8Ejn6_efZYgzAhoLmKo1m9cidROLxrom-vUy60zMaNCjnvFtsqEMtcgw4sUUAyH3hemOoNcIHXyd1g7GkeuJo0vf6Ih8MhxVYTfupeWyjF_-GSF5sDAlr-909k/s320/ShrimpAlien.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Shrimp-Headed alien drawing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMFTVw7pQ6oEAR-TWOvmaBvVEdsE0XvM78WMwFC_AXIB6G_-tY-n13xcqQHxjTKf22i51S3tAaBV3fYL_EqrZ93YZs1uGIsIKsovqYEG52xRyunU6iCvHOu19nb2npWfZPsIebHn0XzY/s1600/ShrimpAlienMaquette.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMFTVw7pQ6oEAR-TWOvmaBvVEdsE0XvM78WMwFC_AXIB6G_-tY-n13xcqQHxjTKf22i51S3tAaBV3fYL_EqrZ93YZs1uGIsIKsovqYEG52xRyunU6iCvHOu19nb2npWfZPsIebHn0XzY/s320/ShrimpAlienMaquette.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had already sculpted a maquette of the design...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had finished up at Doug Beswick's, was looking for work and the thought of participating on a STAR TREK movie seemed to good to be true. It would still be a few years before STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION so all anyone knew was the classic crew and their exploits. I agreed and James asked me to show up at his house on Saturday morning with the drawing in hand (no Internet or e-mail).<br />
<br />
When I showed up to drop the drawing off, James then asked if I was interested in spending the day sketching alien concepts for him...for free. Having no pressing plans so I agreed. As we took our seats in James' home office, he gave me some guidelines. Having met Leonard Nimoy earlier in the week, James now felt he had a grasp on what they were looking for. <br />
<br />
He said that Mr. Nimoy had cited the major difference between STAR WARS and STAR TREK was that the latter dealt with alien cultures and civilizations and not just alien animals and creatures. I pointed out to James that the alien illustration he held in his hand was basically a "Shrimp Guy" (okay, I'm cheating a little. That is how Bill Sturgeon describes aliens built for the MEN IN BLACK series: ___________-guy; I just think it's funny). James said that he felt the design was strong enough, that with his tweaking, would end up being one of the stronger concepts. Whatever. I was just happy that I could have the opportunity to work on a STAR TREK movie.<br />
The rest of the day found me sketching a lot of "alien cultural beings" - think Ming and the denizens of Mongo rather than Jawas and Sand People. James would look at a sketch and say "No!" (and discard it) or "Yes!" (and take it and redraw it in his style). By the end of this crazy drawing session, I would say that James ended up with 20 or so designs, all done in his distinctive style. Great! Now just to show them to Mr. Nimoy and we start building! Right?<br />
<br />
Wrong.<br />
<br />
For whatever reason, James was not awarded the show. Instead, it went to Richard Snell, a bay area make up effects artist that James had hired on HOUSE! (See:<a href="http://monsterhistory101.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-29-house-guests.html">The Making of House</a>)<br />
<br />
I first met Richard Snell when he showed up with sculptor Tony McVey at James' house in Glendale, California to show their portfolios to be hired on HOUSE. I liked Richard from the beginning. I recall James not being as enamored with Richard as he was with Tony, but Richard, bless him, just kept selling and selling. He started with his sculptures, then his make ups, then his wigs, then the teeth he had made, and finally the soft painted effects lenses he manufactured himself. At this time, most effects lenses were HARD and a bitch to deal with. Needless to say, Richard got the job, made lenses and hair pieces for HOUSE but I recall him being very frustrated with his treatment. By now, I'm sure that most of you know that sometimes in life, people just don't "click" and I think that is the way it was between James and Richard.<br />
<br />
So, the spiral downward of my friendship with James started with a call from Richard offering me a position on STAR TREK IV. He asked my rate, I told him, and without hesitation, hired me on the spot. As a courtesy, I called James and told him I was going to work for Richard on STAR TREK.<br />
<br />
"Betrayal" was the word he used a lot in our conversation. I suppose it was a matter of perspective. I needed to work. I was offered a job. James' designs were rejected. Richard was going to pay my rate. I couldn't understand how this warranted "betrayal". A job was a job after all. I didn't get angry when I was asked to "donate" a day and countless drawings so that James could redraw them and represent them as his ideas. It was a job. Nothing personal. Or so I thought. Changing tactics, James then told me that he might have something going soon for a television show. I might have still been green but I knew the difference between a couple of weeks of work versus a month or so of work. I told him that I had committed to Richard and it would be unprofessional to quit before I started. Poof! Our friendship vanished.<br />
<br />
This was a major turning point in my life. I had tried to reason with James, but he was attempting to manipulate me with guilt (being raised Catholic, that was an easy thing to do). We had been friends by that point for 6 years. He had been VERY generous with Tracy and I, but I felt that this was crossing the line. To my knowledge, James was not the victim of some cabal, it was business and for him to ask me to not take work as a symbol of "loyalty" was not the sign of a true friend. He hadn't worked for OVER A YEAR! I couldn't afford that kind of a break! So, unfortunately we parted company.<br />
<br />
Richard didn't have a permanent shop. In fact, I believe that this was the first show that he was keying on his own. He rented a small industrial unit off of Willis Street (how do I remember that? Willis O'Brien of course) in Van Nuys. It was a crappy area of town, but good enough for the needs of the show. To fill out the crew Richard had hired Brian Wade, Dale Brady, and Craig Caton-Largent all of whom were seasoned veterans by this time. Our ambassador to production was Kirk Thatcher who would come in from time to time to see the progress and make suggestions based on Mr. Nimoy's reactions. The script was top secret, so Kirk basically told us the entire story so we would have a better understanding of where and how our aliens would play in scenes. I recall that he actually remembered large sections of dialogue and acted it out for us. I love Kirk! For those of you who don't know him, he is famous amongst Star Trek fans as "the Punk on the bus" in Star Trek IV that Spock shuts down with his famous Vulcan neck pinch.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVfAlkJaFZyqaeg3_WezGXuBusFhPIwShEZpEjeK8_j-w_lJoqmEvuQHllkwuL8NdkO2DKERdIgIxfxFAXgjJc7g-SL4vnOhvOgZAbkOqAPBOEsqTy87Y40v3p_V8rk-iBL7O7Nh6shU/s1600/KirkPunkOnBus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVfAlkJaFZyqaeg3_WezGXuBusFhPIwShEZpEjeK8_j-w_lJoqmEvuQHllkwuL8NdkO2DKERdIgIxfxFAXgjJc7g-SL4vnOhvOgZAbkOqAPBOEsqTy87Y40v3p_V8rk-iBL7O7Nh6shU/s320/KirkPunkOnBus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I hate you and I berate you!!!"</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The work load was something like this: Vulcan Ears for Spock, Sarek (Mark Lenard), and Saavik (Robin Curtis), a couple of Klingon appliances (one for lead Klingon, John Schuck) a protsthetic make up for a new alien navigator for the U.S.S. Saratoga, an alien appliance make up for Michael Berryman, an alien look for former Go-Go's band member Jane Wiedlin, and some masks and puppets to fill out the Star Fleet Federation council.<br />
<br />
Richard told us that Leonard Nimoy's daughter, Nancy, was going to be contributing to the alien designs and we would be receiving them soon. I asked Richard if I could do a piece of artwork, on my own, at home, revisiting some classic Star Trek aliens. I did a pencil illustration of the "Tellarite" (a pig-nosed alien from the episode "Journey To Babel") as well as an "Andorian" (a blue faced alien with antennae from the same episode) and finally, a "Gorn" (a lizard-like alien that Kirk fought in the episode "Arena" - one of my all time favorites). I turned the artwork over to Richard, who gave it to Kirk, who discussed it with Mr. Nimoy and it came down that we would do Tellarites and Andorians, but no Gorns. See, the Federation has never made peace with the Gorns...Well, two out of three ain't bad!<br />
<br />
We started off with life casting. Richard met Leonard Nimoy at Paramount and cast his ears at the production office, however Mark Lenard and Robin Curtis both came to the little shop and had their ears cast. I recall that Mr. Nimoy was VERY specific about the size, shape, and curve of his famous pointy ears so Richard took it upon himself to sculpt them to Mr. Nimoy's satisfaction.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu1odBmzXFVo6kGWj5xpneBz04cFlD16UqVaAkcFaq10kLttBvVcZMFb0qSoU8z7mHOLVvKzdAtyhtzQq1RsGjLekzA_X-HRxhN8arcyTf7fY-7nvpx7MFEo_QLXCgfCC-iUSOYj6YB4/s1600/SpockCelluloidPhilosopher.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu1odBmzXFVo6kGWj5xpneBz04cFlD16UqVaAkcFaq10kLttBvVcZMFb0qSoU8z7mHOLVvKzdAtyhtzQq1RsGjLekzA_X-HRxhN8arcyTf7fY-7nvpx7MFEo_QLXCgfCC-iUSOYj6YB4/s320/SpockCelluloidPhilosopher.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure "Fascinating" would be the word used to describe sculpting and designing these ears...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6SNuTwNilyqWtsxK8pJ-QjxBO9fkj6jDl825Aygbp8Xjw6AzngzwfZht4tkyeKb6dXRCBZqhoj5hyv7hUb1LspnsLhtWxQvyJ3O-DLshZarumVU-g18tcG6jwlmqMn-ZJn3WBjsAVf8/s1600/saavikrc3a_01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6SNuTwNilyqWtsxK8pJ-QjxBO9fkj6jDl825Aygbp8Xjw6AzngzwfZht4tkyeKb6dXRCBZqhoj5hyv7hUb1LspnsLhtWxQvyJ3O-DLshZarumVU-g18tcG6jwlmqMn-ZJn3WBjsAVf8/s320/saavikrc3a_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sculpted these ears for actress, Robin Curtis and...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-EVxGj-VIw4HRYN6dFZZwKkfvfau_SOVtBfD56LNvwE6z78_r68oFChDwuRTljg0E_aHklj8lZJZBLJzgB5MBYerKg94g7ihyCP6BbISzQFGmvJZQZFlNvTFDhIHx3e0H6cd02JqFKo/s1600/mark-lenard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-EVxGj-VIw4HRYN6dFZZwKkfvfau_SOVtBfD56LNvwE6z78_r68oFChDwuRTljg0E_aHklj8lZJZBLJzgB5MBYerKg94g7ihyCP6BbISzQFGmvJZQZFlNvTFDhIHx3e0H6cd02JqFKo/s320/mark-lenard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...these ears for Mark Lenard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We did full head casts of John Schuck, Michael Berryman, and Nick Ramus who would play the helmsman of the U.S.S. Saratoga. Of all of the actors who came in for casting, I remember Michael Berryman most. Having seen his as the face of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, I was a bit thunderstruck when he came in. I recall that he couldn't have been nicer and told us of his wolf sanctuary and the work he did protecting these animals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMzbkGUzZ1BffSIu1ovFCqX1XnwZqfsYj-3dR3fjzIRBYB7ViChCLuYQsJ0eVM7MXPQjvYM2k8w-etbYLj6JNkm8psC9q_hZ7XM9rqdwWZooSHOqwMTZO4uEENxbL058nYU75WUfOyMs/s1600/Saratoga_helmsman%252C_2286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMzbkGUzZ1BffSIu1ovFCqX1XnwZqfsYj-3dR3fjzIRBYB7ViChCLuYQsJ0eVM7MXPQjvYM2k8w-etbYLj6JNkm8psC9q_hZ7XM9rqdwWZooSHOqwMTZO4uEENxbL058nYU75WUfOyMs/s320/Saratoga_helmsman%252C_2286.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick Ramus as the navigator of the U.S.S. Saratoga. Richard designed this make up. I think Brian Wade sculpted it?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ3Th7YtqbEBn0UuZmLH_cvBYfi2Fj32vNQhQAsU3h2GABEiUGF5Dnr0by8yQVPjbNeVJCAo5rNmxOJoYd3PdxwmNnJ8QHrJntkIVEvwN4R0tukWxtT0UIlJTpWwYKWm75N-BMHchL5U/s1600/alien-sf-headquarters-st6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ3Th7YtqbEBn0UuZmLH_cvBYfi2Fj32vNQhQAsU3h2GABEiUGF5Dnr0by8yQVPjbNeVJCAo5rNmxOJoYd3PdxwmNnJ8QHrJntkIVEvwN4R0tukWxtT0UIlJTpWwYKWm75N-BMHchL5U/s320/alien-sf-headquarters-st6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Berryman in his alien guise. Sculpted by Richard Snell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There really weren't specific designs sent for Mr. Berryman, Mr. Ramus, or Mr. Schuck so appliances were just sculpted based on discussions between all of us at the shop. I recall a big shop debate to bring the Klingon appearance closer to STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE and less like STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. That was a doozie! The end result kind of looked liked a compromise between both designs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS3pk8fdk1C5xQU8uYf73a3gx3dmfJPTBULynKuPmw1A1AUsAxmWJ6P1EBIPHxPmEDQAdVlXwdlqar3RF2c6LW0R5h7Vx9z_QD0SzHOFyyBkzisLdsVI0HsHPVPPzhhCDjVAku8J9KuY/s1600/Klingon01.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS3pk8fdk1C5xQU8uYf73a3gx3dmfJPTBULynKuPmw1A1AUsAxmWJ6P1EBIPHxPmEDQAdVlXwdlqar3RF2c6LW0R5h7Vx9z_QD0SzHOFyyBkzisLdsVI0HsHPVPPzhhCDjVAku8J9KuY/s1600/Klingon01.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Klingon Commander from STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV2l2HNYBXGEtbOccS6_iqV-67cg5yXhZClMM86UJf4yezJodjR2W7R0CDGtJ4skn5f2kRj58scNWVllZCqrHYLlUxW9ZA0khMdCTxi36M8wfIDXSHeEYt091Uaiq9hh5mOgpJPovW14/s1600/star-trek-kruge-001_1199756882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV2l2HNYBXGEtbOccS6_iqV-67cg5yXhZClMM86UJf4yezJodjR2W7R0CDGtJ4skn5f2kRj58scNWVllZCqrHYLlUxW9ZA0khMdCTxi36M8wfIDXSHeEYt091Uaiq9hh5mOgpJPovW14/s320/star-trek-kruge-001_1199756882.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon commander Kruge in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vrizoMiceOw_u0SjoFaTfygw__AVBIxd-UkGMaGDaFSSxXmsqDcOirwnbHEqcai_v1xFsf_C5rrKLF2jpUpXksK1ot80NWhyT2j1LX-N-fUnX9sixIJSpVZrwSAQvLnuv-77gY7_97M/s1600/JohnSchuckKlingon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vrizoMiceOw_u0SjoFaTfygw__AVBIxd-UkGMaGDaFSSxXmsqDcOirwnbHEqcai_v1xFsf_C5rrKLF2jpUpXksK1ot80NWhyT2j1LX-N-fUnX9sixIJSpVZrwSAQvLnuv-77gY7_97M/s320/JohnSchuckKlingon.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STAR TREK IV's Klingon. I can still hear Kirk Thatcher's voice reading the lines Mr. Schuck would eventually say on screen!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> It was about this time that we received "designs" for the Star Fleet Federation Council. Aside from the large-headed "China Dolls" as we called them and a design that looked like a strange welding mask, there were: Cat-man, Frog-man, Turtle-man, Pig-man (The Tellarite), and Lizard Man. You could have knocked me over with a feather. After James had made such a big deal about staying away from "animal" designs there they were - a virtual menagerie of aliens! I suppose Turtle-people potentially can have culture too.<br />
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Another crew member that we only saw once and a while was Allen Feuerstein, a medical prosthetics expert, who consulted with Richard specifically about the design and construction of alien eyes. He seemed like a nice guy, but I don't remember what he specifically did because I recall that all of the eyes were either made by us in the shop or they would be contact lenses that Richard made and painted. Allen did bring a cool display case with silicone medical prosthetics. It was the first time I had seen silicone body parts and they were very realistic and creepy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvelAbobvpWe2BMs23Npe7uSabZ34IbQHa8o7VPRtMgvE38BJKzWAVI4JefaRH08HFZi9va6XLgAW-ta0Wti3vYqayuMJJEjdDMfnjNf_exARqGZunMkD-U3Qc6bPSW9uw7H1x8vOqRw/s1600/fedcouncil-andorian-st4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvelAbobvpWe2BMs23Npe7uSabZ34IbQHa8o7VPRtMgvE38BJKzWAVI4JefaRH08HFZi9va6XLgAW-ta0Wti3vYqayuMJJEjdDMfnjNf_exARqGZunMkD-U3Qc6bPSW9uw7H1x8vOqRw/s320/fedcouncil-andorian-st4.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Andorian. The antennae were sculpted generically. </td></tr>
</tbody></table> The aliens were divided amongst the sculptors and it fell to me to sculpt the lizard man puppet and a weird alien welding mask (that I didn't understand, especially since it had a long wig attached to it). Dale sculpted the Tellarite (pig guy), and Brian Wade sculpted the cat guy ("Cat man doo" as Kirk would refer to it). Craig sculpted the weird turtle guy and Richard sculpted the frog guy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XZDxOEkP5zCREwoWDywUbejcBjCosOwOwGYvsLqIbwVD4ArL-q5v-a9nU5XwqDplH7K3sR4uLsrb3qr1nWPc0JS7FIVrIBKHeaCX04MqHlz4hxCz7VKi4n_gijN75_Utypr4RonL0AE/s1600/BrianWadePaintsCatCreature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XZDxOEkP5zCREwoWDywUbejcBjCosOwOwGYvsLqIbwVD4ArL-q5v-a9nU5XwqDplH7K3sR4uLsrb3qr1nWPc0JS7FIVrIBKHeaCX04MqHlz4hxCz7VKi4n_gijN75_Utypr4RonL0AE/s320/BrianWadePaintsCatCreature.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Wade paints the Cat Man mask.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN6DeCBqBlsV8IKaXEEzzQ0S4dPKjNjhyGhTfcqpoCLVBfVuXhPYcO35CS8NaU1idwQnxvYcK-RqRifLmaofUtz-xpkI1_Zs1aI5ZUDV9SSo09KR9bdcvn75fJf3R0fuSF2YiF0H6N2E/s1600/fedcouncil-alien-st4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN6DeCBqBlsV8IKaXEEzzQ0S4dPKjNjhyGhTfcqpoCLVBfVuXhPYcO35CS8NaU1idwQnxvYcK-RqRifLmaofUtz-xpkI1_Zs1aI5ZUDV9SSo09KR9bdcvn75fJf3R0fuSF2YiF0H6N2E/s320/fedcouncil-alien-st4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A finished Black Cat man, the back of the Tellarite's head and another Andorian in the back ground.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78z8UBuyAit4u19NvbHuYJTcEFyK1UAwLupR90T0yPpvAoaZ4SX78v9A6bqLlFwohkMlo3GKDMzfhFAAJyS1FFBtQYsIxjtRUOyGrs7ZN4GXTyz8qXXPofhjVtFlQ1hjgHMNDYoXka3s/s1600/unknown-alien-st4-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78z8UBuyAit4u19NvbHuYJTcEFyK1UAwLupR90T0yPpvAoaZ4SX78v9A6bqLlFwohkMlo3GKDMzfhFAAJyS1FFBtQYsIxjtRUOyGrs7ZN4GXTyz8qXXPofhjVtFlQ1hjgHMNDYoXka3s/s320/unknown-alien-st4-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig Caton's Turtle guys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItg9nhyny1vaOOo56danTUdNM1ojVqINNs4NQ7Fp7A4l1n528khGEYZDRiCyZPaSGwCOxf4K-iy7K6cmMYkZFupcdsBEEMAj9I6qxhoBvTtV5GFpxYxcJ7ZfvMxuCt9PzpTri8MpFxfU/s1600/bzzitkhaht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItg9nhyny1vaOOo56danTUdNM1ojVqINNs4NQ7Fp7A4l1n528khGEYZDRiCyZPaSGwCOxf4K-iy7K6cmMYkZFupcdsBEEMAj9I6qxhoBvTtV5GFpxYxcJ7ZfvMxuCt9PzpTri8MpFxfU/s1600/bzzitkhaht.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard's Frog guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjlpyJPK9rU8cdIU6EEyIV03tpA2zD0-NZgcn_OcDCgL5A2Y0KBYgYav2-ZlsW8YG5NRZylnBNt7sD75orWTAM_Y0K_iI3vzAfkcQps1z4YWaW0x_M3nqqoeLFeN8axO33L-DbRRnhfM/s1600/Tellarite_TVH_special_features.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjlpyJPK9rU8cdIU6EEyIV03tpA2zD0-NZgcn_OcDCgL5A2Y0KBYgYav2-ZlsW8YG5NRZylnBNt7sD75orWTAM_Y0K_iI3vzAfkcQps1z4YWaW0x_M3nqqoeLFeN8axO33L-DbRRnhfM/s320/Tellarite_TVH_special_features.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale Brady's Tellarite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpO8xo50gyoRlk67PB2cVxKC5PvtMwqnREm-ob_eBqHaYP8AaHbG320e7upE-z5u_xTQpUAZL17zcLfJv-RkXKwwWwMLUC-N__91uL55_nNLgUA2ztwFCraeD08fsYg1Ls9gP8BsfJXA/s1600/Tellarite_council_member_1%252C_TVH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpO8xo50gyoRlk67PB2cVxKC5PvtMwqnREm-ob_eBqHaYP8AaHbG320e7upE-z5u_xTQpUAZL17zcLfJv-RkXKwwWwMLUC-N__91uL55_nNLgUA2ztwFCraeD08fsYg1Ls9gP8BsfJXA/s320/Tellarite_council_member_1%252C_TVH.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another shot of the Tellarite with one of the China Dolls in the back ground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WMQb7rwEc-ilHifYwcTfM-_QFw7475Cl1xqyN21vuGwVcnjSFo3cVLNnOABbeoWIRsJcOSPH6PXRIuXurl0S2jef7mlXmXUJ9uVHev575qx7dNrHg164iOj3pW0mmQvD5mxqei0lkYI/s1600/unknown-alien-st4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WMQb7rwEc-ilHifYwcTfM-_QFw7475Cl1xqyN21vuGwVcnjSFo3cVLNnOABbeoWIRsJcOSPH6PXRIuXurl0S2jef7mlXmXUJ9uVHev575qx7dNrHg164iOj3pW0mmQvD5mxqei0lkYI/s320/unknown-alien-st4.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the "China Dolls."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Y6sr9mij80o6fWH_1Zrtr2Q-ux_iPSi9TWIoQ-wFaRT0gJT5Z-eR6p5dDPJytaGE8bgVEYPsF_FpDIv0G7diJL0fxKj_bqfpKPKjh8OzwXxr0MYSvWmq_cCq8Xt5IfJn-QXKfHVepcA/s1600/unknown-alien-st4-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Y6sr9mij80o6fWH_1Zrtr2Q-ux_iPSi9TWIoQ-wFaRT0gJT5Z-eR6p5dDPJytaGE8bgVEYPsF_FpDIv0G7diJL0fxKj_bqfpKPKjh8OzwXxr0MYSvWmq_cCq8Xt5IfJn-QXKfHVepcA/s320/unknown-alien-st4-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Red" Cat Man.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZLzrOeApq61JJPZrK3Cbe-ZaFNXTYMLXGarUcJ5B0xKn0S4OWxxcwWjegYhnlHC3KPwIzHrSgv4c_4vJa-RPK4VPaOQe4sSewh9kB_nS3qnilra4YK0pDvPLGc-jseCpDXfFo8lwWq8/s1600/LizardManSculpt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZLzrOeApq61JJPZrK3Cbe-ZaFNXTYMLXGarUcJ5B0xKn0S4OWxxcwWjegYhnlHC3KPwIzHrSgv4c_4vJa-RPK4VPaOQe4sSewh9kB_nS3qnilra4YK0pDvPLGc-jseCpDXfFo8lwWq8/s320/LizardManSculpt01.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My W.E.D. clay sculpture of the Lizard Man...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZchBzK232MXpJPJMa4H18MvcjFoUPalr97pcNSwpe1isOFi37gjhQg86htau5xydAZ7_a9H03d94M88lE5wWylUDIrOhyC6xXH6Pg24rPcbzyzorKjprMrm5VgDj61C6f5-XSoSt1XE/s1600/LizardManSculpt02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZchBzK232MXpJPJMa4H18MvcjFoUPalr97pcNSwpe1isOFi37gjhQg86htau5xydAZ7_a9H03d94M88lE5wWylUDIrOhyC6xXH6Pg24rPcbzyzorKjprMrm5VgDj61C6f5-XSoSt1XE/s320/LizardManSculpt02.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ER3TdDI6Pa-9toqJUQBzcA1FAciZdwGYInUbH6QF-np_w7JyUKB3XJ3gAr2FSx8eketSZ_4uRNn5N4KO5Qbfq-s4-ffxid6y8bkoHixd_VMVwhUNtD5ppo-YDTEEszma-3l-owjIKl4/s1600/LizardManSculpt04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ER3TdDI6Pa-9toqJUQBzcA1FAciZdwGYInUbH6QF-np_w7JyUKB3XJ3gAr2FSx8eketSZ_4uRNn5N4KO5Qbfq-s4-ffxid6y8bkoHixd_VMVwhUNtD5ppo-YDTEEszma-3l-owjIKl4/s320/LizardManSculpt04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still another view....I apologize...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQFFETGI2NQAw47T2SdSiwJWYa353x9WDZc6uC_OJ4ymkWIMJNc0n7amodENpjv99Mp2WAroCVh3x0JBqoM2ke0dyPUy4JCl4iiTQ9IvLnhVSmUs-QooouMAV-a2EeXMCas4ASgF4fG4/s1600/LizardManSculpt03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQFFETGI2NQAw47T2SdSiwJWYa353x9WDZc6uC_OJ4ymkWIMJNc0n7amodENpjv99Mp2WAroCVh3x0JBqoM2ke0dyPUy4JCl4iiTQ9IvLnhVSmUs-QooouMAV-a2EeXMCas4ASgF4fG4/s320/LizardManSculpt03.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...these are the only behind the scenes photos I've found!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmtDSvJ1549cG-znl3nXWvj9ZNwc6fXiMS-mPQbC_TVG7NSu2gQSVm_JHel-MN6c9YKEL-gITQabTVHyHM-0XaGc5MODD27q6HzACBi9kay4UYFWngQlkS8b_Q2FNaZ0aDSLmbNbU5us/s1600/unknown-alien1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmtDSvJ1549cG-znl3nXWvj9ZNwc6fXiMS-mPQbC_TVG7NSu2gQSVm_JHel-MN6c9YKEL-gITQabTVHyHM-0XaGc5MODD27q6HzACBi9kay4UYFWngQlkS8b_Q2FNaZ0aDSLmbNbU5us/s320/unknown-alien1.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Lizard Man puppet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SlYMxM1n_FHpg6QqCWCG0nMKxNYiugzymZgCP3FQ2lSz8xIy5apZzeS6iroPq_6MXj4Fa7g6N44Xlxax6U3faJ51FjJ-W9o8cgvVOzxBICAke2AMiiM1qPUrwLJEFUQwzkTCerymO38/s1600/xelatian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SlYMxM1n_FHpg6QqCWCG0nMKxNYiugzymZgCP3FQ2lSz8xIy5apZzeS6iroPq_6MXj4Fa7g6N44Xlxax6U3faJ51FjJ-W9o8cgvVOzxBICAke2AMiiM1qPUrwLJEFUQwzkTCerymO38/s1600/xelatian.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the weird hairy welding mask. WTF?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUfofaPz4BbfhXEgR1RzC5pwgEgxEwsSuNrBea0exWx1zIWIJOe_lfoSnsbVl1DenedvsfwCniBsesSMJl84JaoGYHQg-HICeXz3BGLtyNgySuIDx6c5hQ8NBQwXcMIRKJGVODfXE4YI/s1600/KirkAsSaviniHead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUfofaPz4BbfhXEgR1RzC5pwgEgxEwsSuNrBea0exWx1zIWIJOe_lfoSnsbVl1DenedvsfwCniBsesSMJl84JaoGYHQg-HICeXz3BGLtyNgySuIDx6c5hQ8NBQwXcMIRKJGVODfXE4YI/s320/KirkAsSaviniHead.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps the most impressive of all: Kirk Thatcher pretending to be a Tom Savini puppet head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since most of the Federation Council were going to be in crowds, they were simple rubber masks - well, all but the Frog guy and the Lizard guy who were constructed to be latex and soft polyfoam puppets. When it came time to shoot them, you guessed it, it was in San Francisco and was to be handled by union make up artists, so after all of the masks were painted and finished (I recall Craig Caton-Largent punching all of the hair in the China Dolls at break neck speed!) they were packed up and shipped out.<br />
<br />
I asked Dale, Craig, and Brian if there was anything that they cared to recall. Dale mentioned how FREEZING it was in the shop (it was January of 1986) as well as the make-shift oven we built (another one!) to bake the foam. He reminded me that one night the thermostat broke and the entire foam run was burned and ruined! Craig recalled one of us throwing a HUGE firecracker into the dumpster which amplified the sound so much that it drew everyone out of the neighboring businesses thinking something dire had happened.<br />
<br />
My favorite recollection is of Richard Snell. Richard was a very fair boss and, in my opinion, very talented. But what I found more impressive is that he took personal responsibility for his show (which is huge). No matter what it was. When we needed supplies, it was Richard that would jump in his truck and go pick them up. When there was a problem that came down from production, Richard would step up, jump into the fray and try to work things out for himself. What I had no way of knowing was that STAR TREK IV would be the last time I would work for Richard Snell.<br />
<br />
He pursued a successful career in Make Up while I moved on and pursued puppets and creature effects. Richard died in 2006 of heart failure while working in the Bahamas on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. He was a sweet man; I never had the chance to thank him for STAR TREK IV.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrLjM3ajJZUz2UzGbkSYf9N2UaQxXOmAjJcGmbeM-SF0mVXOzh8a1l2YMTy53efSbZnAgJG2lpEmHPAfCpMzGRKFyvfXxlWzbBS_MU6cBz4Nt3RobvwMUL8sljmbFacl5qFVj9JlbqC4/s1600/SnellRichard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrLjM3ajJZUz2UzGbkSYf9N2UaQxXOmAjJcGmbeM-SF0mVXOzh8a1l2YMTy53efSbZnAgJG2lpEmHPAfCpMzGRKFyvfXxlWzbBS_MU6cBz4Nt3RobvwMUL8sljmbFacl5qFVj9JlbqC4/s1600/SnellRichard.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Snell (1955 - 2006)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> POST SCRIPT: Working on a Star Trek movie was a big accomplishment since I had been such a huge fan when I was younger. I have to admit that it was very cool seeing my name in the credits rolling past a shot of the U.S.S. Enterprise. I know - NERD! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56-H7xbu-TBtubLdCz3209W-bU4vW9Ih8aVa0CleYAkmfyf0z5YCt6jqPivU2dsuhXh_neKTaL91C5UobY0UH8Tyzedv0v7XIhxjMzVTbgDnb2165oooB3rAol1Uadlb3R6oKXzI2Dbo/s1600/TimKlingon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56-H7xbu-TBtubLdCz3209W-bU4vW9Ih8aVa0CleYAkmfyf0z5YCt6jqPivU2dsuhXh_neKTaL91C5UobY0UH8Tyzedv0v7XIhxjMzVTbgDnb2165oooB3rAol1Uadlb3R6oKXzI2Dbo/s320/TimKlingon.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend, Tim Guillory wearing a Klingon make up I made for him to wear at a Star Trek convention in 1983</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-31945626967899095282011-08-07T11:25:00.000-07:002011-08-07T15:41:27.113-07:00Part 38: What Makes Doug Beswick SO Great!<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I had understood that my work on FROM BEYOND was going to be brief and that was fine. I was happy to have worked with Mark Shostrom and Bob again, and it was a pleasure meeting and working with Dave, John, Aaron and Greg. However my phone had rung and I was about to embark on another adventure. The phone call was from Tony Gardner who was then working with Doug Beswick on the miniature Queen Alien/Power Loader unit for ALIENS. Brian Penikas (God love him!) had recommended me to Tony when they found themselves needing some additional help. Now familiar with this routine, I was happy to jump in and go back to work on ALIENS.<br />
<br />
I don't know how else to say this, but Doug Beswick is great. He is. Those of you whom have met him know what I'm talking about and those of you who haven't, know this: He is a fantastic person. Let me get back to my correct "tense" here:<br />
<br />
Since you have been reading this blog, you already know of my love of Stop Motion Animation and I was familiar with Doug Beswick's career before during and after his tenure with Rick Baker. In photos, Doug always seemed a bit intense (which, I imagine, is how you look when you are shooting Stop Motion?) so I wasn't prepared to meet such a warm guy with a big smile when I arrived at his studio. In fact, his wife, Vicky was working in the front office and she, too, was so welcoming and friendly that I instantly knew I was going to enjoy the heck out of working there.<br />
<br />
The studio was northeast of the San Fernando Valley in Sunland in a modest, industrial space. Doug was not just a talented Stop Motion animator, but was a very clever animatronic designer and machinist. Because of this, a great deal of his shop was dedicated to machining, however Doug was a good sculptor as well; remember he did sculpt the Cantina Musicians for STAR WARS! By and large the art department tables were set in the back and at one of these tables was my old college buddy, James Belohovek! I had worked with him earlier that year on HOUSE, but since then we had fallen out of touch. It was good to see that a talented miniature builder like Jim had been tapped to build the Power Loader and he had already begun making parts that had been delivered to Brian Penikas for molding and casting.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpxF8jxqk7_BIRWQQzOrWdZgzsCJhLdR0LBPJv9InR8osm5tn0pjvOIzqYW6D2P-m4hARZB-xZ4z_C-yV1EmX8zNWryARaQ_GRB-0IZJJIbvUkrhMUnsCapBr_qcOK7WTFGLc-NkCOvc/s1600/JimNLoader01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpxF8jxqk7_BIRWQQzOrWdZgzsCJhLdR0LBPJv9InR8osm5tn0pjvOIzqYW6D2P-m4hARZB-xZ4z_C-yV1EmX8zNWryARaQ_GRB-0IZJJIbvUkrhMUnsCapBr_qcOK7WTFGLc-NkCOvc/s320/JimNLoader01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim, attaching the claw assembly. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Assisting Doug with the mechanics was another gentleman whom I hadn't met before, Phil Notaro. I admit that up to that point I hadn't had THAT much experience meeting animatronic specialists, and I hadn't worked on enough big budget films that enabled these mechanics to really shine their brightest. That said, Phil Notaro was a genius (still is, I imagine). Obtaining the molds of the scaled down Queen Alien from Stan Winston's studio, Phil had already begun making the sophisticated mechanical puppet and it was no easy task. True, because things were scaled down, leverage was on his side, but because things were scaled down, it was more of a challenge to machine and insert the mechanisms into the figure.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSTVj8Wu5IpeC4PDFLzS_MIY0wGvVxFhA243CUQGaPSPuW9Agryx1zQcI8JbDJz16pb1NqTHb7422npy4x-LlxvQybmP3hyphenhyphendBOKcFAw8Go3Gf6nlZkmN2Xc9hefvASdquuKalo9J44EQ/s1600/DougAndPhil01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSTVj8Wu5IpeC4PDFLzS_MIY0wGvVxFhA243CUQGaPSPuW9Agryx1zQcI8JbDJz16pb1NqTHb7422npy4x-LlxvQybmP3hyphenhyphendBOKcFAw8Go3Gf6nlZkmN2Xc9hefvASdquuKalo9J44EQ/s320/DougAndPhil01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug Beswick (left) and Phil Notaro with the miniature Power Loader. Sorry about the crappy photos, they are scans off of a color copy from the page of a Japanese book.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Those of us at Doug's had not seen the full-sized Queen Alien that was shooting in London. True, I had seen some of the videos sent back from Tom Woodruff, Shane Mahan, and John Rosengrant in England while they were sculpting the full-sized Queen, but beyond that point, I hadn't seen much (in fact, I think the last video I saw showed some of the British crew making molds on some of the large pieces). But part of Phil and Doug's job was to make sure that this miniature puppet could replicate most of the movements of the full-scale puppet. I say most of the movements because I don't think it was necessary that our miniature's head descend from the carapace like the full-sized Queen did, etc. To see this diminutive puppet move so gracefully was mind-blowing!<br />
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Doug was such a trooper and he put up with my nerdy, fan, enthusiasm with a lot of patience. I badgered him until he showed me pieces of the Terminator stop motion puppet (unfortunately, a lot of the mechanical pieces had been machined - once - and the only complete figure was in James Cameron's office. He also shared some old photos of the STAR WARS aliens as well as the Tyrannosaurus Rex puppet he had mechanized for MY SCIENCE PROJECT. NOTE: This was 6 years before we would begin construction of the T-Rex for JURASSIC PARK and Doug's T-Rex was the most sophisticated real-time dinosaur puppet built up to that date.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHeChCdLip9OHR6cHA2NWpdnm7_aggPttM6r8_Um-FnJhKVKpbjillhZMSt-7a7qh5Ob3vzq4axRgFP7g0yq23sdSIYCXujjKtkl_3KISkSxi_IthqXQhcH4Os42ecSXPGSMgTWZXnds/s1600/DougTerminator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHeChCdLip9OHR6cHA2NWpdnm7_aggPttM6r8_Um-FnJhKVKpbjillhZMSt-7a7qh5Ob3vzq4axRgFP7g0yq23sdSIYCXujjKtkl_3KISkSxi_IthqXQhcH4Os42ecSXPGSMgTWZXnds/s320/DougTerminator.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug and his Endoskeleton model. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp_5Q-xBSON_-Q77fYbIJ04gOMmz9iQNsk9alrk0yVF46kqbBtuHn0BvFBg3LcUkNk0u9AXeEPgw4xBnrzfIPwuTak6cPRuNq89FUno5V0D_eWL_N6_nJPVlwT5hOImIuKpYR2l_Fun8/s1600/TerminatorStopMotionPuppet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp_5Q-xBSON_-Q77fYbIJ04gOMmz9iQNsk9alrk0yVF46kqbBtuHn0BvFBg3LcUkNk0u9AXeEPgw4xBnrzfIPwuTak6cPRuNq89FUno5V0D_eWL_N6_nJPVlwT5hOImIuKpYR2l_Fun8/s320/TerminatorStopMotionPuppet.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The head, chest, and pelvis were the only parts I saw in person. I think Willie Whitten sculpted them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ENehkRloTlVJF2wuRCN5Pp9OW3gyiUV6wizySkmqXrT0t2z4SXASJha2troD4PRhyRHuXMOM9KG9ElBwFq_YQ0rGoacZpmolaGWz7f6jzd9AnWxRervR6FUAh43Jp39q0BajVLMOEg/s1600/DougTRex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ENehkRloTlVJF2wuRCN5Pp9OW3gyiUV6wizySkmqXrT0t2z4SXASJha2troD4PRhyRHuXMOM9KG9ElBwFq_YQ0rGoacZpmolaGWz7f6jzd9AnWxRervR6FUAh43Jp39q0BajVLMOEg/s320/DougTRex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug and Phil's mechanism for the MY SCIENCE PROJECT T-Rex </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here is the T-Rex scene from MY SCIENCE PROJECT (pardon the quality):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5mtE2reXGzA" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, under Tony Gardner's supervision, I worked on casting pieces for the Sigourney Weaver puppet. Phil had build a simple head turn mechanism that mounted to the plaster core. To illustrate how sophisticated Phil was in his approach, as the mechanism turned left to right, the "chin" would automatically pitch up and down slightly to off-set the "mechanical" look. Simple and brilliant. I would affix the mechanism to the core and then inject hot melt vinyl (tinted flesh tone) into it. The stone mold was good enough for most of the seam to just be plucked, but I smoothed the rest of it down, carefully, with a dental waxer. I was also given small armatures to put into arm molds to repeat the process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_hRPnKydzU4gqsqF2fNpES1rM3xgo1KIULJGgCCBaZYbW4okn0XLnLpVyF8PccdXLbb94n2r7B8mK_N-QLl4JDoCXoxoULf1Ia45OsM4Z-6UyXLn1Kx55l7nEjvt5yKSfUnmuZysxpY/s1600/SigourneyPuppetPieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_hRPnKydzU4gqsqF2fNpES1rM3xgo1KIULJGgCCBaZYbW4okn0XLnLpVyF8PccdXLbb94n2r7B8mK_N-QLl4JDoCXoxoULf1Ia45OsM4Z-6UyXLn1Kx55l7nEjvt5yKSfUnmuZysxpY/s320/SigourneyPuppetPieces.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Gardener re-sculpted the Sigourney Weaver puppet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGwUFas1nNMxEAeKIozFyp2iNI-L8heAElQMgoFN8ApO_td18tXNjYhtOyndwi4P3GCo6_GwjUsU993i3Hgf1FzDs6Rp8Ff7HOpXauzt2GICNF6cTf1OjvNCH_Jk0w5okmvJUkJkHBCE/s1600/SigourneyInCage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGwUFas1nNMxEAeKIozFyp2iNI-L8heAElQMgoFN8ApO_td18tXNjYhtOyndwi4P3GCo6_GwjUsU993i3Hgf1FzDs6Rp8Ff7HOpXauzt2GICNF6cTf1OjvNCH_Jk0w5okmvJUkJkHBCE/s320/SigourneyInCage01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder why Mattel never issued a Power Loader Barbi?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On HOUSE, Jim Belohovek basically was working on the edge of his comfort zone, building simple mechanics to go inside of puppets, but now, at Doug's he was doing what he was best at: building miniatures. I had seen Jim's model making prowess in college, but this was different. No longer limited to materials he could afford on a student's budget, Jim blossomed and was fabricating pieces out of plastic, wood, and bondo. Since the pieces needed to be rigid, all of the molds were made of silicone. Brian and I molded what Jim built, then we would cast them. The larger pieces were made out of thin fiberglass, the smaller pieces were cast in "Feathercast" (from BJB Corporation). Brian and I would then seam the pieces and return them to Jim for final detailing and finishing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfD_xsCHnbGPAp9OQrU4tbux7cbq7mgQ7z6gNbRFlU5dg8oon7RPgIIf5ZmTBwClxBSjyH2XnESTvH4HC87VXsvoG7mfe9dHLnqHOsB8eMsLX5eg-KRJ7OjIbCzfTnnPWol167wgGN-c/s1600/ShannonCastsParts01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfD_xsCHnbGPAp9OQrU4tbux7cbq7mgQ7z6gNbRFlU5dg8oon7RPgIIf5ZmTBwClxBSjyH2XnESTvH4HC87VXsvoG7mfe9dHLnqHOsB8eMsLX5eg-KRJ7OjIbCzfTnnPWol167wgGN-c/s320/ShannonCastsParts01.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't ask. I'm working on the leg assembly apparently.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsFgGJnx-eZghAAkRD-a1Rh4Pi7asEdlvEd-YwAM3RlnyVschTiaWcCqDuLnjymxyWiDK-0tiNTcvCzeOu4M-tjSPK9BdV-ZLJSaqULQ6gV2wjhUvEwkuSHkGyHjiBT8CFfv7Ajodl6s/s1600/JimNLoader02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsFgGJnx-eZghAAkRD-a1Rh4Pi7asEdlvEd-YwAM3RlnyVschTiaWcCqDuLnjymxyWiDK-0tiNTcvCzeOu4M-tjSPK9BdV-ZLJSaqULQ6gV2wjhUvEwkuSHkGyHjiBT8CFfv7Ajodl6s/s320/JimNLoader02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim paints an assembled leg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8tDAf8-hyVQTckBHCf89Hj7DRaf5vdIgfgU-Due3Sp29emr_nE69wGALNaD-oHhdZQTNUxqQyIYB3rxSPcf4bzqOpvPkhXZwp9J1cMKAKESD9lPEVfSdxjpFRHlvC1qZ3cUSx30-xao/s1600/LoaderRear01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8tDAf8-hyVQTckBHCf89Hj7DRaf5vdIgfgU-Due3Sp29emr_nE69wGALNaD-oHhdZQTNUxqQyIYB3rxSPcf4bzqOpvPkhXZwp9J1cMKAKESD9lPEVfSdxjpFRHlvC1qZ3cUSx30-xao/s320/LoaderRear01.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The completed Loader ready to be shipped to England for shooting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of all of the shops I worked at, Doug Beswick's will go on record as having the ABSOLUTE least amount of drama than any other shop I have ever worked at. I have no clue if Jim Cameron or a producer was screaming at Doug on the phone (I doubt it) because it never showed. The entire crew would come into work every morning, and spend the day happily completing the scheduled tasks. No back stabbing, yelling, complaining. Nothing but happy workers. Aside from his incredible talent, THAT is what makes Doug Beswick so great.<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-45750688518345084332011-08-04T09:55:00.000-07:002011-08-04T09:59:54.149-07:00Part 37: On Becoming a Make Up Effects NomadAt the root of the word "freelance" is the word "free." By definition to be free is to have liberty, be disentangled, have no controlling boundaries, however, for a make up effects artist in the 1980's, to be free meant that the concept of job security was nearly non-existent. Working in a shop for longer than 4 to 6 weeks was a luxury. Now that INVADERS FROM MARS wrapped, that group of people in that photo a few blogs ago (with the exception of Alec Gillis and the addition of Greg Nicotero) were now unemployed and had to find work.<br />
<br />
Although the nomadic nature of Make Up Effects artists is still very much the norm today, back then most artists traveled with some essentials: Sculpting Tools, Air Brush (some carried their own compressors), a few hand tools, and a walkman or similar personal stereo device. If you were a mechanic, then you usually appeared with at least one, if not two big red rolling tool boxes, a Makita (later Dewalt) cordless drill, and a battery charger.<br />
<br />
In all honesty, roughly a week or two before shooting on INVADERS concluded, Everett Burrell was already out of the door telling us he had secured employment with Rick Baker on a new Bigfoot movie entitled HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. In fact, it was common knowledge that Rick was beginning to crew up for the movie but being on a movie set, with no cell phones, made it difficult to call and make an appointment until the show completely wrapped.<br />
<br />
I called Rick Baker's shop the very first free day and set up an appointment to see him that Friday at his shop in North Hollywood. This was it. Time to put my portfolio in front of one of the artists who had been a major influence on my career choice.<br />
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For some reason, I knew going into his reception area that things weren't going to go well. Seeing all of the masks lined on the walls were instantly inspiring and intimidating. I don't recall with whom I spoke to when I stepped in, but Rick soon appeared from a door that led to the shop area, shook my hand and motioned for me to sit on a small sofa while he looked at my portfolio.<br />
<br />
In contrast to Stan, Rick took his time looking at all of the photos and reading the descriptions I had put under each picture. "Wow!" he said, "This is one of the most honest portfolios I've ever seen." He went on to explain that too many people had come to him with portfolios with finished creatures in them, only to discover that their contribution had been running foam or tying lace eyebrows. I had not only furnished him with my contribution on each photo, but also the names of the other major players on each piece.<br />
<br />
Nice guys finish last, so they say. Even with that "honesty" I didn't get hired. It stung doubly because I knew that Howard Berger, Everett Burrell, Matt Rose, and Steve Wang had all made it and were already working in the back. In my mind, I saw it as a confirmation of the quality of my work.<br />
<br />
At the suggestion of another friend, I went to see Greg Cannom. Greg, a very talented make up artist that had worked for Rick, as well as, Rob Bottin. He had begun to work for himself out of his house in North Hollywood and took great delight in telling me that it had been Rick Baker's house. Greg even indicated marks on the ceiling that were made from Rob Bottin jumping up and purposely smashing his head on it. Kevin Yagher and Earl Elllis were working for Greg at the time, but he didn't have a significantly budgeted show, so after he looked through my portfolio, I was back on the street.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I received a call from Mark Shostrom who was more than half-way finished with his responsibilities on a new Brian Yuzna, Stuart Gordon adaptation of another H.P. Lovecraft story, FROM BEYOND. Yuzna and Gordon had enjoyed a great deal of success with their previous effort RE-ANIMATOR and were hoping to push their success with this effort. In order to fulfill the effects requirements, production had hired at least three separate shops to manufacture all of the effects.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRlrk3LQExeIKeLhLSV3VTvZOeW-8TnGy1EFaIIfeuM3ucstZx9iM2agdsTjAb1JrYedwUaWxgbCPdmD9xYm1HLEtsqBvjCEA5gU4A2sNv3IdbYIZFtN2JQ39EXhZWzu1fWPgbfZaV4A/s1600/from-beyond-movie-poster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRlrk3LQExeIKeLhLSV3VTvZOeW-8TnGy1EFaIIfeuM3ucstZx9iM2agdsTjAb1JrYedwUaWxgbCPdmD9xYm1HLEtsqBvjCEA5gU4A2sNv3IdbYIZFtN2JQ39EXhZWzu1fWPgbfZaV4A/s320/from-beyond-movie-poster1.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br />
Mark had already hired his crew which was made up of Bob Kurtzman (the eventual K of KNB EFX and current owner of PRECINCT 13 and CREATURE CORE), Dave Kindlon, a mechanic who had come from New York after a stint for the Muppets, John Blake, and up and coming make up artist (who is now one of the top in the field), a new comer from Texas Gregor Punchatz, (who is now a CGI artist in Dallas, TX) and Aaron Sims (one of the most influential contemporary creature designers). Together they had designed, and sculpted at least two incarnations of Dr. Pretorious' manifestations. <br />
<br />
In the film, perverted Dr. Pretorius, played by Ted Sorel, succumbs to a machine built by Dr. Tillinghast (played by Jeffery Combs) called a "resonator." The resonator stimulates the human pineal gland, enabling the viewing of creatures from alternate dimensions. However, prolonged exposure to the resonator mutates the pineal gland and causes physical restructuring of the body.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphrcxa6iQCMqYYC0Vm92PChBOzLlK2SWAaL8T92wrp_0iY0ocOuy-UUpWBh5VlDo-bPVfck0Y9ZguPWp2A76_A2lTFuSjp_dGkzdZ2AaeXRewJEII7y7FgKL-JkZzm9clhmbFcJ4ozPg/s1600/from-beyond-red-monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphrcxa6iQCMqYYC0Vm92PChBOzLlK2SWAaL8T92wrp_0iY0ocOuy-UUpWBh5VlDo-bPVfck0Y9ZguPWp2A76_A2lTFuSjp_dGkzdZ2AaeXRewJEII7y7FgKL-JkZzm9clhmbFcJ4ozPg/s320/from-beyond-red-monster.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark's giant Pretorius Creature sporting one of the Radio Controlled heads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> When I think back to that time in Make Up Effects history, either we were all very ambitious or dumb. There was nothing we wouldn't attempt. Mark Shostrom, who up to that time had done some impressive prosthetic and effects work, was now moving full speed into full-scale animatronics out of his new studio in South Pasadena. I was flabbergasted by the size of the work that had been accomplished when I began working. Bob had sculpted the iconic Dr. Pretorius fleshy-tumor make up and it had already been molded and was awaiting casting. Mark led the sculptors on the Pretorius-Creature, which was a big bipedal mutation with a long neck that terminated in a twisted visage. Mark's ingenious plan was to use Radio Controlled faces for wide shots and when the camera cut in closer, it would be Ted Sorel in an appliance make up that fused his face onto the front of the creature. With some judicious framing by Director of Photography, Mac Alberg, it would appear that Dr. Pretorius' head was attached to the creature. To get a good look at Mark's work, on FROM BEYOND (and other movies, including EVIL DEAD II, which I'll get to soon on this blog) check out Mark's web page at: <a href="http://www.helloboss.net/">www.helloboss.net</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk2hAIlxm2SMfJPW5cTtnxw_kSULW0sEfhWCausrWzdTdri67jW5uXInPRbb5YRTSBwM7F0yoYO2ptb9OhG5RNCo9SKqbo-tigXxgOaox3-yj4z-OA3_gAGgaCPDzV-LhyazrxEi0QAw/s1600/PretoriousCreatureSorel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk2hAIlxm2SMfJPW5cTtnxw_kSULW0sEfhWCausrWzdTdri67jW5uXInPRbb5YRTSBwM7F0yoYO2ptb9OhG5RNCo9SKqbo-tigXxgOaox3-yj4z-OA3_gAGgaCPDzV-LhyazrxEi0QAw/s320/PretoriousCreatureSorel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ted Sorel's head "grafted" onto the body with prosthetics and camera framing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>At the time I joined the crew, the lion's share of the work had been completed. Mold maker, Steve Patino, had made a big fiberglass mold and core of the Pretorious Creature body however, it was clear that Mark didn't have the facility to run and bake out a huge foam latex skin. Mark knew I had worked at Stan's and we had cast fairly big urethane skins for the Drones and wanted to know if I could rely on my experience to run skins for the Pretorius creature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxUER9QnIEsxP0Gi7VE8kgeg7ajD5fOlN6LlqmSm7SFo4SVOJnATL3HnuSXdcYhgvQX6WXK1lORPlcM8uyw2xWJ2tbZ0pSZnJTr4NAq4qDGOoGwLrTBphg7ILnGFx7l5q0MSioYbhf9M/s1600/PretoriusMold02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxUER9QnIEsxP0Gi7VE8kgeg7ajD5fOlN6LlqmSm7SFo4SVOJnATL3HnuSXdcYhgvQX6WXK1lORPlcM8uyw2xWJ2tbZ0pSZnJTr4NAq4qDGOoGwLrTBphg7ILnGFx7l5q0MSioYbhf9M/s320/PretoriusMold02.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One side of the fiberglass mold, made by Steve Patino of the Pretorius creature.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We built another Octo-Injector, however, it was decided that inexpensive garden hose would be substituted for the more expensive clear Tygon tubing. After all, the theory would still work. When describing the operations of the Stan Winston Octo-Injector, I had told them about the reverse pressure explosion that occurred and as fate would have it, we experienced one for ourselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DKbdahqc21-FP5BnjiDSokTUFQRPM0ZdcetdOhqJ60_VRXlIiSkxmb_jz21J1mMYWxUUSxSMMZqfTuM3egjAvF-1rU8rWpQFr-oIdVdEk_ZXtMzgw4NBpjG48W8hgyfuU6bUQUbBcjs/s1600/SC89inMold01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DKbdahqc21-FP5BnjiDSokTUFQRPM0ZdcetdOhqJ60_VRXlIiSkxmb_jz21J1mMYWxUUSxSMMZqfTuM3egjAvF-1rU8rWpQFr-oIdVdEk_ZXtMzgw4NBpjG48W8hgyfuU6bUQUbBcjs/s320/SC89inMold01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flesh-tinted SC-89 was sprayed into a mold released with Carnuba Wax and Fiber Resin's FR-1000 release</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FKAgDq0-2g4qVX8smoPpMh4CjbSvjLr8kf-JojvhXoE6GSnc9WJYpcUvrX8ksntVwzZ5V0OT60JnzDAy2Iw5MyCfWqO_7Qk1MtdQ9CTboU6BRlS-lj3-WfWFV4C97DJPaG84RnznOMQ/s1600/OctoInjector01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FKAgDq0-2g4qVX8smoPpMh4CjbSvjLr8kf-JojvhXoE6GSnc9WJYpcUvrX8ksntVwzZ5V0OT60JnzDAy2Iw5MyCfWqO_7Qk1MtdQ9CTboU6BRlS-lj3-WfWFV4C97DJPaG84RnznOMQ/s320/OctoInjector01.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Octo-Injector is put into position. The hole at the top is a vent hole. The tubes run to fittings around the base.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx9K5Va5h2bc9AGk0MvdMwgWIDsXPJodQ8ycARYfeIkkpthxuU-VOBrhyphenhyphenzMl3z8WVSH40-rrpAQ2fOI-JxxJn68CeZijpZwADTWM7wOKqQKPC-n9y3rjl6st38Df1oTZuShBhFqfMELI/s1600/OctoInjectorExplosion02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx9K5Va5h2bc9AGk0MvdMwgWIDsXPJodQ8ycARYfeIkkpthxuU-VOBrhyphenhyphenzMl3z8WVSH40-rrpAQ2fOI-JxxJn68CeZijpZwADTWM7wOKqQKPC-n9y3rjl6st38Df1oTZuShBhFqfMELI/s320/OctoInjectorExplosion02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OOPS! This is what happens when the pressure backs up...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff2Ux2sYSI78Re8gL-vT_JKqnz2nskALE_AbHROhCfpJD1cev2Sd2ZiUYnRIyBr2twDKnmkWMdN5eOyFP_TMOCaOXmV5OS5PIeppVilbOa2vjEV3JND2vnncI_cZ2ZG9jqiSQl5tvyGI/s1600/OctoInjectorMess01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff2Ux2sYSI78Re8gL-vT_JKqnz2nskALE_AbHROhCfpJD1cev2Sd2ZiUYnRIyBr2twDKnmkWMdN5eOyFP_TMOCaOXmV5OS5PIeppVilbOa2vjEV3JND2vnncI_cZ2ZG9jqiSQl5tvyGI/s320/OctoInjectorMess01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...What a MESS!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpBrtMB0Wzk9b2w6CsHCcyqBYjBU-1gReQOthkL09skkJwQJyW4z3PT13bcvUiQkAIOWBPfNxZ3bb-qVUtFRrigeaV2MhNLq-v_pryCO-f4L9BwJbXgwBKA0abWCoJeupbQ7i6SvM8lg/s1600/BobandDaveOpenMold01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpBrtMB0Wzk9b2w6CsHCcyqBYjBU-1gReQOthkL09skkJwQJyW4z3PT13bcvUiQkAIOWBPfNxZ3bb-qVUtFRrigeaV2MhNLq-v_pryCO-f4L9BwJbXgwBKA0abWCoJeupbQ7i6SvM8lg/s320/BobandDaveOpenMold01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eventually, we got a good skin. Bob and Dave open the mold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I was just sitting here, thinking about the large Dr. Pretorius prosthetic that Ted Sorel wore and remembered that it was by and large a huge latex and soft foam casting with smaller over-lapping foam-latex prosthetics that blended the piece onto Mr. Sorel's skin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ83CQyaNekgOz9O5sWDpNJCfPmpiiYpDOZzsvzZ13nY-quwo1LuFvjRGocYHGiezw4UYnl__YutHRuJYE7aAuH_lPHWbKWDjueVNAt4bnC4HOfO_SyHZgJAsa2FcqcV0lRx0wGc_pU0/s1600/TedSorelPretoriusMakeUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQ83CQyaNekgOz9O5sWDpNJCfPmpiiYpDOZzsvzZ13nY-quwo1LuFvjRGocYHGiezw4UYnl__YutHRuJYE7aAuH_lPHWbKWDjueVNAt4bnC4HOfO_SyHZgJAsa2FcqcV0lRx0wGc_pU0/s320/TedSorelPretoriusMakeUp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can still see the castings of the webby, foam latex prosthetics all run, bagged, and ready for location.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It was understood that I was only working on the show for a few weeks before the crew took off for Italy, where the film was being shot. As the finishing work began, I was called onto another show, so I packed up my tools and started at Doug Beswick's shop the following Monday on another exciting project.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwwkSCD7KOwheNqs2SHrusmAprhnt1Bn50BxlY6pX_NiYdrFCmvLPdbXXkqNmTS5ritUhbj3C0_gbJzJ_9I4T0onvkpUrgTEvYQBGf_zK3U7E7G9C0rMKsH16mfCGNh3kbhMzbr2wGFI/s1600/DaveKindlonSlitsWrists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwwkSCD7KOwheNqs2SHrusmAprhnt1Bn50BxlY6pX_NiYdrFCmvLPdbXXkqNmTS5ritUhbj3C0_gbJzJ_9I4T0onvkpUrgTEvYQBGf_zK3U7E7G9C0rMKsH16mfCGNh3kbhMzbr2wGFI/s320/DaveKindlonSlitsWrists.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, Dave REALLY didn't slit his wrists! Just hot and frustrated working in the alley outside of the studio.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> EPILOGUE: I did get to see the Pretorious creature "finished" a week or so later. Mark called me and I drove by the studio one evening to visit. Since the creature had to be "assembled" on set, I didn't see the entire thing glued together, but the pieces were finished enough for Mark to give me a really good impression of what it was going to look like. And speaking of impressions, he also ran a videotape for me of the Radio Controlled Pretorius head "lip syncing" an Andrew Dice Clay comedy routine! If I had been drinking milk when I watched it, I would have shot it out of my nostrils, I was laughing so hard!<br />
<br />
My opinion is that FROM BEYOND was a turning point for Mark. It showed that his modest studio could handle more than just quality prosthetics, masks, and make ups; he could now do larger scale monsters. This would serve him in the coming years as the shows got BIGGER!!<br />
<br />
One final thought: This happened around Halloween and I sculpted, molded, and ran my own foam mask that year. It was a large-mouthed demon with plenty of teeth. Little did I know that Halloween Make Up would figure into my life again some months later...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOubZM7AK-fy986UlSkaK5bKllYm1Yh6NtmzcamxS8rrPON6OxEfqw2qlnrW_yHlx7qrXTdHKpraxzabtZ7r_iFqyIOx-A-nWwuLSErR96BwHtIjioZ8o-iuzIIvR4nPwGBV5Ntx0Qx8/s1600/ShannonHalloweenCostume85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOubZM7AK-fy986UlSkaK5bKllYm1Yh6NtmzcamxS8rrPON6OxEfqw2qlnrW_yHlx7qrXTdHKpraxzabtZ7r_iFqyIOx-A-nWwuLSErR96BwHtIjioZ8o-iuzIIvR4nPwGBV5Ntx0Qx8/s320/ShannonHalloweenCostume85.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over-sized mouth full of rows and rows of teeth....Gotta remember this; it'll come in handy some day...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-40940222873296411162011-07-26T11:35:00.000-07:002011-07-26T11:56:12.569-07:00Part 36: Into the tunnels with the Martian Drones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wish I could recall how long we were down on set in San Pedro putting performers in Drone suits, etc. If I had to guess, I would say about four weeks. However, looking back and recalling the day to day work, it seemed like months. And during that time, while a group of us would meet in the parking lot behind Stan's studio and get into our car pools, Rick Lazzarini remained in Stan's shop by himself, trying to work out the intricate mechanics that would make a Face Hugger run for the movie ALIENS. In fact, most nights when we would return, he would still be there, working.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the mechanical attempts was conceived by Jim Cameron, himself, who suggested that Rick use a small gasoline-powered motor (the kind used for COX model racing back in the day). These engines generally required an external starter motor that looked like a small drill or dremel tool. however, the starter port was in accessible. Jim suggested that Rick use a flex-shaft that would run down the length of the tail. I can still see Rick's tormented face as he tried in vain to get the little gas motor started using the flex-shaft. It turns out the the length of spring in the flex-shaft reduced the torque and the motor wouldn't start.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And, when the engine did start, blue gray exhaust smoke would putter out of the side of it. Back to the drawing boards!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A quick note to the readers: I looked through my photos and discovered that after the Drones ate Mrs. McKeltch, I didn't take any more photos! However, someone posted the entire movie on youtube and I have cut and made commentaries on some clips that will help illustrate what we accomplished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyu77kBegnjdZmyMzmlQ_cyHnuKBQYJVIeOGpmqa7NiMa9E5MJPxELLhJ-p5cVRpBMIAS0dT8Dvlu1VkhaUsg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But first, since I now have "video assist" I'd like to show you some Drone footage that I have described in the last blog. Here is the first scene we worked on, the appearance of the Drones and the Supreme Intelligence:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwGeGgw165CngKY9Qt3_fmGqaZMBABCmbUKOcNmhGFctC2IEUvjNeDnFXi-2pa_UikbZrksliTDZQFJ1P4LtQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is Mrs. McKeltch being eaten:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyqQlwXHqQ9hZkuySFrgA1j4DV7PLvwbuP5YRdfdjE0gn85xDZqURULQq6zGBdcxqkgRSm9kSCUGT7Zqy2oUg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I was looking through the footage, I studied the scene that I described last time of the Martian Supreme Intelligence being shot to death and the set catching on fire. You can see the fire starting in this clip, take a look:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmVS8CWpS8hG1TFriYbyN2Mzjkgf1UbuflBHhWuhFKpVYGq8Gr8vrhqm0OkGjmAaZzmSdVnaJcYU4BHJi2zw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Crazy, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up to that point in shooting, we had avoided needing the little performers to be in the suits, but now all of that was going to change because the Drones would have to perform tasks like loading a shooting their guns, etc. So now, we would rotate which little performer would get strapped into the rig and because no two of them were the same size and weight, it would affect not only the larger performers, but how the suit would go together. The lightweight aluminum frame would bow under the weight, making the removal of the head (which was now a necessity to get the little performer in and out) much more difficult. Then, once that was done, we would make the extra effort to make sure that the skin was lined up and closed correctly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the added weight the larger performers would need to take breaks more often which also slowed things down. Our first scene which utilized the full Drones was when we worked with actor, Bud Cort (from HAROLD AND MAUDE), who played a S.E.T.I. scientist. If you watch the following clip, you'll see a good example of the little performer's contribution to the creature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzKn2G7A8KwPZROLdtDYNe0QdMDzJRzW5JdMV62Qe_z473CBpRPhRUEM6A_WQBKLBJh5IuyiaWil6DjUXPVPA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unlike their larger counterparts, the little performers were completely blind inside of the suits and had to be coached via headsets by Alec Gillis on the outside. When it came time to load the Martian gun, all of the steps were done in cuts so it appeared that the action was natural and purposeful. I believe for the extreme close up shots of the martian hand putting the copper rod into the gun, we had a little person, wearing a Drone glove on a ladder between the two drone suits that were pushed side by side.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxCbuuJs_iRsmKJ3g6ouO7SYLUJW1BfY8NqZcIKxFpI6s0HsBH5ynUpsIFor88Rr_G-wqqDv3S92YfqpG_-Fg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
There was no way that the little performers could hold those guns because of weight issues. I recall that we even tried removing the claws from the gloves so that the performers could attempt to hold the guns with their bare hands but it was not to be. Dave Nelson, with the help of the physical effects department, mounted the gun to the side of the drone by an aluminum rod that could pivot on one axis. Unless the gun had to move, we could then dress an empty glove from the Drone body to the gun and the little person wouldn't have to suffer in the suit.<br />
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Let's take a look at the "Needle Room" - it is a cool set and the Needle Machine, itself was impressive: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyORLia_mL1Hj2nbrR3rq5OJzw2b-wn5vQ6mu-CR2lQjubFUfwd4yfBBcfhWkR4KDvPbTeR-fbjIRhg5jFo5Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Getting the chance to work with so many incredible people on INVADERS was a delight, but there was still one more treat in store. Toward the end of the schedule, as the Martian spaceship was set to explode, a group of extras was hired to evacuate as marines and scientists. Among them was none other than legendary Science Fiction icon and collector, Bob Burns! Alec had known Bob previously and introduced him to those of us on the crew with whom he was unfamiliar. If you don't know who Bob Burns is (shame on you, he and his wife Cathy are two of the most delightful people you will ever have the pleasure to meet), here is a link to his web site, there is so much to see: <a href="http://bobburns.mycottage.com/">Bob Burns</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy77FOU2DP-S1N7Exr6zfm_J28SiZ45hSVIC656PJhFlmJlvnnLpAmfOHPfRWjPbQb-5evDcxjEa5miDIhEDQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
INVADERS was a film that many friendships were forged both in the shop and on set. It was also a very important film in my career as it would lead not only to projects run by some of the talented artists on Stan's crew, but also back to Stan Winston's less than a year later.<br />
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However, once the show wrapped, Alec Gillis and Rick Lazzarini left for England and ALIENS, while the rest of us were scattered through Los Angeles, in search of our next gigs.<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-12296836927984551832011-07-20T23:12:00.000-07:002011-07-20T23:12:00.323-07:00Sorry For The Inconvenience!Dear Friends,<br />
<br />
I just wanted to write a short note of apology. FIRST PERSON MONSTER HISTORY will return next week, July 27, 2011 with new stories! My laptop has suffered a physical trauma (broken lid hinge) and I'm waiting for news of its repair. With any luck, I'll receive it at the end of the week and I'll post twice next week to make up for time lost. Thanks so much for your interest and support. In the weeks to come, I'll be covering work on: FROM BEYOND, ALIENS (miniature unit), STAR TREK IV: The Voyage Home, EVIL DEAD II, and so much more! Now is your chance to catch up on your reading and I'll see you soon!<br />
<br />
Shannon Shea<br />
First Person Monster BlogShannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-79549556316935978672011-07-12T23:24:00.000-07:002011-07-12T23:24:24.876-07:00Part 35: Martian Madness!!The day before our martians went before the movie cameras was a load in day so we packed all of our gear into a rental truck and drove down to San Pedro (which was about an hour and fifteen minutes away from the shop) to an old retired naval building where the set had been built.<br />
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It was enormous. The art department had fabricated the interior of the Martian spacecraft as well as a few underground tunnels that led to the ship's interior. The facility provided the Stan Winston crew with a couple of rooms to store our gear and the drone suits. Judging by the state of the rooms, I would have guessed that it was scheduled for some major overhaul. While some of us unloaded the Martian Drone suit pieces, the others broke off to move the Martian Supreme Intelligence to his platform which was easily 30 feet or so from the ground.<br />
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The Supreme Intelligence makes its appearance by flying out of a portal above an altar-type structure and that altar-type structure was on the second story of the set. Using a scissor-lift, the puppet and controls were raised into the air, while crew members, including chief mechanic, Dave Nelson, moved the puppet onto the platform. As Dave oversaw the preparation of the puppet for rehearsal, some of the rest of us returned to continue setting up the rooms under the direction of Alec Gillis.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQSicxMQWzWcOKJx0PG4ulmqo59NpehBfygnamW7kgVElUfshD2DyV2r67ljI8TQu9VXsfcDHRMG4huegAoDi7ZJ-iaNKkr3JmsejEik07_PFQ0jh985EMf5R0WLSi9hKnG7j7_kJQEU/s1600/DroneCrew01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQSicxMQWzWcOKJx0PG4ulmqo59NpehBfygnamW7kgVElUfshD2DyV2r67ljI8TQu9VXsfcDHRMG4huegAoDi7ZJ-iaNKkr3JmsejEik07_PFQ0jh985EMf5R0WLSi9hKnG7j7_kJQEU/s320/DroneCrew01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Drone Crew Clockwise from left: David Nelson, Scott Wheeler, Everett Burrell, Alec Gillis Steve Wang, Matt Rose, Shannon Shea, Gino Crognale, and Brian Penikas</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpTXEKbJwm1pUgB0PkV74GVzS28YCT9Npe0sCvTRUC5XCCfhWAa9dBr4Fo8k_ytnLloEFsfGr-Y0V3K-omC7OzX_xXl8vI9N7sC65imiyQqwNIwgZT6ZU5kIRo_MzPpwSSdCWHPgEmVo/s1600/DroneShop01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpTXEKbJwm1pUgB0PkV74GVzS28YCT9Npe0sCvTRUC5XCCfhWAa9dBr4Fo8k_ytnLloEFsfGr-Y0V3K-omC7OzX_xXl8vI9N7sC65imiyQqwNIwgZT6ZU5kIRo_MzPpwSSdCWHPgEmVo/s320/DroneShop01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our "Drone Rooms" (l-r): Alec, Everett, Scott, Steve, Brian</td></tr>
</tbody></table> One of Alec's functions was to coordinate with the other departments, especially when there would be what I would call "overlap." For example, when the Drones or the Supreme Intelligence were shot by U.S. Marines, it would be required for them to be squibbed by the Physical Effects department led by Phil Cory. There were other instances of overlap, including a scene that was shot, but cut out of the film where the Drone eats a pile of "W&W" candies (get it? M&M's upside down) in a gentle but ineffective jab at E.T. However, one of the major concerns was the Martian blood.<br />
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Going into the project, it was understood that this was going to be somewhat of a family picture and gallons of red blood spurting out of the Martians just wasn't going to cut it. It had been decided, therefore, that Martian blood was a combination of yellow and lavender fluids. Normally, when we make studio blood, we use corn syrup as a base, but the Art Department was concerned with how this would stain and affect the sets, especially when we had to dress gallons of it in puddles around fallen Martians. I don't know who at Stan Winston's studio found the substance, but we had gallons and gallons of the base of what Mattel Toys used to use for their popular "Slime" toy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxQWEJ93_UeqNiEURRr0kIIy1BbUeIkoJmEve0n6sH4PtKobnlUmPrNpNmDF0RWWqy6ZbUkQaaUzZfl62vBJniM6G5X-oIqzpUEcHdHjaSwRFRWLTKSol-ovCVrMrQmFOce2raRwrpb0/s1600/Slime.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmxQWEJ93_UeqNiEURRr0kIIy1BbUeIkoJmEve0n6sH4PtKobnlUmPrNpNmDF0RWWqy6ZbUkQaaUzZfl62vBJniM6G5X-oIqzpUEcHdHjaSwRFRWLTKSol-ovCVrMrQmFOce2raRwrpb0/s320/Slime.JPG" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember this crap?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>With the absence of green coloring, this slime looked translucent white and was soon referred to as "Bull Ji--" well, let's just say we had a rude term for it. Oddly enough, it turned out to be exactly what we needed to do the job. It took color extremely well, was able to be poured into thick, controlled puddles, the two separate colors could be swirled on set with out homogenous mixing, and it "peeled" off of the floor with relative success leaving almost no residue.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, the Physical Effects crew prepared their squibbing blood with an oily glycerine base. After a disastrous initial test, Alec realized that the inside of the polyfoam Drone skins would need to be sealed to prevent damage from the glycerine. This meant that someone(s) would have to craw into the suits with premixed wax cups of a flexible but strong urethane and paint the entire inside of the skins. As luck would have it, Brian Penikas and I lost the toss and had to do the brushing duties. Not wanting to get covered with streams of dripping, catalyzed urethane, I protected myself appropriately.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesoa5_1jSHtS3ohweisqwzK8vTlfLuUqjc1JsZl8rRIjALYR9WYSzeJY15hJDx5K0B_3wpkxLuUeBn-98eEOxhbj0m1lDnuVySqJme0R0Ma4UbmvqMibxMf6umLVSSTAUC68sMQ_f9No/s1600/ShannonUrethaneSuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesoa5_1jSHtS3ohweisqwzK8vTlfLuUqjc1JsZl8rRIjALYR9WYSzeJY15hJDx5K0B_3wpkxLuUeBn-98eEOxhbj0m1lDnuVySqJme0R0Ma4UbmvqMibxMf6umLVSSTAUC68sMQ_f9No/s320/ShannonUrethaneSuit.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to do paint urethane into a Drone Suit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> When the Drone suits an pieces were stowed, and the batteries for the radio controls in their chargers, we returned to the platform where Dave Nelson and John Dykstra were ready to begin rehearsing with the Supreme Intelligence. The two wires that were assisting with the flying of the puppet were fed through the portal and, as I recall, suspended by a couple of physical effects guys in a scaffold above, while the rest of us were behind the set, on the platform, ready to push the puppet on a boom arm attached to a counter-weighted dolly on a track. On action we would push and the Supreme Intelligence would emerge, displacing layers of copper-colored, soft polyfoam "fingers" and would lite upon its throne. Then, on action we would pull the puppet back, all the while assisted by puppeteers on controllers attempting to keep the Supreme Intelligence from looking straight at the ground. After a few tries, the puppet was covered with a plastic tarp, we secured the Drone rooms and returned to Northridge, and the Stan Winston studios parking lot.<br />
<br />
Most of us lived in the valley within a few miles of the studio. I didn't, however. In fact, during the build of the show, I had purchased my first car, a white Honda Civic from Alec Gillis for $800. It was the only car that Tracy and I had between us and since I would basically be on set for 12 -14 hours, she would get up early in the morning, drive me to Stan Winston's studio where I would meet a carpool, drive home, go to work, drive home and then drive back to the studio that night to pick me up and take me back home. Although the trip was not as long as it would take via a bus, it was, however a good haul back and forth - twice! Yes, I married well.<br />
<br />
Our set calls were generally very early, between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning which meant having to leave Stan Winston's no later than 5 a.m. I can recall one trip driving south on the 405 freeway when I was at the wheel of Stan's car as he lay back in the passenger seat. Every morning the drive was easy until we reached the hill at Mulholland Drive where traffic consistently backed up. Frustrated, I asked a rhetorical question aloud: "Why is there always traffic right at this point?" to which Stan answered, "It's because of all of the people who live in this area, all trying to get on the freeway."<br />
<br />
"Really?" I asked. Stan sat up in his seat looking shocked at my naivete, "Shannon, look around you. Do you see tons of street lights and houses in this area?" No, the hills were dark. In fact there were nearly no lights on the hill. "Oh." I said and Stan sat back and closed his eyes for the rest of the trip. What was the answer? I don't know and now I just try to avoid the 405 whenever possible. <br />
<br />
The Drone Suits would be the first thing we would prepare for camera. There were four main Drone performers: Lonny Low, Matt Bennett, Scott Wulf, and Doug Simpson and basically two Drone suits. The idea was that the performers could trade off during the day, should one team or individual get tired, another one could step in and continue shooting. This did mean, however, that each of them had a pair of custom Drone boots that fit just their feet. Suiting them up went something like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BK0u98ZLh-Hi_hfJiKZrGIldubcXJNiPfX5IAAwaAlYP1-XkxhzU83XkJXSt5HeewTlPmnzMF9uQ9n2PTZJ9K2sdZOGlX3QYoGUtVsGpLEspxYriR4v_KNS711GazxTvaLU83LE-qrM/s1600/DougInDrone01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BK0u98ZLh-Hi_hfJiKZrGIldubcXJNiPfX5IAAwaAlYP1-XkxhzU83XkJXSt5HeewTlPmnzMF9uQ9n2PTZJ9K2sdZOGlX3QYoGUtVsGpLEspxYriR4v_KNS711GazxTvaLU83LE-qrM/s320/DougInDrone01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Wulff assists Doug Simpson, in Drone Suit. Note the video monitor just below his face.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The suit was divided into several parts: the head, the body, the boots, and the ski pole arms. The performer would step into the suit while it was on a frame, suspended by a spring-button pin. As their legs came through the holes, one of us would be there to guide their feet into the boots. Then, shoulder and waist straps would be adjusted and tightened and finally a video monitor would be locked into place on their chests.<br />
<br />
The head would slide onto the frame and get locked into place with pins while the skins were stretched closed using very wide velcro patches, then the performer would stand, taking the weight of the suit, and the pin would be pulled from the top, enabling them to walk out from under the frame. Then, they were handed their ski poles. A long opening in the rear of the creature was held open with two aluminum braces so the performer could talk with director, Tobe Hooper, or stunt man, Steve Lambert. Most of the early shots of the drones did not require any mouth or vestigial arm movement, so the little people including Debbie Carrington, Phil Fondecaro, Sal Fondecaro, Tony Cox, and Margarite Fernandez, wouldn't be required to be strapped onto the performer's backs right away.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Mle306cuEOAHoiY7hIlU-SDRiN6TJRw0uGrtjzj2JYUf5Gk5ukooRkEM7V-RXxw49KLI1HAwOEgHLT1PS8NVHt91c-pw6H_Mb8HgWHuHUcYV_CjHHCJzGDKrCpfLqmlWh0B176uX0ew/s1600/TobeAndDrone01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Mle306cuEOAHoiY7hIlU-SDRiN6TJRw0uGrtjzj2JYUf5Gk5ukooRkEM7V-RXxw49KLI1HAwOEgHLT1PS8NVHt91c-pw6H_Mb8HgWHuHUcYV_CjHHCJzGDKrCpfLqmlWh0B176uX0ew/s320/TobeAndDrone01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toby, Dr. Pepper in hand, tries to figure out just what the hell is going on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The first shot we did with the drones was their reveal in the throne room of the Supreme Intelligence. In order to add confusion to their appearance, Tobe decided that the two drones should be face-to-face, snuggled close so that at first appearance they looked like one, big, eight-legged blob that was "bouncing" lightly. On cue, they would back away from each other and turn to face the altar. Raising their ski-pole arms in salute, they would beckon for their leader who would then emerge from the portal, etc. Easy, right? Well, it was very manageable when done in stages.<br />
<br />
After we finished filming the drones doing their bounce and separating, we moved the Supreme Intelligence down onto his altar. He had two long tentacles strapped to the sides of his body for when he was "flying"; these were detached and draped behind the altar. Two mechanical tentacles were then dressed over the sides of the altar and their controllers concealed. Three puppeteers then moved beneath the body of the Supreme Intelligence via the hollow altar and opened up the skin. This gave two puppeteers access to directly puppeteer the mouth and the two little arms in front of the creature that Dave Nelson lovingly referred to as the "croissants". The last puppeteer hooked plastic tubing to an array of valves controlled by a custom keyboard to operate the air bladders in the creature's body.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvyc8OUFCaCo3CsaGtKKihHxD3BY39HiKNaGTrbl_nR-RMgr1XxW6lgNhQEUxVGVIBl-F0XtWKW3WZwKggSNSVf5_KuA4RrG64UFraLSTDt5RVSE1O37KYnUajkQkM-YxOl3k1LeTVhY/s1600/SupremeFull02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvyc8OUFCaCo3CsaGtKKihHxD3BY39HiKNaGTrbl_nR-RMgr1XxW6lgNhQEUxVGVIBl-F0XtWKW3WZwKggSNSVf5_KuA4RrG64UFraLSTDt5RVSE1O37KYnUajkQkM-YxOl3k1LeTVhY/s320/SupremeFull02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Supreme Intelligence is position ready for filming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> What this meant for the crew was that we were doing double duty for a lot of the scene. When we weren't assisting and dressing the Drone performers, we were busy doing maintenance on the Supreme Intelligence puppet. And in the middle of all of this chaos was director, Tobe Hooper.<br />
<br />
I think I can sum up my experience of working with Tobe Hooper by repeating how someone (who I can't remember right now) described him: "He's the Yosemite Sam of the D.G.A." Determined, easily aggravated, short-memoried, reactionary, funny but...but...a very sweet guy. It would be easy for me to criticize Tobe and the resulting film, but in retrospect, I can imagine the immense obstacles that were in his way between him and directing a classic science fiction movie.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSPuvYp406Z-ywgTbzgUFZukkA3uYDHZ_hJUpuD8rg-Sg4vdyqiM2pqCfiRHWAIgMBEIPIAtdb1_bodMRwLJvWQnMILATOvW79AcFaEOzoSCfYLc-rkSrJVrVElXxfPetPznu82T0Eq4/s1600/TobeandDrone02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSPuvYp406Z-ywgTbzgUFZukkA3uYDHZ_hJUpuD8rg-Sg4vdyqiM2pqCfiRHWAIgMBEIPIAtdb1_bodMRwLJvWQnMILATOvW79AcFaEOzoSCfYLc-rkSrJVrVElXxfPetPznu82T0Eq4/s320/TobeandDrone02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lonny Low, in the Drone suit, seems please with whatever Tobe has just decided.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Hunter Carson, who played David, was the son of co-star, actress Karen Black. Neither of them seemed to be excited about the film but in fairness to Hunter, he was a little kid and this was how he was spending his summer - on a hot set in San Pedro, California. Karen Black could be found in between set ups, sitting on stage, on her mark, singing while grips and electricians moved lights and stands around her. Weird. However, her friend Roscoe Lee Browne visited the set once and Matt Rose and I geeked out - BOX was on set. "Food, sea greens, plankton from the sea. It's my job, to freeze you!"<br />
<br />
On the other hand, James Karen who played the army colonel and Louise Fletcher, who played David's teacher were both professional and a joy to be around. Whenever they were on set, they were ready for the day's work and would give their all for the takes. When Ms. Fletcher had to be eaten by a Drone, Dave Nelson mounted one of the Drone suit heads onto a large lever (a see-saw type device). Ms. Fletcher started the shot, by getting pushed into one of the Drone suit's mouths, then, stuntman, Steve Lambert in dress and wig was hooked up and dragged into the Drone's mouth that was rigged on the lever. Finally, we dressed a pair of dummy legs wearing a matching dress, stockings and shoes into the Drone suit's mouth and Doug Simpson was able to move in a fashion that appeared that he was swallowing the teacher.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VUCmyIPhYIyNXeD6poGPEDEOd6ViYy5NIIrQkjdaP-70_gyMrMPnIsU5AB2Z9DLn_8K9cLKPmnUV4KVw2LX8d0_lz-5b0i32w7drs35jyq_kLmFHC8y3dgCAtgcs0xBgBWtuvxH4524/s1600/DroneRig01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VUCmyIPhYIyNXeD6poGPEDEOd6ViYy5NIIrQkjdaP-70_gyMrMPnIsU5AB2Z9DLn_8K9cLKPmnUV4KVw2LX8d0_lz-5b0i32w7drs35jyq_kLmFHC8y3dgCAtgcs0xBgBWtuvxH4524/s320/DroneRig01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Drone Rig is prepared to "eat" Mrs. McKeltch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6zorTcMQYEFAtC8cVc5iNvk94lmw8HdXS000FNF1HpNFFcWCELV7F5nMHq1QSM2LhZVj123G0c2JzWl4VMsTAWMrpqby5JZ1N3NibFAnhl56-0UldaTHT2HGzMBhmX7X4rCjNAqF4oc/s1600/EverettandDrone02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6zorTcMQYEFAtC8cVc5iNvk94lmw8HdXS000FNF1HpNFFcWCELV7F5nMHq1QSM2LhZVj123G0c2JzWl4VMsTAWMrpqby5JZ1N3NibFAnhl56-0UldaTHT2HGzMBhmX7X4rCjNAqF4oc/s320/EverettandDrone02.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everett touches up the head before shooting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2OQiiBjfTuZ2O0H5uHD9OH5lJmaCzi2KCFtw79uHGopJ9iCVUJEjzClm0R8zuDo2o22PuWhIlT8Si89K7jv3P67Ae1YmVvm0zv9_Eh6X7fLEHO_0aSmboPu_HbZE9A27NdbQBd1UZdU/s1600/DroneEatsMcKelch01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2OQiiBjfTuZ2O0H5uHD9OH5lJmaCzi2KCFtw79uHGopJ9iCVUJEjzClm0R8zuDo2o22PuWhIlT8Si89K7jv3P67Ae1YmVvm0zv9_Eh6X7fLEHO_0aSmboPu_HbZE9A27NdbQBd1UZdU/s320/DroneEatsMcKelch01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Lambert, in dress and wig, goes into the maw with assistance from Dave Nelson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_fSweJCfx2hlsGN5DdY4N1Tg2jxYly7KgwUZ8GETaH8lWGpqNK7HmkZ9tu7jHAq58OHFzxEwKjPuj3gjLWD32FgsNb_L16im-THlLBLTQa5Wzup4UuWqe-Zjo2wmzH9z8lI7e4f55gE/s1600/SteveLambertriggedinDrone01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_fSweJCfx2hlsGN5DdY4N1Tg2jxYly7KgwUZ8GETaH8lWGpqNK7HmkZ9tu7jHAq58OHFzxEwKjPuj3gjLWD32FgsNb_L16im-THlLBLTQa5Wzup4UuWqe-Zjo2wmzH9z8lI7e4f55gE/s320/SteveLambertriggedinDrone01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's okay folks! Now clean him up for take 2!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Of all of the ingenious things about the shooting of INVADERS FROM MARS, I would have to go on record as saying that Tobe really got a lot of mileage out of the Drone suits. They way it was edited, you would have thought we had at least eight suits on set, however it was just clever cutting.<br />
<br />
We pulled off one cheat where a couple of us got underneath the painted stand-in drone and marched it forward like a Chinese dragon while another puppeteer reached for Hunter with an insert ski-pole arm. Hunter then ran past the other two Drone suits so it strengthened the illusion that we had more than just the two Drones.<br />
<br />
As we prepared to leave the throne room to move into the tunnels for filming, we had to begin our interaction with the United States Marines. Led by military adviser, Lt. Col. Dale Dye, a real battalion of marines joined a few stunt men as they raided the throne room and shot the Drones and the Supreme Intelligence. It was time for a few things: Squibs on the Drones and the Supreme Intelligence, changing out the face of the Supreme Intelligence to a new skin that was sculpted in a duress expression and putting everything back on set and puppeteering as Phil Cory and his guys fired spark and dust hits from air guns at the set.<br />
<br />
All of us took our positions with one exception: Gino Crognale was now duct taped to a slant board in a Superman-Flying pose inside of the Supreme Intelligence. On action, Dave Nelson and Everett Burrell would push down on the slant board from behind, causing the creature to rise and shift in pain as the squibbs detonated. Inside, Gino would be puppeteering the "croissants." I was one of the puppeteers on the camera-left tentacle. We all tensed as the cameras rolled.<br />
<br />
"Three, two, one, GO!" the A.D. shouted and suddenly the air was alive with miniature explosions, colored glycerin, sparks, dust and then...fire? During the fusillade, the spark hits ignited the flammable paint on the set and soon burning debris began to rain down from the set walls. I saw a small fireball hit Brian Penikas' foot and I grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out.<br />
<br />
Mind you, behind us was a sheer drop of about 10 feet with no railing or protection. We moved off of the set as fast as we could with just a narrow space between the altar and the studio floor far below. Meanwhile, thinking quickly, Dave Nelson whipped out his knife and thrust it into the side of Supreme Intelligence and cut Gino out. He was still puppeteering since he hadn't heard anyone yell "Cut!". Luckily no one was hurt and the fire was contained quickly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmvxl2stTAeckrWvveXYUf_jqR-AQ74FZwETLlrbiwDG-K73_RW1lKWHR9Kmxa3jJwUQWfmzUgGuB3oqqOHmdTGtzC5t4LfAjTyIdVISvBEteXsU0KtiUors_2yKF7k9KUptFtpjeo3o/s1600/SupremeFull01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmvxl2stTAeckrWvveXYUf_jqR-AQ74FZwETLlrbiwDG-K73_RW1lKWHR9Kmxa3jJwUQWfmzUgGuB3oqqOHmdTGtzC5t4LfAjTyIdVISvBEteXsU0KtiUors_2yKF7k9KUptFtpjeo3o/s320/SupremeFull01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Supreme Intelligence in all of its glory!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> That sequence spelled the end of our filming in the Martian throne room, but then we were ready to take our drones into the tunnels to continue the shoot. To do this, for some reason, we needed an extra hand and a friend of Everett Burrell's showed up on set to meet Alec Gillis and help out for the rest of the shoot.<br />
<br />
Alec shook his hand and said, "You're that rich kid from Pittsburgh."<br />
<br />
It was the first time most of us met Greg Nicotero.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">FEAR NOT! Next we move into the tunnels and finish INVADERS! </div><br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-46078166561227440282011-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:002011-07-06T14:23:42.226-07:00Part 34: "Droning" on....With the majority of Stan Winston's "lifers" in England, that left the running of INVADERS FROM MARS to Stan's then most recent permanent employee, Alec Gillis. It was clear from the outset that Alec was born to lead. If his Dudley Do-rite chin wasn't enough, he had a innate sense of diplomacy and a calm confidence that got the most results with the least amount of dramatics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbgcftNpsxMzkHaZNQf9y7CvgTL1AwyesscQoVfmpJTIY6DvhyphenhyphenGIUjGM2gMHHJ1-X0zPUCccC8j4PHbT8ArtXT-QbYWPy9qV-ec-9ERLxYgMbC9q9BMfJfSC6sv0edpZnSnZ2M2uBds0/s1600/InvadersFromMarsPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbgcftNpsxMzkHaZNQf9y7CvgTL1AwyesscQoVfmpJTIY6DvhyphenhyphenGIUjGM2gMHHJ1-X0zPUCccC8j4PHbT8ArtXT-QbYWPy9qV-ec-9ERLxYgMbC9q9BMfJfSC6sv0edpZnSnZ2M2uBds0/s320/InvadersFromMarsPoster.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />
The build list, superficially seemed modest: 2 drone suits, 1 mechanical supreme intelligence puppet, one bullet riddled puppet of the supreme intelligence, a bunch of bullet hit appliances that we had to be able to apply and remove, a pair of insert mechanical drone "arms", a Mrs. McKeltch "eating rig" and one drone stand in (which would play a significant part during shooting). However, it was very challenging work.<br />
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Since his skateboard accident, Stan had a cantaloupe-sized contusion on his hip and he would hobble around in stretch work-out pants assisted by a cane. He was going to join the crew in England just as soon as the drones and the supreme intelligence had made their debut on stage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ1enThXn_LpOw-vLts2BGb3GWRk6cO2OBViePeS4dU2__wSzlgJ62VcnV5m-bk2Xu9wpiiYV4ZFVB-jTrO9Qovh6SKOj_fHA77BSPuYXC9qHSoJoDh2j5NSM_lERtRnVQXxLtCJgydw/s1600/DroneFrame02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ1enThXn_LpOw-vLts2BGb3GWRk6cO2OBViePeS4dU2__wSzlgJ62VcnV5m-bk2Xu9wpiiYV4ZFVB-jTrO9Qovh6SKOj_fHA77BSPuYXC9qHSoJoDh2j5NSM_lERtRnVQXxLtCJgydw/s320/DroneFrame02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the drone frame/backpack from the side. Look closely and you can see the chair meant for the little performer riding on the larger performer's back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Before I began work at Stan's, the lifers had sculpted the drones and sent them off-site to be molded by the Reter brothers (who specialized in large-scale fiberglass molding). With the exception of the molded maquette and the under-structures, I had no idea how large a drone was going to be until the molds were delivered. I couldn't say who made the decision how to run them and in what material, but it was probably Stan who decided not to attempt to run foam latex into the molds. At that time, I don't recall there being a large, walk-in, foam oven there, so it was decided that the drones would be run completely in urethane.<br />
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For those of you who are unfamiliar with urethanes, they are chemicals that when mixed together (or in some cases just exposed to air) form a plastic-like compound in different densities and flexibilities. They tend to be oil-based and, in general, dislike moisture. Being oil-based, they also tend to be difficult to paint. At that particular time, we were using a combination of urethanes for the drones: BJB Enterprises' SC-89, which we were using as a "skinning" urethane, and Polytech Corporation's 10-14, which was a two-part, expanding, soft polyfoam.<br />
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After the molds were released, they were sprayed with thinned, tinted SC-89 using an industrial sprayer . The solvent in the SC-89 would "flash off" or evaporate, leaving a thin, somewhat fragile skin, until backed with the 10-14. It was Rick Lazzarini who devised how the foam would be delivered into the molds, because the size and shape of the molds prevented us from simply "open pouring" the expanding urethane into the molds and closing them before the chemical reaction took place. In fact, the foaming of the chemicals happened so rapidly in the hot workshop, it became necessary to store all of the raw chemicals in a refrigerator to slow the reaction time.<br />
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Lazzarini referred to his urethane delivery system as "Octo-Injecting" and I will do my best to describe the process. The mold had been prepared by drilling large holes into it that corresponded to the size of a small, plastic, threaded, plumbing fitting. These "vents" then had large diameter, clear plastic tubing clamped onto them, the length of which led to a huge plastic 5 gallon bucket that, too, had plastic plumbing fittings attached at the bottom of it. The lid of the bucket had two holes cut into it, one to fit a shop-vac (set on exhaust) and the other to fit a high-pressure, air compressor nozzle. The bucket, with all of the plastic tubes running from it to the mold, resembled some far-out, tentacled creature, hence, Octo-Injecting.<br />
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The process was far from simple, but when done correctly, yielded a perfect skin every time. We divided ourselves into teams that would each perform one task in a chain. After the chilled chemicals were weighed correctly, and all of the hoses were in place, we would pour, mix, dump, shut, and blow. The urethane would travel through the tubes into the mold at strategic areas. Then we'd take the lid off of the bucket and stand back as the expanding foam pushed its way back up through the tubes. Once set, we'd remove all of the tubes, push the excess foam through the fitting (as not to snag the skin), open the mold, remove the skin and begin the process all over again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OLoFMgB_5qztIZ2Z6yugcVUEhQ95OA19GCEVtUYaT3gbKG74UFyxqkqirecZtairC7f_XGvAm4hKt5MOVazk7o9lKgjzZ-nqoco1DGRXHflMvItE7qjCTBcsJV3rnyP_o__UuIb62p8/s1600/DroneSkin01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OLoFMgB_5qztIZ2Z6yugcVUEhQ95OA19GCEVtUYaT3gbKG74UFyxqkqirecZtairC7f_XGvAm4hKt5MOVazk7o9lKgjzZ-nqoco1DGRXHflMvItE7qjCTBcsJV3rnyP_o__UuIb62p8/s320/DroneSkin01.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the skins, fresh out of the mold! Some assorted limbs lie on the table behind it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The head was one mold and the body was another LARGER mold so this process was repeated at least 12 times between the two molds. And, to answer a question that may or may not have crept into your brain, no the process was not fool proof.<br />
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On more than one occasion we would discover that the chemicals in the refrigerator had some level of moisture contamination and would either collapse into a gooey mess or not expand at all. When this happened, the molds needed to be scrubbed with a solvent, Methylene Chloride. Believe it or not, during this process , I once spilled about 6 ounces right on my lap. The solvent traveled right through my jeans and by the time I ran to the restroom, my genitals were cold and numb. Yes, eventually, feeling and function returned and I did manage to father a perfectly normal daughter. Hey, wait a minute....(kidding)<br />
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On the other hand, once the chemicals reacted so dramatically that they expanded too rapidly, shot back up the hoses and blew the lid off of the bucket dowsing Mark Williams and Matt Rose with urethane. Matt got a little on his clothes, but Mark Williams, whom I had already mentioned, sported a long, heavy metal coiffure, had to scissor strips of his urethane coated hair off of his head. Speaking of Matt Rose and Mark Williams, by this time we were joined by their third roommate who would have a huge impact on the studio in the coming years, Steve Wang.<br />
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I may be remembering this incorrectly, but I recall that a half a dozen or so small maquettes of the martian drones were run in self-skinning, expanding urethane and interested crew members were invited to take a figure home, design a paint job on it, and then return the following day (clever way of getting free design work). I'm not sure how many people fell for it....excuse me...I meant to say took advantage of the opportunity, but I recall two figures that were instrumental in designing the look of the drone paint job: One by sculptor Willie Whitten, and the other by Steve Wang.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLVG3JFKkkufaRXW4xdqDj5ZIqCTGBz1K3Su9jYT_lg4-aOuGU0PD9fZTPJ0zbfK3cenAjMFfQcBOFz8LJnvzbs6sQmdkqgMblHzQh1nS38mAlydnHmhSmyi8Yuz3vDL6Y8KsrADggU8/s1600/DroneMaquette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLVG3JFKkkufaRXW4xdqDj5ZIqCTGBz1K3Su9jYT_lg4-aOuGU0PD9fZTPJ0zbfK3cenAjMFfQcBOFz8LJnvzbs6sQmdkqgMblHzQh1nS38mAlydnHmhSmyi8Yuz3vDL6Y8KsrADggU8/s320/DroneMaquette.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the original Drone maquettes</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Adopting aspects of both painted figures, the drones would be painted with a toad-like skin pattern, while the huge, weird liver-like structure on top would be a fleshy, veiny, reddish color. Since the traditional rubber cement paints didn't stick to urethane, acrylic paints were used instead.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16I_UcTkbd_-4rW2HbA-ehz584-Rvjv-E7rZkNV2XuFt7rSW_9jVH_ddJd2BUyeQtF4vtHV8vtQG2FnOHEK0zfp0-qwddXrhnKCZKFOlcgPmMSXb5Y5_yUv8r0S-6VuR5zXty0srKKHU/s1600/DroneOnForklift01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16I_UcTkbd_-4rW2HbA-ehz584-Rvjv-E7rZkNV2XuFt7rSW_9jVH_ddJd2BUyeQtF4vtHV8vtQG2FnOHEK0zfp0-qwddXrhnKCZKFOlcgPmMSXb5Y5_yUv8r0S-6VuR5zXty0srKKHU/s320/DroneOnForklift01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the paint job in this horrible flash photo that I took on set.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> While we were casting drone skins in the mold shop, mechanic, Dave Nelson, was designing and building the large mechanical structure that was to support and move the main body tentacle of the martian supreme intelligence. Using thick cables, a formidable tentacle mechanism was built in hopes of puppeteering the creature out of a small, round, portal and onto an alter/throne where it would sit.<br />
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Dave had already completed the facial mechanics which were unbelievable . He had an innate knack for understanding the subtleties of nature and facial expression and it was the first time I had seen an eye mechanism with a "slaved lower lid." What that mean was that even though the puppeteer could close the eyelids or blink them, the lower lids would move along automatically with the movement of the eye, like a real eye does. Look in the mirror some time and you'll see what I'm talking about.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfQKSHCI1bWzJ2GPYJD_ZArxgPNbRlogbf7nrYUthVlcxGRBpzqjLMHmgFSm2PQepf1IH2oxyEZc75DTJbNOqiGSMd0rSZsxsFn1m1FVQZtMnzTByakCXMxqXrRtHqn5czyOSijs7qTE/s1600/SupremeBackStage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfQKSHCI1bWzJ2GPYJD_ZArxgPNbRlogbf7nrYUthVlcxGRBpzqjLMHmgFSm2PQepf1IH2oxyEZc75DTJbNOqiGSMd0rSZsxsFn1m1FVQZtMnzTByakCXMxqXrRtHqn5czyOSijs7qTE/s320/SupremeBackStage01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Supreme Intelligence awaits his set debut. I fabricated and soldered all of the veins in the top of his head. That is a vacu-form plastic shell on the top and since the veins had to keep their shape while appearing to be suspended in some sort of "brain jelly", I fabricated them out of brass rods that were sanded into shape.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I need to take a moment here to mention a couple of things about Dave Nelson. Dave was originally from Manchester, England, and was a sailing enthusiast. These two facts affected the running of Stan Winston studios thus: Every day at 4:15 we had tea time. Dave would not sacrifice his tea time just because he was now living in the colonies. Dave, also, was part of a sailing ship crew, which meant that he had to leave work early every Wednesday to go sailing. Both of these idiosyncrasies had been approved by Stan before Dave's hiring, but it didn't stop Stan from sporting a mask of disbelief and confusion on Wednesdays when Dave, carrying his bag, would leave the shop around 3:00 announcing, "I'm off! Time to go sailing." <br />
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As successful as the supreme intelligence's face was mechanically, the body mechanics didn't fare as well. Unfortunately for Dave and his crew, the tentacle was an inverted triangle with the narrowest part at the base and the widest part at the tip. No matter how Dave tried to engineer the body, it just couldn't overcome the leverage problem and it was decided that it would have to be "flown" via external wires on the head. The visual effects supervisor on the film was John Dykstra (YES! THAT John Dykstra!!!) and when the decision was made, I'll never forget him saying: "Ahhh, if anyone in the audience sees a wire and complains, I'll personally give 'em their seven bucks back!" (Btw - that would be Joe Viskocil on HOUSE and now John Dykstra on INVADERS FROM MARS...only two years in the business and nerd paradise!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIG7MMYRyUD5Tia0RE74SZRymXICuO4d3Hf3jHOiT5QdAROtZvr-OP7I2MW3h6vh3j5LJMGp0oA_c1Cej5agtDfT12b1C3_Fed0ZQLdmdhwDXjf6hjnnuorKR5NmJQFjKssKhW8aiWwQ/s1600/JohnDykstra01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIG7MMYRyUD5Tia0RE74SZRymXICuO4d3Hf3jHOiT5QdAROtZvr-OP7I2MW3h6vh3j5LJMGp0oA_c1Cej5agtDfT12b1C3_Fed0ZQLdmdhwDXjf6hjnnuorKR5NmJQFjKssKhW8aiWwQ/s320/JohnDykstra01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't think he's willing to pay you NOW if you see wires, so FORGET IT!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> While pieces were being finished and assembled, we at Stan's were treated to another surprise: Legendary make up effects artist, Dick Smith came by for a visit! Stan took Dick around through the shops and just let him wander around, approach different artists and speak with them. I was working on a drone body when he approached me and asked about the casting process. When I described it to him, he was flabbergasted and then asked if we were all taking the proper safety procedures. He was concerned about the off-gassing of the polyfoam (which we all knew was hazardous). I assured him that we were (well, SOME of us were, most of the time) and then I thanked him for his encouraging letter which he claimed to remember. "See? What did I tell you? Now you're working for one of the best studios on the West Coast." he said.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyibMZsl42jWrY-rFJqSIk_nh9SETEPEJdovSBh6hReOOcW69da0FX4wSFOeu7PqGLo3Eo9lOOdNXT14JBDM-VCkaQzp66QBZ56KSMrRHXpVyJFQpHwTzmMSaCDQuqT_9vQWEbfh7Oqs/s1600/DickShannonDrone01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyibMZsl42jWrY-rFJqSIk_nh9SETEPEJdovSBh6hReOOcW69da0FX4wSFOeu7PqGLo3Eo9lOOdNXT14JBDM-VCkaQzp66QBZ56KSMrRHXpVyJFQpHwTzmMSaCDQuqT_9vQWEbfh7Oqs/s320/DickShannonDrone01.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's right...Appear calm and professional...calm and professional....calm and professional...</td></tr>
</tbody></table> A week or so later, we finally got one of the drones put together enough to do a proper in-studio test. Performer Doug Simpson suited up with little person, Debbie Carrington on his back. The camera was functioning, we closed up all of the velcro tabs and Doug began walking backwards. The effect was initially disarming! The illusion really worked well and Stan was pleased. So pleased in fact that for the second fitting, he called Tom Burman over to visit the shop and see the drone for himself.<br />
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When Doug had come out of the suit, he mentioned that it would be good if we mounted some fans to circulate the air around and we could see that we would need to fabricate some foam ring spacers to close some of the gaps between the legs and the suit. We were making the adjustments quickly because shooting was just around the corner and we would have to do it at least twice!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d18UMYpxU30lWBF8-QZpaZmCn2EfMg2QuPH9GdV7WbP11xtUf4jJlvFymlEzHFnanL6stZteiSb8Etj1PTYYizrOFDWqT4P_tMqvhk7ALANgyJxsvHMWIN_FCI6ftrpaau7u8YgpDMY/s1600/SeamingaTentacle01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d18UMYpxU30lWBF8-QZpaZmCn2EfMg2QuPH9GdV7WbP11xtUf4jJlvFymlEzHFnanL6stZteiSb8Etj1PTYYizrOFDWqT4P_tMqvhk7ALANgyJxsvHMWIN_FCI6ftrpaau7u8YgpDMY/s320/SeamingaTentacle01.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the guests have gone...Time to get back to work and seam that tentacle!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> To be continued - On set with Invaders from Mars! </div><br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-3406108262871043242011-06-29T16:46:00.000-07:002011-06-29T16:46:15.395-07:00Part 33: All Aliens Great and SmallI was in! I was working at Stan Winston Studios!<br />
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But for me, anyway, there was a catch: <br />
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In order to arrive at Stan's on time, I would actually have to be early. There seemed to be about a 20 minute gap between buses, so I could either show up at 7:50 or 8:10. However, due to the RTD schedule, it would be required to catch my first bus at 5:30 in the morning. That would mean getting up around 4:45 a.m.!<br />
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Thank God, I caught that early bus because I discovered later that one of Stan's pet peeves was tardiness! <br />
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Everyone started filing in and I'm not sure but someone (it could have been Tom Woodruff) walked me to an auxiliary unit in the same complex that was being used as a molding and casting shop. I was introduced to the people working there including Howard Berger, Bob Kurtzman, Everett Burrell, Scott Wheeler, and Steve James. Steve and I were shown a very clean, thin fiberglass body form that would be used for alien warrior construction but since they wanted the suit pieces to overlap, we would have to cut the body in half at the waist and extend the abdomen section with new fiberglass.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaR15HMTl2JP7MMUYzijyMqG87PDfXjsLLkW5wnTAJF7yWqBFMOGHrHU7gSVZZ6BEG9HOMMoOJVgmFnP7b1B4NKmAqjBOxbFlCQ1d0iaQav5SDBh5BcljkU0eit7-vbTvfjmvfj1Mlb4/s1600/MoldShop01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaR15HMTl2JP7MMUYzijyMqG87PDfXjsLLkW5wnTAJF7yWqBFMOGHrHU7gSVZZ6BEG9HOMMoOJVgmFnP7b1B4NKmAqjBOxbFlCQ1d0iaQav5SDBh5BcljkU0eit7-vbTvfjmvfj1Mlb4/s320/MoldShop01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mold shop. When I met Bob and Howard they were standing behind this table. Note the Alien back-tube mold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Steve and I made a plaster bandage mold from the chest to the hips and when it was completed, we sawed the body in half (it had been filled with rigid polyfoam) and sealed it. We reassembled the mold on the shortened torso section and cast fiberglass and polyfoam into it. When we were done, you would have thought it had been made that way originally. I'm not sure if Steve James had ever done that type of work before, I know I hadn't, but there was something about the expectation level at the studio that seemed to drive everyone a bit further.<br />
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Later that day, I was in the main shop and saw the two guys who had interviewed before me. They were sculpting an alien warrior tail. The younger, shorter of the two was Matt Rose, the older taller one was his roommate, Mark Williams. Although I didn't know of Mark, Matt's reputation preceded him.<br />
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Fangoria Magazine ran a contest for young monster makers to design characters and the winners were from San Jose, Califorina. Matt Rose and Steve Wang, at 18 and 19 years old, had won the national contest and their incredible masks were featured in the magazine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNKsK0UcRtMx9IMKnIusNj1xmbndX6_d7QOVIFxdKnEGf-piBzDxpl9Gc17DnVY1ODTlB3bZnrIVvosOvPUw0m0dj738aL3OHc9yzgJCSS6xq3z18zAFlPLmWZoVTLlYE3UuwGCLec0s/s1600/GhoulBrothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNKsK0UcRtMx9IMKnIusNj1xmbndX6_d7QOVIFxdKnEGf-piBzDxpl9Gc17DnVY1ODTlB3bZnrIVvosOvPUw0m0dj738aL3OHc9yzgJCSS6xq3z18zAFlPLmWZoVTLlYE3UuwGCLec0s/s320/GhoulBrothers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Ghoul Brothers" - I had forgotten that they were parodies of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Oops!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> They were not the only sculptors of whom I had heard rumors. When I was at Mark Shostrom's, a story of a young sculptor who lived in San Diego had circulated around the shops. Apparently, he was so incredible that Stan would allow him to sculpt at home and drive the finished sculptures up to the shop once a week. That was for the television show "Manimal" but now, that sculptor was in Stan's shop sculpting the Queen Alien's legs; his name was Greg Figel.<br />
<br />
When I reminisce about those days, we all must have had the same inner insecurity and curiosity, because there was a lot of shop portfolio viewings and it was VERY clear that here was a community of very talented and very competitive people. Some were very blatant about the situation and some were aware of it but remained laid back. For myself, I felt like they were all out of my league and I was struggling just to keep up. And because there were job opportunities around town and that underlying competition eating at everyone's guts, some people were already LEAVING Stan Winston's for what was perceived as "better opportunities." <br />
<br />
And as those folks left the studios, new replacements would be hired including Gino Crognale, a heavy metal kid from Philadelphia,. Gino joined us in the mold shop and began seaming a few alien eggs that had been run in latex and polyfoam.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqPTxkKoc293MYHok3CMhuNV_kXrJ69OVIPIZGGzs_hmtwUgTVZvMhjSk-Mwcfq6Jv8i1Q9BO254COn3DyA39Fubw00teKogW86CZi8OpQb2Z23U34LDc23iWr1RDde9MwgVrQF3mJOY/s1600/AlienEgg01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqPTxkKoc293MYHok3CMhuNV_kXrJ69OVIPIZGGzs_hmtwUgTVZvMhjSk-Mwcfq6Jv8i1Q9BO254COn3DyA39Fubw00teKogW86CZi8OpQb2Z23U34LDc23iWr1RDde9MwgVrQF3mJOY/s320/AlienEgg01.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the alien eggs resting next to one of Gino's bags of Laura Scudder's chips.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLGYyDWKe0NImdRh7QLWK9LgHY6UoDAWT3SCeefY9ebt9LMD6bueRTYlUASNos_XYBNouNaf6qOwEzPUd48wOcYoPX9vARqHKrVgZWJkNU8QUTO_D60h6nLQ1mVIOEZch00sTIG82rlk/s1600/AlienEggCore01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLGYyDWKe0NImdRh7QLWK9LgHY6UoDAWT3SCeefY9ebt9LMD6bueRTYlUASNos_XYBNouNaf6qOwEzPUd48wOcYoPX9vARqHKrVgZWJkNU8QUTO_D60h6nLQ1mVIOEZch00sTIG82rlk/s320/AlienEggCore01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This section of alien egg was made for the mechanics to work out the "flowering" mechanism.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We were informed that most of the actual building and finishing of the effects for ALIENS was going to happen in England. Most of the work we were doing in Los Angeles was molding pieces from the original suit that had been lent to us by legendary collector, Bob Burns. As the molds were finished, they were packed and shipped off.<br />
<br />
In terms of finished creatures, the one piece I recall being fairly completed was the chest burster that Tony Gardener had sculpted. Before it was shipped, there had been a completed mechanism and a test skin glued onto it so we were able to see its potential before it left.<br />
<br />
The task of mechanizing the face huggers fell to Rick Lazzarini who had been researching many different methods of creating a controlled, effective run which was something that had not been seen in the first film. There was even a He-Man "Spydor" toy that was purchased for reference but ultimately another solution would present itself later...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_M1_lQtvxvc7Jk35_w9_6CU4j9fNDjFJWcbPwdgih0Hp-5KUP4IwszRdgyA9uOk0fj1r9OySsGlp6y_wUJbZbIJgfYKfT7tZlnalHUuRVR53Mrqb_tG2BHEWv98ZURi7uI3QlXqAprTQ/s1600/spydor_01_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_M1_lQtvxvc7Jk35_w9_6CU4j9fNDjFJWcbPwdgih0Hp-5KUP4IwszRdgyA9uOk0fj1r9OySsGlp6y_wUJbZbIJgfYKfT7tZlnalHUuRVR53Mrqb_tG2BHEWv98ZURi7uI3QlXqAprTQ/s320/spydor_01_full.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool? Yes, but ultimately not good for a face hugger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Meanwhile, another sculptor, who's name escapes me (perhaps one of my colleagues can remind me in the comment section) was given the task of sculpting a miniature Sigorney Weaver puppet that would be in scale to the miniature Queen sculpt.<br />
<br />
One of my strongest recollections about Stan Winston studios at that time is what I will refer to as the collective soundtrack that seemed to be ever present at the shop. <br />
<br />
Whenever I hear Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" or Stuart Copeland's "The Rhythmatist" I'm immediately taken back to Northridge in 1985 because I would venture to say that not a day went by that both of those cassette tapes would be played in the main shop.<br />
<br />
And all of the while, the two shops were being coordinated by Stan and the "lifers." The preferred way for Shane Mahan and a few others to get back and forth was via skateboard and it wasn't unusal to hear the din of the wheels as someone from the main shop would appear at the large open bay door.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyNYV0H5UoeLfCHpKkVa9AoJwgbkQ96p5CEiorgVQKCqIQSUhLxiUg_UT2q9b7t6Zj1c0SvelRrp7hcIAdobhQxy2E7eTm9XdLj73ObiaRhhec3xVV3t7xuieThgy_0qj4j3dPoboc3w/s1600/EverettShannon01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyNYV0H5UoeLfCHpKkVa9AoJwgbkQ96p5CEiorgVQKCqIQSUhLxiUg_UT2q9b7t6Zj1c0SvelRrp7hcIAdobhQxy2E7eTm9XdLj73ObiaRhhec3xVV3t7xuieThgy_0qj4j3dPoboc3w/s320/EverettShannon01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everett Burrell and I casting something..who knows what? Everett was the one who opened the wooden crate and showed me H.R. Giger's complete alien suit in the shop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> So effective was this mode of transportation that on one occasion Stan decided to make the trip himself. A few of us were walking between shops when Stan appeared on the skateboard, then suddenly he lost control. BAM! He hit the ground, hard! A little bruised, he stood up and said, "You know what they say when you're thrown off of a horse; you get right back in the saddle." No sooner had he gotten back on the skateboard, then it shot out from under him again and BAM! His skateboarding days had drawn to a close.<br />
<br />
As the ALIENS work began to be completed and shipped, more of us were shifted over to INVADERS FROM MARS duties. <br />
<br />
When Bill Sturgeon first walked me through the studio, he had shown me a few cast maquettes for the alien drones (or warriors) for the film. In order to confuse the audience with what they were seeing, the performance of the drone suit would require two performers: A large stunt man who would walk backwards and a little person sitting in a specially designed harness on the stunt man's back. The little person's legs would control the gross jaw movement while the eyes and brows were radio controlled. Although the drone's main legs were the stunt man's legs (with the knee facing backwards, remember) it also had a secondary pair of legs that were operated by the stunt man holding ski poles. It was as ingenious as it was cumbersome.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BlR8QSJgl3GV4jBpKcky-In6YrTjUqucHZrzwfrj_ubxWWsnVMjJ-FktByCgUM9oOsINo8T_OXGFIaSu5zbqrqTCTQ-j8kqtrijxVO1bAAD9bOT43aHh4L6xHRjdy2UtMPqtoXdsOWA/s1600/DroneFrames01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BlR8QSJgl3GV4jBpKcky-In6YrTjUqucHZrzwfrj_ubxWWsnVMjJ-FktByCgUM9oOsINo8T_OXGFIaSu5zbqrqTCTQ-j8kqtrijxVO1bAAD9bOT43aHh4L6xHRjdy2UtMPqtoXdsOWA/s320/DroneFrames01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are a couple of the drone frames waiting for their fiberglass under structures and their skins.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Tom Woodruff, Richard Landon, Shane Mahan and John Rosengrant all left the shop to go to England and begin the ALIENS construction there. Although it looked like martians were in my immediate future, it would not be the end of my involvement with ALIENS.<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-16128547614395507282011-06-26T15:32:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:32:04.635-07:00Part 32: 19201 Parthenia Street, Northridge, CaliforniaI believe Bill Sturgeon set up my interview with Stan Winston. I don't recall speaking to anyone prior to my visit like a receptionist or another employee; I was to meet Stan on July 12, 1985 for a portfolio interview.<br />
<br />
But...it didn't happen.<br />
<br />
Recall, I didn't have a car in those days and I was the victim of Los Angeles Public Transportation. Without computers, or cell phones, you would have to call the L.A.P.T. hotline, give them your starting point and ending point, and then they would supply you with bus numbers and pick up times to coordinate your commute. I was about to find out how fragile that system was.<br />
<br />
Tracy had gone to California State University, Northridge to look into enrolling in the music program there, so she knew most of the connections, but Stan Winston's studio was further west and on a parallel street. With my appointment time of about 1 p.m., and armed with a list of bus numbers and times, I set out, portfolio under arm, from Eagle Rock to Northridge. It would require 3 bus transfers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxUI3PcO8yg639DvvyZma3RSRmv2iGBRM_-WaMz-h9Dwzkn8E0HnsWyotOxlwePnHI_2zW9-JMmTDCMHObsUc2MbmR2Fz_a3jklxCey6xDAvgq83SZrQzxwH6nN5ZxHb4BvlN-q68Mt0/s1600/800px-metrolocalnew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxUI3PcO8yg639DvvyZma3RSRmv2iGBRM_-WaMz-h9Dwzkn8E0HnsWyotOxlwePnHI_2zW9-JMmTDCMHObsUc2MbmR2Fz_a3jklxCey6xDAvgq83SZrQzxwH6nN5ZxHb4BvlN-q68Mt0/s320/800px-metrolocalnew.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah yes, the chariot that would deliver me to my destiny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Everything went like clockwork until I arrived in Burbank. I got off of one bus only to see my connecting bus drive off. SHIT! What else could I do? I waited for the next bus. I'm confident that enough of you readers have experienced waiting for a bus. I wonder if you have ever waited for a bus under a time deadline! Because if you have, then you understand that it is absolute torture! Every other bus seems to arrive at the stop, sometimes two of the same number drive by, people come and go, and it is easy to feel like you are the only one waiting for a specific bus that appears to be on a break. It wears your patience thin; you begin to crawl into that negative, reptile part of your brain where every person in a car that is whizzing to their destination is a jerk because you have to take public transportation and the reason more people don't take public transportation is because of things JUST LIKE THIS!!!<br />
<br />
By the time I arrived at the last bus stop that would take me to my interview, it was already 2:30. I called Bill from a pay phone and told him I wasn't going to make it. He spoke to someone and said to just come by the next day at the same time. I walked across the street and took the two buses back home. I had lost. I had failed.<br />
<br />
I walked into the apartment and explained the whole situation to Tracy. She reminded me that in a couple of hours we had to hot foot it down to the bus stop again, because we had tickets to see soprano, Kiri Te Kanawa at the Hollywood Bowl (see? THIS is how I knew exactly what day it was!). I was in no mood, but we had never been to the Hollywood Bowl, had never seen Ms. Te Kanawa, and didn't have the luxury to just throw money away. We got dressed, walked to the bus stop, and caught the two buses to get to the Bowl.<br />
<br />
As the concert started, I truly was in no mood to be there, but as Kiri began to sing, I admit that all of the day's frustrations and all of my anger seemed to melt away. It turned out to be a fantastic evening, and I found the renewed strength to get on those three damned buses in the afternoon and reach Stan Winston's.<br />
<br />
For those of you who are interested in the concert, here is a link to the archived Los Angeles Times review:<br />
<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-12/entertainment/ca-9040_1_bowl-debut">Kiri Te Kanawa debuts at the Hollywood Bowl</a><br />
<br />
The next day, I started off all over again, but things were different. All of the buses showed up as promised and I soon found myself at an industrial complex in Northridge, CA.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiRTx57ngZeHM_7alXS9tXOx_xb3TONHPFFhmikoFGDUUhcVQSKnpcnZEp2ySqprRpJ8-ooUWgRP3xUdE3Jnp10-iid2z6C6MRFO3gQhGzRBpSmmhAcediv3AF6GNQcZs5yADDBpAR8I/s1600/StansOldStudio+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiRTx57ngZeHM_7alXS9tXOx_xb3TONHPFFhmikoFGDUUhcVQSKnpcnZEp2ySqprRpJ8-ooUWgRP3xUdE3Jnp10-iid2z6C6MRFO3gQhGzRBpSmmhAcediv3AF6GNQcZs5yADDBpAR8I/s320/StansOldStudio+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, this is where it all was happening!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As I approached the front door emblazoned with a gold "Stan Winston" signature, I noticed two other young men carrying their portfolios entering the building ahead of me. However, unlike yours truly, these two were sporting long, heavy-metal rock-n-roll hair cuts and wearing black T-shirts. I had no idea who they were but apparently, Stan was seeing a bunch of people that day. <br />
<br />
My recollection was that a young man, Brian Penikas, was there to greet us, and had me sit in the lobby while Stan saw the two other guys. After a short amount of time, they came out of his office shaking his hand and Stan had Brian take them into the shop and show them around. I was nervous as hell.<br />
<br />
Stan invited me into his office, I introduced myself and he asked where I had been working. I handed him my portfolio and went on to tell him about THE SUPERNATURALS, HOUSE and my "experience" at Make Up Effects Labs. While I was talking, Stan was paging through my portfolio like a speed-reader. Zip! Zip! Zip! Occasionally he would stop a specific picture and ask a question like: "Did you sculpt this?" or "Did you paint this?" or "How long did this take you to do?" and then ZIP! Off he went through the pages. When he and I had both reached the end, he asked me point blank how much money I had made working for James Cummins. I told him the absolute truth: I had made $450 a week. Stan closed my portfolio, handed it back to me and said: "I'll pay you $100 a day and don't forget, that's more money than you asked for!"<br />
<br />
And just like that, I was working at Stan Winston's Studio. <br />
<br />
Bill Sturgeon had been paged and walked me through the shop and introduced me to most of the crew. When I look back on the crew that was working on both ALIENS and INVADERS FROM MARS (both shows were happening concurrently), it was a who's who of individuals who would one day own and run their own shops. In no particular order, the crew included:<br />
<br />
Alec Gillis/Tom Woodruff, Jr. - Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc.<br />
Rick Lazzarini - The Character Shop<br />
Kevin Yagher - CHILD'S PLAY, THE CRYPT KEEPER, SLEEPY HOLLOW<br />
Tony Gardener - SEA QUEST, TOMMYKNOCKERS, and most of the Farrely Brothers' movies<br />
Brian Penikas - JEEPERS CREEPERS<br />
Bob Kurtzman and Howard Berger - KNB EFX Group<br />
Dave Nelson - Animated Engineering<br />
Everett Burrell - Optic Nerve<br />
<br />
The facility, itself, was more impressive than anything else I had seen at the time. Unlike M.E.L., Stan's shop was certainly on a level of professionalism that was intimidating. It was spotlessly clean (something I found out soon enough about how things ran at Stan's), past work was carefully displayed for clients. There were framed photos and drawings by Stan (some of which I had seen printed in "Making a Monster") hanging on the walls and there was a big, brightly lit Make Up room with two barber's chairs. <br />
<br />
However it wasn't just the facility that was mind numbing, it was also the work that was going on. As Bill walked me through the shop, he began to explain the plot of ALIENS to me and as he explained about the Queen Alien, I witnessed the Stan Winston artists, Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, and Greg Figel all working on the miniature Queen Alien sculpt! Propped up, as a guide, were color print outs of design artwork that I learned was done by Jim Cameron, himself. The work was superlative! <br />
<br />
A small sculpting room separated the main shop from the Make Up room and in it, Tony Gardner was sculpting the new "chest burster" for ALIENS, while Kevin Yager sculpted bullet hit wounds and appliances for the martians for INVADERS FROM MARS. <br />
<br />
In the main shop, the area was divided between molding and mechanical effects. Dave Nelson and Ted Rae (who was an accomplished Stop Motion Animation and Effects cinematographer) led a team working on the "Drones" and the "Supreme Martian Intelligence" animatronics. Everywhere I looked it seemed like a geek-dream. I saw the TERMINATOR puppet heads, including one that Brian Wade had sculpted and shown me photos of during HOUSE. There was a full Endoskeleton standing on a work table in the corner. There were beautiful display heads of the the Academy Award nominated make ups Stan did for HEARTBEEPS. <br />
<br />
At the end of the tour, Bill explained a couple of things: One, work began at eight, and ended at 6:30, Monday through Friday and two, at six o'clock every day, work would stop and clean up would commence for a half an hour at Stan's insistence. That is why the shop looked the way it did. I was to start the next day, Friday, July 14th at 8 in the morning. I would be working in the mold shop on ALIENS.<br />
<br />
The ride home on the bus, was the best ride I had taken on public transit. <br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-29261138207810020882011-06-22T17:42:00.000-07:002011-06-22T21:07:20.793-07:00Part 31: Outside of the Comfort ZoneI'm sure most of you have heard the old adage: "It's not what you know, it's WHO you know!" That isn't just a saying, it is the hard, cold fact of the world of motion pictures. HOUSE was over and Tracy and I were in our little Eagle Rock, one-bedroom apartment. James Cummins was busy writing a script for a Horror anthology film he hoped to direct. He tapped Steve Burg and I for some art work to try and sell the project. Steve did three paintings, I did one design and sculpted a diorama for James. One of the stories dealt with jack-o-lanterns that came to life and decided to do a little carving themselves. James said that the shot of the pumpkin, coming to life and becoming the carriage in the Disney film CINDERELLA had been his inspiration.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdwkNB_up7c0deJCWp7jV3QjWEAZKuCbiE19ZS64Y8Mqd-Ob3MrnVCYMJTMX1IOhcV1CK15kXqk8bfgSeAxRNO6v7xW9VntwEFcm3L-w7Ua7gbT7SdoidoAXod_7n0hWnpLA5a1yYm1I/s1600/CumminsPumpkin01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdwkNB_up7c0deJCWp7jV3QjWEAZKuCbiE19ZS64Y8Mqd-Ob3MrnVCYMJTMX1IOhcV1CK15kXqk8bfgSeAxRNO6v7xW9VntwEFcm3L-w7Ua7gbT7SdoidoAXod_7n0hWnpLA5a1yYm1I/s320/CumminsPumpkin01.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sculpted this knive-wielding jack-o-lantern for James.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0uGDPmdZoT5uEj1E5vYI9PR-VUSKGKrUWOiGfnM6K0aX9hykHvg1CSKlnPN_RsjTsFD6dEoEgYkKeAlXdJlax4iGxS1jyjzKANuUkTpn2yEDjiii4D0tgC4gbx5zxlPy6KO6onRmCCo/s1600/CumminsPumpkin03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0uGDPmdZoT5uEj1E5vYI9PR-VUSKGKrUWOiGfnM6K0aX9hykHvg1CSKlnPN_RsjTsFD6dEoEgYkKeAlXdJlax4iGxS1jyjzKANuUkTpn2yEDjiii4D0tgC4gbx5zxlPy6KO6onRmCCo/s320/CumminsPumpkin03.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photoshop wouldn't exist for YEARS! Everything was done in camera!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I recall that screenwriter, Ethan Wiley, had spoken to Steve Burg about producing some paintings for a project entitled A STRANGER IN LEADVILLE. I did a few concept sketches for that as well. I would tell you the plot, but it is too cool to just spill it out here. I still have hopes that one day this project will come to fruition.<br />
<br />
These projects, along with my own sculpting, were keeping me busy but they weren't paying bills. However, that changed with a call from my friend, Mike Spatola, who had been the primary painter on HOUSE. Mike had worked previously at MAKE UP EFFECTS LAB (M.E.L.) for Alan Apone and Doug White. The studio was doing some work on the new remake of INVADERS FROM MARS and Mike asked if I was interested in working there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqWrRC98jd3XuWV75MldjaKaYPDDQ9-K80NzjlSKmIDCSbLEWA306oCMw1JBdjQ3r1OldgcAUf0igU-8d1kSLGvLFNYLA5so6NiOOcttwhdhqhq9b0HLb_CeiTy8Z8ct7BnKL-gxVldI/s1600/ShannonDemon01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqWrRC98jd3XuWV75MldjaKaYPDDQ9-K80NzjlSKmIDCSbLEWA306oCMw1JBdjQ3r1OldgcAUf0igU-8d1kSLGvLFNYLA5so6NiOOcttwhdhqhq9b0HLb_CeiTy8Z8ct7BnKL-gxVldI/s320/ShannonDemon01.jpg" width="220px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another project that was not paying the bills: A Demon sculpture. He's holding a fragment of gravestone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> For the record, Tracy and I didn't own a car. She would catch a bus into Glendale to work and I would have to do the same to get to M.E.L. in the San Fernando Valley. Of course, I jumped at the chance.<br />
<br />
Mike introduced me to Alan Apone first. Alan was definitely a personality. He looked through my meager portfolio and then took us to lunch. My strongest recollection was Alan asking me who I had worked for and who I had worked with, only to tell me that he had, at one time or another, fired them from M.E.L. For instance, Alan would ask who was in the mold department on HOUSE and I would mention an individual and he would say: "Oh yeah, I know that guy, I fired him on METALSTORM." And it wasn't just one or two people; it was more like five or six people!<br />
<br />
You can imagine my surprise when I got hired. I met Alan's partner, Doug White, who was an affable fellow. My first job at M.E.L. was to prep some make ups and effects for NEON MANIACS which had a few days of reshoots scheduled. Doug had made a pneumatic severed arm that was supposed to twitch on the floor of I bus (as I recall). The core was rigid urethane that had been cut and jointed to move via pneumatic cylinders in the lower part of the arm; the skin was made of skinflex (a soft, flexible urethane that had been used to make Daryl Hannah's mermaid tail in SPLASH). My job was to drill out some broken plastic joints that were cemented into the finger core sections and replace them. I discovered later that the reason it was broken was that Doug had been testing his BB machine gun and had shot a fluorescent lighting fixture from the ceiling which had fallen and crashed onto the arm.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwlg1fw68khoqGAnc3ggfCxBdcrv6Qe9qLb_HEQT6g4XdQYGhE4ybm9RywstYfBmPZLpuV7vYz6lVEDgC88yfoaAsz-ByjeJZHaWRIiwqkWiZOzW9SZrMo5JPIUy2MBB6NuJ2k3XnR-A/s1600/NeonManicsPoster01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwlg1fw68khoqGAnc3ggfCxBdcrv6Qe9qLb_HEQT6g4XdQYGhE4ybm9RywstYfBmPZLpuV7vYz6lVEDgC88yfoaAsz-ByjeJZHaWRIiwqkWiZOzW9SZrMo5JPIUy2MBB6NuJ2k3XnR-A/s320/NeonManicsPoster01.jpg" width="177px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. Don't! Not even out of morbid curiosity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> M.E.L. was a working studio and I had heard of them by reputation. I, actually, liked their "Baal" make up for the film METAL STORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED SYN. It was kind of a cool, cyborgy thing, complete with a telescoping mechanical arm. It was YEARS ahead of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Borg" characters and at the time, was every bit as effective. I had also heard of NEON MANIACS, which I can only describe as a typical, low budget, colorful, 80's horror film. Mark Shostrom and make up effects artist, Rick Lazzarini, had bid on the film and lost to M.E.L. Lazzarini bragged to me later that upon hearing the news, he wrote the producers and chastised them, citing that he, Rick, was a literal genius since he was a member of M.E.N.S.A.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQIEdQ0KLHJJib4rdI6ZHIRgN3v0VFbq7uFuK0z2rD4qR9PhDomApPgQr7bWL44ob2YGvaHaz2EuJLUk-vMMAqIZVp4k2iJyXe6XrSCrO9mWy4gYYNVLRt_aXjj03EqibbMdIuHw7eOk/s1600/metalstorm-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQIEdQ0KLHJJib4rdI6ZHIRgN3v0VFbq7uFuK0z2rD4qR9PhDomApPgQr7bWL44ob2YGvaHaz2EuJLUk-vMMAqIZVp4k2iJyXe6XrSCrO9mWy4gYYNVLRt_aXjj03EqibbMdIuHw7eOk/s320/metalstorm-b.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought this BAAL make up and character were pretty cool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Nobody ever said that Hollywood was attracted to big brains, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
So, M.E.L., populated with artists like Mike Spatola, Bruce Zalavah, Larry Odien, etc. had produced a team of exotic killers, each with their own look and specialty, which became the NEON MANIACS. They were kind of like <i>THE VILLAGE PEOPLE</i> of slasher characters. I recall walking through the shop and discovering a dense, bubbly foam latex appliance sitting on top of a heap of trash in a garbage can. I picked it up, and examined it then asked Doug if it was a reject piece. His eyes bugged out of his head and he snatched it out of my hand saying that not only was it an acceptable run, it was to be used on set to do the make up. What?! I had never seen a foam-latex appliance taken out of a garbage can then glued onto an actor's face two days later!<br />
<br />
And I should say that it was glued down, patched with "cab-o-patch" (which is Pros-Aide medical adhesive, thickened with cab-o-sil to a paste consistency) and colored with Rubber Mask Greasepaint and put in front of the cameras. No one would ever know the difference. Truly, how many of you actually went to the theater and sat through NEON MANIACS? That might be a trick question; I'm not sure if it was theatrically released or not. By the time I saw it on cable TV, it really didn't matter one way or the other.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA44hs1F4IkiivixFwI2Q2wwBruYroH-baUy2ZX-c650lITyvp1VSCgtT8OCdYxVhgw2QEi_yBzB_N7tQDdUOIsrKU6TbJaZ_DV78yUddrZE0-ZrlpD22sxf46WI5Y83fKGGevdMChJY/s1600/NeonManiacs02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA44hs1F4IkiivixFwI2Q2wwBruYroH-baUy2ZX-c650lITyvp1VSCgtT8OCdYxVhgw2QEi_yBzB_N7tQDdUOIsrKU6TbJaZ_DV78yUddrZE0-ZrlpD22sxf46WI5Y83fKGGevdMChJY/s1600/NeonManiacs02.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was one of these appliances for "SLASHER" that was in the garbage can.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> One of the Neon Maniacs was "Decapitator" who was a headless figure, sporting two lethal blades for arms. Since no one was around to fill the costume, I got to put it on for an insert of Decapitator slashing out toward the camera. I don't recall if I could point that shot out if I had the film in front of me.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI553SNnTRt2CiEswRJRhEtaWK02ocQ1rmXYmb_EQUBLw_AtAfB2wGybYRn2KcR-a9rZVOZjqcs6SG6LpXw6zSxOWeE-lQlJMU623cVsql5i0phzKH_0S0LS4Jp-dAB2ZY1M1UgdI9u4/s1600/NeonManiacs03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI553SNnTRt2CiEswRJRhEtaWK02ocQ1rmXYmb_EQUBLw_AtAfB2wGybYRn2KcR-a9rZVOZjqcs6SG6LpXw6zSxOWeE-lQlJMU623cVsql5i0phzKH_0S0LS4Jp-dAB2ZY1M1UgdI9u4/s320/NeonManiacs03.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously...not even out of "I'm-so-high-and-I-would-laugh-at-anything" curiosity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> For a scene where one of the maniacs is dissolved, Alan had the idea of pressing cotton candy onto a plastic skeleton and then hitting it with water. There was no budget to make our own custom colored cotton candy, so big cases of brightly colored pink and blue cotton candy were purchased and taken to set. Alan referred to it as "spun glucose" (see? he wasn't an official MENSA member as far as I knew, but he knew what spun glucose was!). When it came time to prepare the skeleton with it's melting flesh, Alan, in front of the production crew, asked me to get the "spun glucose." Of course I, being an asshole, answered back, "You mean the cotton candy?" "No," he snapped, "I mean the SPUN GLUCOSE!" It was amusing watching everyone try to hide the fluorescent blue and pink "spun glucose" with colored powders. No liquid could be used for painting the surface, obviously. I don't even remember if the effect worked or was even in the film.<br />
<br />
Spun glucose.<br />
<br />
My involvement on the INVADERS FROM MARS remake consisted of me carving skin detail into plaster casts of two actors who would be revealing their Martian neck probes in the film. I don't know why this tickles me, but of the people that I met and worked with at that time, I was introduced to a young man, sporting an "effects mullet" (we all had them at one point or another) who was sculpting miniature antlers. I think it had something to do with another low budget slasher film M.E.L. was doing called BOARDING SCHOOL, but I can't be sure. His name was Mike Smithson, and judging by the work he had in his portfolio as well as his graphic design sense (he had a fantastic business card), he didn't belong at M.E.L. He was destined for (an has accomplished) better things!<br />
<br />
I'm sure this blog entry sounds like I'm biting the hand that fed me, but first of all, this was 1985 - this is all ancient history, second, I was just a punk lab technician who was still cutting his teeth, and third, yes, I'm biting the hand that fed me. M.E.L. was LESS serious than Mark Shostrom's studio and Mark didn't have the facility that M.E.L. had. Mark didn't have a Periodic Chart and High School Chemistry books in HIS foam room for chrissakes! (There's a subtle joke in there for you...) Once, when I was grinding some plastic at M.E.L., a shard flew up into my eye (no, I wasn't wearing eye protection). I ran into the bathroom looking for eye wash and I opened the medicine cabinet to find...no first aid, no personal hygiene products, no glass shelves, in fact. No. What there was, instead, was a magazine photograph of a woman masturbating.<br />
<br />
So what finally drove me from this circus? A rock video.<br />
<br />
On a Thursday, Alan came to me and gave me these instructions: Pour up two latex feet from the Burman's PRIMAL MAN project (M.E.L. had purchased the molds at a Burman garage sale). Pour up one latex glove from the M.E.L. gorilla suit that was used in a film entitled TOBY'S GORILLA. Paint them brown and glue some 4-way stretch fur fabric material to make insert werewolf feet and one hand. That's all they need for the shoot.<br />
<br />
Pour up two neanderthal feet and one gorilla hand and turn them into werewolf appendages. Fine. Why not? And that's just what I did.<br />
<br />
The next day Alan was golfing and Doug was running the studio on his own. I was furiously fabricating werewolf nails for the feet and the gloves when the producer's came in to see the progress. Doug, freaking, took the feet (which were finished) and brought them to the client to discuss them while I finished the glove. And then....nothing happened. Time started going by and I began to get nervous. What the heck was happening. More time went by and I was now really fixing up this werewolf glove by trimming the hair and refining the paint job.<br />
<br />
BOOM! Doug rushes into the room belly-aching! "He's done it to me, AGAIN!" He cried. He was referring to his partner, Alan. It turned out that this video production did not want a pair of werewolf feet and a werewolf glove. Oh no. They wanted to do a transformation sequence where a man turns into a vampire so they wanted stretching feet and stretching fingers like...wait for it...AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Instead they got a gorilla hand and two cavemen feet with claws and brown hair.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, they were not pleased. I had had enough. I thanked Doug and left the studio. I have no idea if or how they managed to make change-o limbs for the rock video, but stranger things have happened in this industry; so I sure something made it in front of camera.<br />
<br />
Stranger things WERE happening. I had received a call from Bill Sturgeon. Stan Winston studios were looking for people to work on the sequel to ALIEN and he had given them my name. I had an appointment to meet Stan the next day.<br />
<br />
It was based, solely, on who I knew.<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-28929362422982394652011-06-18T18:13:00.000-07:002013-03-12T17:41:10.487-07:00Part 30: Making a HOUSE callWhile the Golden Mall operation closed down and moved to James Cummin's back yard, I was, thankfully, going to set with a few of the effects. I had missed out on puppeteering Jim Belohovek's winged skull creature. I recall that Jim and Barney Burman went to set with that along with a couple of other folks. (Sorry, it's a bit fuzzy). I was also absent from witnessing Peter Pitofsky's performance as the witch on set. I was lucky enough to be there when she got her head decapitated by the hedge trimmers though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Co_1JHDOWaNP6LmQRitz7DG3PAVxdSmIEeRYs6BITaW-s8c8YNQwo42l_uJHYLu4QzENjMJkurcehmKQgdX7-PynBjUDlHImuyjjDkx7djYf1I1J7Wt_u_1cts-sEQARS9gKcODDALo/s1600/ShannonWWitch01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Co_1JHDOWaNP6LmQRitz7DG3PAVxdSmIEeRYs6BITaW-s8c8YNQwo42l_uJHYLu4QzENjMJkurcehmKQgdX7-PynBjUDlHImuyjjDkx7djYf1I1J7Wt_u_1cts-sEQARS9gKcODDALo/s320/ShannonWWitch01.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta make sure that glove isnt' going to fall off...Why do I think that Barney Burman is in the suit?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQ0TEZ37LEXwBuze7ugLOuhiLGWNJJPUvho42HOQslglcap7oHaGMxNTfezWhVKwRpZ5hjBu00-M0EnnvC07CCWP4hO-wr1R_dOqjs7z_oGKKPUeKa4Xdvs45aHYyGWjdQ9d52tbfPkM/s1600/JimandWingedDemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQ0TEZ37LEXwBuze7ugLOuhiLGWNJJPUvho42HOQslglcap7oHaGMxNTfezWhVKwRpZ5hjBu00-M0EnnvC07CCWP4hO-wr1R_dOqjs7z_oGKKPUeKa4Xdvs45aHYyGWjdQ9d52tbfPkM/s320/JimandWingedDemon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Belohovek shows off his jaw mechanism he would install in the Winged Demon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx-AD9h5TjjoqBysifajCmmIwAGmCBOKFOhB1oDE2x6IOusPk28P_fhWI2IB19ePpEcPNyTLhMhz1brUmU6wdenm2dnsRVrMZe8W9yA3QMuM6QT5-oazzQokuPkRs0jAPK7DUC95Hygo/s1600/WingedDemonMechanics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx-AD9h5TjjoqBysifajCmmIwAGmCBOKFOhB1oDE2x6IOusPk28P_fhWI2IB19ePpEcPNyTLhMhz1brUmU6wdenm2dnsRVrMZe8W9yA3QMuM6QT5-oazzQokuPkRs0jAPK7DUC95Hygo/s320/WingedDemonMechanics.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a shot of Jim's assembled mechanical puppet waiting for fabricated wings and a cool paint job.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKV68V2HLdm1le2NMozSDYQBXZGO2UtVIbPCh2-kTLZIZpLlEuZLmpP_sNoJ103nZG09DOq8CxZcGqnFDShMpsN5UG4X4JaxkOM3mJumCqL3ieVIsiUl3rWwPssi9PQsfygAbynXnomU/s1600/WingedDemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKV68V2HLdm1le2NMozSDYQBXZGO2UtVIbPCh2-kTLZIZpLlEuZLmpP_sNoJ103nZG09DOq8CxZcGqnFDShMpsN5UG4X4JaxkOM3mJumCqL3ieVIsiUl3rWwPssi9PQsfygAbynXnomU/s320/WingedDemon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was walking around set, turned a corner and ran right into the finished puppet! I think Howie Weed sculpted this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Larry Odien had created a electronic remote control dismembered witch and with moving fingers that had been shot on an exterior location. It was even fit with a "bite plate" for William Katt's mouth so that it could appear to be holding onto Roger Cobb's face.<br />
<br />
HOUSE was written by Ethan Wiley from a story by Fred Dekker. I remember meeting Ethan at the studio (sorry, Fred - don't remember if you ever stopped by) and was struck by his enthusiasm for what James and his crew were accomplishing. Director, Steve Miner, who was a long-time collaborator with producer Sean Cunningham, found himself a long way from Camp Crystal Lake and Jason Vorhees. HOUSE was a horror-comedy much more in the vein of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF or the later EVIL DEAD 2. Walking the line between scares and laughs would be a challenging undertaking, but he was surrounded by actors who were no strangers to comedy, Richard Moll (Big Ben), and George Wendt (Harold Gorton).<br />
<br />
I couldn't guarantee it, but I recall that the interior of the House was built at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood and it was my first time on a real, honest-to-goodness studio set. I had been on locations before and had been for years. My father took my siblings and I to Hannibal, Missouri to visit the set of TOM SAWYER in the '70's and not only did we meet Johnny Whitaker (SIGMUND AND THE SEA MONSTERS), and Jeff East (SUPERMAN and PUMPKINHEAD), but we also met Jodie Foster, Warren Oats and PLANET OF THE APES producer, Arthur P. Jacobs! I should have posted about that experience....darn! However, I digressed...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7x_QH4x5e0uqKnTCVwutJTTCZ022Wy_bBZIFcMpJTxJz7UyRh3z0Tt7BPyc1jZbZGFLuAxIBVmmAORD9o7n0U5jQwv_fHSn_gsBuQktxO7oR2rDQWzO8TUFvkqEX5_8LBu56-19nM4og/s1600/TracyandShannononSet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7x_QH4x5e0uqKnTCVwutJTTCZ022Wy_bBZIFcMpJTxJz7UyRh3z0Tt7BPyc1jZbZGFLuAxIBVmmAORD9o7n0U5jQwv_fHSn_gsBuQktxO7oR2rDQWzO8TUFvkqEX5_8LBu56-19nM4og/s320/TracyandShannononSet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy and I on set.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFhoSnwYl0knPwLn23RIDUlnXljZJBQkjN2GNOZ69j08hXsh6yCeuI6E6hbGPxbA7V4BJueQt-pM6SJfP9wiKPKDT79fKQraf1V-T3u_dz2bQq7HmE58-j-UoogLwYsT5xqP6Onm9Vw0/s1600/BathroomSet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFhoSnwYl0knPwLn23RIDUlnXljZJBQkjN2GNOZ69j08hXsh6yCeuI6E6hbGPxbA7V4BJueQt-pM6SJfP9wiKPKDT79fKQraf1V-T3u_dz2bQq7HmE58-j-UoogLwYsT5xqP6Onm9Vw0/s320/BathroomSet01.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bathroom set complete with medicine cabinet - the gateway to an alternate universe!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYaRueSC6ppOteNBjhxfibdTdxKNfCksqi_sY1W3LM-ShF-azbHRPIkoQd8yXekR077Rz48oT2h_700RwZOYhemeOEtv2XzGmTQfBDfGmrWVc7mlguqkTRNzL4nyopfBUALggBhOuZsM/s1600/FoyerSet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYaRueSC6ppOteNBjhxfibdTdxKNfCksqi_sY1W3LM-ShF-azbHRPIkoQd8yXekR077Rz48oT2h_700RwZOYhemeOEtv2XzGmTQfBDfGmrWVc7mlguqkTRNzL4nyopfBUALggBhOuZsM/s320/FoyerSet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how HUGE this set was. Here is the main foyer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0A5tz5-DwFsdlyzutRMyXa6NaHclBGyTT-DOcF4S0Ml8V6gm2TKdUz5GWRELGWncxTcc0d84V14V1d7g9MR_xy4Ikw4flq2C1pITJyVbDZqPA5h1B985qjkXYXJZkq68qppuStbQBNRI/s1600/WarDemonRoomSet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0A5tz5-DwFsdlyzutRMyXa6NaHclBGyTT-DOcF4S0Ml8V6gm2TKdUz5GWRELGWncxTcc0d84V14V1d7g9MR_xy4Ikw4flq2C1pITJyVbDZqPA5h1B985qjkXYXJZkq68qppuStbQBNRI/s320/WarDemonRoomSet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The War Demon Room. Note the Richard Hescox painting of the Marlin speared through a man's chest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQCModfJMC6qhaLJnLaeug7Z41L1kr16vii0CEPnvjEMNNS5Ub_TfFyV-1rEkx4c95BZXy7oWy1vXIg3PO4yEeBEZmSaUmG7iKuTzvW9xXBoIlxQKucFFSAO9y1Plu6oze-MS5kqYWWM/s1600/BrentBakeronSet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQCModfJMC6qhaLJnLaeug7Z41L1kr16vii0CEPnvjEMNNS5Ub_TfFyV-1rEkx4c95BZXy7oWy1vXIg3PO4yEeBEZmSaUmG7iKuTzvW9xXBoIlxQKucFFSAO9y1Plu6oze-MS5kqYWWM/s320/BrentBakeronSet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mold maker extrodinaire, Brent Baker on the set!</td></tr>
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For the better part of a week, we were on set working on effects that happened in specific locations of the House. It's funny because as strong as my recollections are of helping get the Demonic Child puppet up stairs, and wrangling all of the cable controls into the room where it would be peering from, I don't think I was around when the little people were suited up for their roles wearing our masks (I know Howie Weed sculpted the big kid mask, I honestly don't recall who sculpted the little girl...help me out in the comment section, somebody).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNjCFB5WGcjyKFt6QminS1_y3hBgObE-ueZsDY-LC3SjJ6ceLAEqpHMXcFUYhQeQQQz9hV9fCC596hZQm6LN_hlgOfJngzFDxjNKeEWUC7s-S7UEfSFbIKe2YTUdUiRbkVDC8u1NJnuk/s1600/HowieKidPuppet02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNjCFB5WGcjyKFt6QminS1_y3hBgObE-ueZsDY-LC3SjJ6ceLAEqpHMXcFUYhQeQQQz9hV9fCC596hZQm6LN_hlgOfJngzFDxjNKeEWUC7s-S7UEfSFbIKe2YTUdUiRbkVDC8u1NJnuk/s320/HowieKidPuppet02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who is that holding the Demonic Kid puppet????</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMt3I-UR6aQEATmy0j-2xnWYGUXzKojQNjidfQiciEKrK5nZFRNw4p0wI3A-hNUSMYBM4Ln89CmmmBAScwaeU_6HxDGJ_XEgXa1SFiRQwxV-71jTpiJfmlGDEySwq_7-V_QHP7POO0mY/s1600/HowieKidPuppet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMt3I-UR6aQEATmy0j-2xnWYGUXzKojQNjidfQiciEKrK5nZFRNw4p0wI3A-hNUSMYBM4Ln89CmmmBAScwaeU_6HxDGJ_XEgXa1SFiRQwxV-71jTpiJfmlGDEySwq_7-V_QHP7POO0mY/s320/HowieKidPuppet01.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's Howie Weed!</td></tr>
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We crowded behind the medicine cabinet, all wearing our monster gloves to attack William Katt. For expedience sake, the tentacle was just latex and polyfoam and shot in reverse so that it appeared to strike out and wrap around Roger Cobb's arm.<br />
<br />
For the scene where Roger dumps the dismembered witch's hand into the toilet and flushes it down, I was wearing the witch glove. Physical Effects man, Taslsio Bauer, taped plastic bag material in a loose cone around my shoulder. On action, I spun around (on a saw horse!) and with water dumping down the toilet, pulled my hand down the pipe. Voila! My on-screen debut! <br />
<br />
To shoot the scenes where Roger falls through the darkness and lands in a nondescript body of water, we shot in a pool (at a High School? YMCA? - it was on location for sure). The grips draped large sheets of black duvetine (which is heavy black fabric used to block light) into the pool until it became a giant watery void. James puppeteered Richard Snell's spitting puppet to rise up with Katt, and I fired a Hudson Sprayer to spit in William Katt's face. James said that swimming in the blackened pool was a very weird, disorienting experience.<br />
<br />
Big Ben was a big responsibility and presence on set. Curt Wilmont, who played the skeletal character would require being suited up in a specially constructed pair of pants that were a combination of foam latex rotted legs, concealed within tattered army fatigue pants. He would then pull the rib cage, that was constructed of latex reinforced with cheesecloth and nylon tubing over his head. A pair of foam latex gloves were pulled on, and a foam latex neck would be pulled over his head and tucked in around his collarbone. When they were ready for Ben to make his appearance on set, a milky contact lens made by Richard Snell would be inserted into Curt's right eye, and then the mask would be put on and blended around that eye (since the other eye was sculpted to be dead and staring - Curt could only see out of his right eye).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwXx3sjlfRH-M6He9YRI86A4jw1gOdAjU7Mivcqsi9q5aj6ewGlUCIXAiKQH-wYfizZilsuUJnVmzQon0MKAyrgsVDSjnJZH6Vgt0f-rkJnnpvdnhyjtwZoC4T8kRvWydD3FLqypQqnU/s1600/BenShanJames01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwXx3sjlfRH-M6He9YRI86A4jw1gOdAjU7Mivcqsi9q5aj6ewGlUCIXAiKQH-wYfizZilsuUJnVmzQon0MKAyrgsVDSjnJZH6Vgt0f-rkJnnpvdnhyjtwZoC4T8kRvWydD3FLqypQqnU/s320/BenShanJames01.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James supervises as I do a quick touch up on Big Ben.</td></tr>
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Generally, when you are shooting a low budget movie, the schedule is crucial (time = money, right?) so the company was shooting and moving as quickly as humanly possible. Not to use ANOTHER cliche so soon, but haste makes waste. For the scene where Big Ben shoots through a door and then punches a hole in it to grab for Roger, the door was outfitted with explosive squibs to simulate the bullet hits. The film crew was on one side of the door with William Katt waiting for the bullets and the punch. On the other side of the door was the FX team and Curt, dressed as Big Ben waiting for his cue to punch through it. Gordon Boos, the first assistant director, counted down, "3...2...1...GO!" BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Not a single bullet hole appeared in the wood. The door had been squibbed on the wrong side!<br />
<br />
The War Demon was an ambitious animal for any motion picture. It required just about every one of us on the crew to bring it to set and operate it. Members of the crew who had not been on set, worked an all-nighter to complete the creature, so that by the time it was unloaded from the truck, and put into position, Bill Sturgeon was thrashed. The War Demon's frame was connected to a dolly that rode on tracks and required a few people to push it forward so it could emerge from the closet. The arms were puppeteered separately by crew members either holding the physical arm to strike out, or operating the cable controls for the fingers. And, of course, the head features were, also cable controlled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAF-mjDC2UKk4ZHiPo6ggcYk9dOe6j8nGCizkusp36Zg9iIJxYvk-2j3K2xRUjqqDsDkpjqHCCb6kZxdhBkzp0VcYwwIisE7Bvj5f9BY6AkGUXrQ25-OYyR2BFl6ruXHnYisu1HRJ1YA/s1600/BillFixesWarDemon01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAF-mjDC2UKk4ZHiPo6ggcYk9dOe6j8nGCizkusp36Zg9iIJxYvk-2j3K2xRUjqqDsDkpjqHCCb6kZxdhBkzp0VcYwwIisE7Bvj5f9BY6AkGUXrQ25-OYyR2BFl6ruXHnYisu1HRJ1YA/s320/BillFixesWarDemon01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brent Baker (left) and Bill Sturgeon prepare the War Demon puppet on set.</td></tr>
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The timing was imperative, so as the cameras would roll, we had worked it out so that as Gordon would count down, we would push on a specific number so that when William Katt opened the door, the war demon would already be in motion. We spent the better part of two days shooting the two different scenes where the monster made his appearance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVf8JNo43sLcCaMHqHVxxApNPFZktjt88LvhtKf2BKg6j4OdfhxguT6dj1zdPEWhRRb7W03sXVLpfE2HbpLIiXXiQlsSVitLQEXgKH28mW6n0PEbNeKaIm63U-DI0tJRfiOqbH9mBNb8/s1600/WarDemonRoger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVf8JNo43sLcCaMHqHVxxApNPFZktjt88LvhtKf2BKg6j4OdfhxguT6dj1zdPEWhRRb7W03sXVLpfE2HbpLIiXXiQlsSVitLQEXgKH28mW6n0PEbNeKaIm63U-DI0tJRfiOqbH9mBNb8/s320/WarDemonRoger.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Katt faces off with the War Demon! (thanks for the photo Brent!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJRERHK5aqx2AMbFe1c7oEOHbcwnpvhVryJy8YUvw83HF3-1R56NPIXH0RRYJH3GILWt-g0STb_Xcs3co4PufVYanl9nbk71PL765oS2III4HjazNcl6tfWK4iDEgC5jDpPnMzVPvVHg/s1600/WarDemon02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJRERHK5aqx2AMbFe1c7oEOHbcwnpvhVryJy8YUvw83HF3-1R56NPIXH0RRYJH3GILWt-g0STb_Xcs3co4PufVYanl9nbk71PL765oS2III4HjazNcl6tfWK4iDEgC5jDpPnMzVPvVHg/s320/WarDemon02.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monster Stew coming at YOU!</td></tr>
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The last shots we had to shoot were with Big Ben - One was the shot where Roger shoves a live grenade into Ben's ribs and explodes. For this a dummy was built using a rigid body foam of Curt Wimot that was cut and positioned to match the pose that Curt was in prior to his demolition. Latex casts of the gloves, legs, ribs, and head were made and glued onto the form and painted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdHgcyE_3F6K7N5Ld-k1GIfysZRjMyhB_fiNQmOKazkJa7N8YYeEL_MllF5gIk9ynR95NfQzkmKK70Z7lOZuKqJQlXuii40P280bZ7XFM9nbbgWw300ksiojdesJ731_y-SGRYLA9wFk/s1600/BarneyandBen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdHgcyE_3F6K7N5Ld-k1GIfysZRjMyhB_fiNQmOKazkJa7N8YYeEL_MllF5gIk9ynR95NfQzkmKK70Z7lOZuKqJQlXuii40P280bZ7XFM9nbbgWw300ksiojdesJ731_y-SGRYLA9wFk/s320/BarneyandBen.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barney Burman assembles the exploding Big Ben puppet...or else he's performing a pelvic exam.</td></tr>
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For the explosion, pyrotechnical expert, Joe Viskocil (of STAR WARS!) was on set to rig the body to explode on cue. Hollowed sections of the body were filled with black fuller's earth and cork to simulate dry rotted flesh and bones blowing apart. I'll admit that being in the presence of a geek god was too much. I never got the nerve to approach Joe and tell him what a huge fan I was (am).<br />
<br />
The very last shot involved another legendary effects company, Dreamquest. It was for the shot looking up at Roger hanging on the edge of the house as Big Ben was stepping on his hands to push him into the alternate reality. Accomplishing this one shot took all day to rig and shoot. An elevated section of the exterior of the house was constructed in front of a blue screen (that took most of the day to light in those days). Proper reference photos and careful recording of lens, exposure and camera angles all were taken prior to rolling cameras. Curt was still in his Ben suit, but William Katt was not wearing the harness and rig to support him from the edge of the house; a stuntman wearing a wig and matching costume stepped in for this.<br />
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A conventional matte painting would be done to render the rest of the house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1VeHK31EVmt4k2g8msLDRpTFONwgghOTd-CE8K7YAqoAoRVNwsu3tTaB1fOTNOdm1q3yCJNZE1MOMK1C4MtMn7WQJUIEkbe8ciTSCymN3oJ3GSxODQ28YvzcqUWHBhnGY6IPuZQNPuI/s1600/RogersBooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1VeHK31EVmt4k2g8msLDRpTFONwgghOTd-CE8K7YAqoAoRVNwsu3tTaB1fOTNOdm1q3yCJNZE1MOMK1C4MtMn7WQJUIEkbe8ciTSCymN3oJ3GSxODQ28YvzcqUWHBhnGY6IPuZQNPuI/s320/RogersBooks.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, nerd that I am, I still own my prop copies of Roger Cobb's books!</td></tr>
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Three quarters into the building and shooting of HOUSE, Tracy and I moved into our first apartment in Eagle Rock, California. When the show wrapped, all of us went our different directions. James and Rick wanted to take some time off for a while and I think Mark Shostrom was working on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 and was already crewed up. Tracy, keeping consistent with her lack of interest in pursuing a career in Motion Pictures, got a job at Carl Fischer music store in Glendale. As for me, I had to find another job in Make Up Effects. Somewhere. <br />
<br />
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112398221363301014.post-59427125410685513172011-06-15T15:17:00.000-07:002013-03-12T17:38:04.495-07:00Part 29: HOUSE guestsShortly after ringing in the new year 1985, I received a phone call from James Cummins. I had returned to New Orleans the prior November after finishing up on THE SUPERNATURALS. Mark Shostrom had been contacted by the production company to do a few pick up shots, but, understandably, couldn't afford to have me fly out again for a few days work. However, James had big news: He was going to supervise the construction of the Make Up Effects for a new film entitled HOUSE. Not only that, but he was offering me work, if I wanted it.<br />
<br />
James was back in Los Angeles after spending a lot of time working for Chris Walas on ENEMY MINE up in Marin County, California. Upon his return, he moved into a house with a roommate named Rick Brophy who was acting as James' manager. The idea was that when James eventually directing movies, Rick would be his producer, protecting James' interests. So James made the offer. Come to Los Angeles and work on this new project. He wasn't 100% sure when it was going to start, but he felt that February would be a safe time to come to Los Angeles in preparation for the show.<br />
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I explained to James that it was going to be tough for me to come out there with no place to stay, but James insisted that he had enough room for me to crash with he and Rick. There. It was settled.<br />
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When I mentioned this to Tracy, she had another take on the situation. She wasn't going to let me leave for California a fourth time alone. She was coming with me. I resisted. I knew I didn't have a lot of money saved, and neither did she since she was paying for her own college tuition. Then something unexpected happened. James Cummins spoke with her, and offered her a job and a place to stay at his house. It had nothing to do with me. A job and a sofa bed were waiting for her if she was interested. It looked like the population of James and Rick's house would double in a few weeks.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_TOTF4dSkzNNOSaYDxTtPA8RKc4NkBUC1ND2HWWeZFjasiFclbZTVPxtHsQCevBXMq06NfZaFh8oU32qwIXSbPbAkgReXaaALDrU65A3fhxN6a7mVjMWm_LFjNoqDdPxXR-f7vFz5Ig/s1600/house-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_TOTF4dSkzNNOSaYDxTtPA8RKc4NkBUC1ND2HWWeZFjasiFclbZTVPxtHsQCevBXMq06NfZaFh8oU32qwIXSbPbAkgReXaaALDrU65A3fhxN6a7mVjMWm_LFjNoqDdPxXR-f7vFz5Ig/s320/house-original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ding, dong...company's coming!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like any show, there were stalls at first. Tracy and I packed suitcases and left Louisiana to the chagrin of her parents. They wouldn't speak to us for over a year, but it didn't matter because we had struck out on our own to begin a crazy new adventure together.<br />
<br />
We lived with James and Rick for a few weeks before the show started. During that time, we began to meet people that had either worked for James before, like Bill Sturgeon, or sat in during interviews of new prospective artists like Larry Odien. It was thrilling to watch a varied group of artists and technicians come together from different studios like Rick Baker's, Tom Burman's, Make Up Effects Lab, Chris Walas, and Stan Winston's. It was going to be an INSANE crew. Next up we needed a place to work.<br />
<br />
James and Rick found an old office unit, on the second floor of a building in Burbank's "Golden Mall." No one on our crew cared much about its appearance since we knew that it was going to be used as a manufacturing center. And come to think of it, I wonder if the folks downstairs running the antique book shop must have thought that all of the commotion and noise upstairs was a crew doing improvements. How ironic.<br />
<br />
The Golden Mall was an outdoor strip of storefronts along San Fernando Blvd. before the big Burbank image-improvement that occurred a few years later. No, this Golden Mall appeared to be a location populated by individuals that would have been comfortable either in a George Romero or Frederico Fellini film.<br />
<br />
<i>I'm going to attempt a crew list here as clear as I can remember it, if I leave your name out, PLEASE publish a comment and chastise me.</i><br />
<br />
When the crew was assembled for the show, it was this (in no particular order):<br />
<br />
James Cummins, Rick Brophy, Eric Fiedler, Larry Odien, Brian Wade, Earl Ellis, Bill Sturgeon, Howie Weed, Brent Baker, Lauren Vogt, Mike Spatola, Tony (Anton) Rupprecht, Tracy Shea, Steve Burg, Richard Snell, Cary Howe, Dirk Von Besser, Barney Burman, James Belohovek, Steve Frakes, and myself.<br />
<br />
There was another artist who had done some preliminary designs for the show, Kirk Thatcher, whom I had met briefly during the pre-production. A talented artist, I recall him stopping by the shop to check out the creatures as well as on set during shooting. However, we would work together again a year or so later...<br />
<br />
Like any show being run by someone without a permanent shop, the first order of business was to actually BUILD the shop. We all chipped in and built work tables designed by Larry Odien and Eric Fiedler and within a week, you would have thought we had been there for months.<br />
<br />
James broke down the main creatures amongst the mechanics: Eric Fiedler would be responsible for the marlin trophy that comes to life, Larry Odien would handle the demonic child puppet mechanics, the severed witch arm, and war demon arms, Bill Sturgeon would handle Big Ben and the witch head mechanics, and Jim Belohovek would build the flying skull puppet.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg956k-X41AxEz7Lqsbj7xL_Rw2Z0bx7qnitJhB0GJ3ossJ0vUMoGn0Be69n9VvA6DoI2UCIVMJIKueuIsN5p9FF1Lom2XIOpJfZto9YWSYe9GUycKnT-kxwJDdnPpmG2NCetPv8NuUVSc/s1600/WarDemonHandMechanics01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg956k-X41AxEz7Lqsbj7xL_Rw2Z0bx7qnitJhB0GJ3ossJ0vUMoGn0Be69n9VvA6DoI2UCIVMJIKueuIsN5p9FF1Lom2XIOpJfZto9YWSYe9GUycKnT-kxwJDdnPpmG2NCetPv8NuUVSc/s320/WarDemonHandMechanics01.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">War Demon Arm Mechanics!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD31eWfDFSYE88pBQ-98Bmw8NkymOlg4XT3nlt0xTglZGEhUeBq1IfDYniygo5Ij5n5Dc0PoEH1e96A_VRcltzGZLRVcDxyG-oMSA_GEBI5_iGp91flVujgYX0y4kR5KmPT_y19TvVy0/s1600/WarDemonHands01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD31eWfDFSYE88pBQ-98Bmw8NkymOlg4XT3nlt0xTglZGEhUeBq1IfDYniygo5Ij5n5Dc0PoEH1e96A_VRcltzGZLRVcDxyG-oMSA_GEBI5_iGp91flVujgYX0y4kR5KmPT_y19TvVy0/s320/WarDemonHands01.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latex and Polyfoam War Demon Arms</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIJCGm2tU7xBFfG05_oyYUJ2aruDaCPohe2zyHvK3Xfv9Q8HYYxWLZum1F_o44F7GHhw268_crAI5RUERCH2XCueg5oUuIpxmb136xdF8-Voj6VhMxwbNRgWQvg2u54xd7nYg5jhZNlg/s1600/WarDemonArm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIJCGm2tU7xBFfG05_oyYUJ2aruDaCPohe2zyHvK3Xfv9Q8HYYxWLZum1F_o44F7GHhw268_crAI5RUERCH2XCueg5oUuIpxmb136xdF8-Voj6VhMxwbNRgWQvg2u54xd7nYg5jhZNlg/s320/WarDemonArm01.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A War Demon Arm hangs on Lauren Vogt's Foam Room door, awaiting seaming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL3T9P1jMEg2kxbHv-UW0MeSLFqNuEN-V38qsZsLOAZVVbd0iEYZOL5MLDINupFixE1U-WEx68JT1blAHB4PMVOlzduGU6dMFtYXRS89Onfm7PTOK8T9UbsxS_6HxdSM7vpzV32_JNsY/s1600/MarlinonWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL3T9P1jMEg2kxbHv-UW0MeSLFqNuEN-V38qsZsLOAZVVbd0iEYZOL5MLDINupFixE1U-WEx68JT1blAHB4PMVOlzduGU6dMFtYXRS89Onfm7PTOK8T9UbsxS_6HxdSM7vpzV32_JNsY/s320/MarlinonWall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Fiedler's Marlin after being shot - wish I had a before photo!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT35pJ4rQp7LW4NH3pS8C1Y_uLLo3zL97PdPzqQnDABk0ZNw6SdbTXypairD5cxZlUq61J1udhE5hwvPSuXw-ncRo94K1AbQV723zQ1GkS3psnC6FqISYhFvuWBB7VjijRlZ9wi9xtqDo/s1600/MarlinOnSet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT35pJ4rQp7LW4NH3pS8C1Y_uLLo3zL97PdPzqQnDABk0ZNw6SdbTXypairD5cxZlUq61J1udhE5hwvPSuXw-ncRo94K1AbQV723zQ1GkS3psnC6FqISYhFvuWBB7VjijRlZ9wi9xtqDo/s320/MarlinOnSet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's another shot of Eric Fiedler's Marlin on the "Hot Set" (Shot! Get it?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The sculpting duties broke down with Brian Wade, Larry Odien, Earl Ellis, and Eric Fiedler beginning since there were no actors yet. Brian began sculpting the war demon neck using Roma Clay presses of crew faces, Larry and Earl sculpted the war demon arms, and Eric began sculpting the marlin. The rest of us prepped for life casting.<br />
<br />
We cast three little people for the demonic children, a mime/performer named Peter Pitofsky, who would play the witch, and Curt Wilmot (my understanding was the Curt was director Steve Miner's tennis pro, but who knows for sure?) who would play the resurrected Big Ben.<br />
<br />
When we weren't prepping life casts, James let a group of us sculpt monster arm gloves for the scene where Roger Cobb, the protagonist played by actor William Katt, is grabbed when he opens the medicine cabinet. For this, James encouraged us to do whatever we wanted since the idea was that a collection of all different monsters were reaching through. I chose to sculpt a cartoony, six-fingered, Frankenstein-ish arm.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3F_XtzIF7HQoyD0pL91C7ip42kjz_jJRRUkAvKV9q4hagDjUya8sO9jMA13WOfAdZ1XkWjcjFbzr1q5Nf025Xg2LPfi7-mdsnNUlq6eh5Y0_k0Q5ohtrRvgwsa7_WfhgVOw4puG4k30/s1600/ShannonMonsterArm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3F_XtzIF7HQoyD0pL91C7ip42kjz_jJRRUkAvKV9q4hagDjUya8sO9jMA13WOfAdZ1XkWjcjFbzr1q5Nf025Xg2LPfi7-mdsnNUlq6eh5Y0_k0Q5ohtrRvgwsa7_WfhgVOw4puG4k30/s320/ShannonMonsterArm01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy models my monster glove.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tracy, who had no prior experience, was given the task of roughing out a tentacle sculpture which would be finished by other sculptors later. I recall her not enjoying the experience.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7gCHujGTKsN3ZJ3xgab4Xtg_FU5Iw9_JxKMTr_zBW7vDlMXTGMOH9gv6a7I9Lfdps3pu6HCqN4VhrD_MDKghhYzRE_21buwdP1EskBcrOJobYCzk80H-up3Lf-XoHzMGnF2cN5LrGwc/s1600/TracyAndTentacle01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7gCHujGTKsN3ZJ3xgab4Xtg_FU5Iw9_JxKMTr_zBW7vDlMXTGMOH9gv6a7I9Lfdps3pu6HCqN4VhrD_MDKghhYzRE_21buwdP1EskBcrOJobYCzk80H-up3Lf-XoHzMGnF2cN5LrGwc/s320/TracyAndTentacle01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy in tentacle hell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mFlrbar0odUZYlNE6mvqGqs18oNEbltmpvvMrax5WFLt9-ptSWNeJ4f_idnPFD_o5ju6oRXvpjAjGu-HhvrEc7iq_vrmSFF5MiHNji4ne3w4LkMznanWpM7qFZjP8rv9YgWMCGs4msw/s1600/TracyTentacle01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mFlrbar0odUZYlNE6mvqGqs18oNEbltmpvvMrax5WFLt9-ptSWNeJ4f_idnPFD_o5ju6oRXvpjAjGu-HhvrEc7iq_vrmSFF5MiHNji4ne3w4LkMznanWpM7qFZjP8rv9YgWMCGs4msw/s320/TracyTentacle01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tracy, you want a photo of the tentacle?" Tracy: "No." Well, here it is anyway...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, with life casts complete, the real sculpting began. Earl Elllis began the witch, James sculpted the war demon head, Larry Odien sculpted the demonic kid puppet (later, Richard Snell would sculpt the "water spitting" version of the same character), Brian sculpted Big Ben's chest, etc. A few of us, who had been sculpting the monster gloves, were asked to sculpt back ground demonic children masks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLpThKBx2DLjkN4L7fM7qM-cuODVUSjjUta8piCKGrHYvRj_xK6BhTP3dyY6mEogEPl146KBtmA4NzT_Q4r4BiW2FvCCBo9QIbTgT2Rl0ydAQDGq7SbYTQ0cKnOzJQ5WiVdZZwl5wJ8E/s1600/MechanicalWitchHead01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLpThKBx2DLjkN4L7fM7qM-cuODVUSjjUta8piCKGrHYvRj_xK6BhTP3dyY6mEogEPl146KBtmA4NzT_Q4r4BiW2FvCCBo9QIbTgT2Rl0ydAQDGq7SbYTQ0cKnOzJQ5WiVdZZwl5wJ8E/s320/MechanicalWitchHead01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mechanical Witch Mask sits next to a painted Big Ben skin.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWD-r4CDZ0dUrZ6CXm4HdjSy9eHAyI9PVtYMwwBvvNzcwyGjH20tmvJcWpTJ6bZPiVA_ls-LQFjjSltMC3O9SqkOHNJBV2WwELbnL5PisUXSy_q96Yvn5g2ZT3tMeuLuXuPQoB4wnRN0/s1600/LarrywDemonChildMechanics01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWD-r4CDZ0dUrZ6CXm4HdjSy9eHAyI9PVtYMwwBvvNzcwyGjH20tmvJcWpTJ6bZPiVA_ls-LQFjjSltMC3O9SqkOHNJBV2WwELbnL5PisUXSy_q96Yvn5g2ZT3tMeuLuXuPQoB4wnRN0/s320/LarrywDemonChildMechanics01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry Odien works on the Demonic Child mechanics.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlKBnpITVJ7YeVLZsIcE-xrzf5dM_F6DQ3eLoC3lu1l01yG2OBp1Z44MiJ0CRPqPmGS2b7anLBumG7MtKYHIE5m-3NImPzugBkl4KAf_dHQynMPD4MrUkJAWxX6kEWr-D301wgu0qLew/s1600/DemonChildPaintedSkin01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlKBnpITVJ7YeVLZsIcE-xrzf5dM_F6DQ3eLoC3lu1l01yG2OBp1Z44MiJ0CRPqPmGS2b7anLBumG7MtKYHIE5m-3NImPzugBkl4KAf_dHQynMPD4MrUkJAWxX6kEWr-D301wgu0qLew/s320/DemonChildPaintedSkin01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hero painted skin awaits glue down onto the mechanics. It was sculpted by James Cummins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTk_g1NsClgpw3f8kkTZCN7xiUFhxSci_nE1oCJk3aglWjfwQwjt4rVG6w_N4H0FKjPMsB-6a2gbqqjE3Oz33llKG9SrXldKf4bmQZfaiug7EjqPTh5-5NpQUy5pXoRr42Uhn9WlsYRA/s1600/LarrywDemonChildPuppet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTk_g1NsClgpw3f8kkTZCN7xiUFhxSci_nE1oCJk3aglWjfwQwjt4rVG6w_N4H0FKjPMsB-6a2gbqqjE3Oz33llKG9SrXldKf4bmQZfaiug7EjqPTh5-5NpQUy5pXoRr42Uhn9WlsYRA/s320/LarrywDemonChildPuppet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry finishing the puppet glue down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh787PrydIT5CYrXZzPnGZKJFxDieLcsyUqLF22K0a3wTnbbMN8qlKoVcIdSxzH-MNGJgEu-2yqAxx60_r93QIrEygLflqOXJTfdQB-YpjSatX2ChM60KqWSfnL13exEASpnpcF5FPZfXg/s1600/DemonChildPuppet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh787PrydIT5CYrXZzPnGZKJFxDieLcsyUqLF22K0a3wTnbbMN8qlKoVcIdSxzH-MNGJgEu-2yqAxx60_r93QIrEygLflqOXJTfdQB-YpjSatX2ChM60KqWSfnL13exEASpnpcF5FPZfXg/s320/DemonChildPuppet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An impressive, frightening puppet!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i2FTy5sDbNJZYJI8GlHT2pjhAXeY93c74Vd81IMWywXni57pgIg7pftz1vO7uAGs22ASsa9hR_D58RnyYhvN0oU-0VZC1I1LorPiwje972uHRSiV5t-vJMvpYBLgoJwKeTIijMhFnFE/s1600/ShannonKidSculpt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i2FTy5sDbNJZYJI8GlHT2pjhAXeY93c74Vd81IMWywXni57pgIg7pftz1vO7uAGs22ASsa9hR_D58RnyYhvN0oU-0VZC1I1LorPiwje972uHRSiV5t-vJMvpYBLgoJwKeTIijMhFnFE/s320/ShannonKidSculpt01.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was given the opportunity to sculpt one of the Demon Children background masks.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugQfwC95rsNdOE2yWQr-ZpLDUbIBBquWMIqOUNrGNBDyfK7N7e-M2CWiT5Jh32In5CCkv0IzW7XkqXT7wKzzC97mej0kR7ske50RVMJhcFjh_tZKTAWnrHM8zonaZhqtt5UYUY6Etbq0/s1600/ShannonsKid01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugQfwC95rsNdOE2yWQr-ZpLDUbIBBquWMIqOUNrGNBDyfK7N7e-M2CWiT5Jh32In5CCkv0IzW7XkqXT7wKzzC97mej0kR7ske50RVMJhcFjh_tZKTAWnrHM8zonaZhqtt5UYUY6Etbq0/s320/ShannonsKid01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A year later, I put new eyes in it. Check it out: It's wearing a Chris Walas ENEMY MINE crew shirt!</td></tr>
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There was so much more to do than just the main characters, however. A decapitated version of the witch needed to be fabricated along with a severed head, there was a mechanical severed witch hand, as well as a Big Ben severed arm. Eric Fiedler also had to make sure that they could squib his marlin to blow a huge hole in it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5_IAwxYyDYffuG-lHcD8AFtwrgwLajZTmJjenGiJAoye4XWP2V8aawMqQ_qrzzLfIuS_3rog-wX4QRf0LTxQR2wSCXpkIrLPzi6Cbmxb-ioWAMryN_q90S8BScoCYG0NMm4OY9JJnhY/s1600/Witchbodies01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5_IAwxYyDYffuG-lHcD8AFtwrgwLajZTmJjenGiJAoye4XWP2V8aawMqQ_qrzzLfIuS_3rog-wX4QRf0LTxQR2wSCXpkIrLPzi6Cbmxb-ioWAMryN_q90S8BScoCYG0NMm4OY9JJnhY/s320/Witchbodies01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The decapitated witch body sits next to the suit. Note Richard Snell's "Spitting Demon Child" puppet skin in front.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVSBynco0T6Fa8lTYm1X9zeV1IwSarM2BeJaFfyiqc1-Wzt5PJn8G3E5luHU0zKfIiAoC5VZFD4uic7URWjUkz7VVSkcRtlH1SxvCH9mSkj9RnfU6X30mUMnmnbKiCeFjVoEk3vfzuXs/s1600/SteveBillMechanicalArm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVSBynco0T6Fa8lTYm1X9zeV1IwSarM2BeJaFfyiqc1-Wzt5PJn8G3E5luHU0zKfIiAoC5VZFD4uic7URWjUkz7VVSkcRtlH1SxvCH9mSkj9RnfU6X30mUMnmnbKiCeFjVoEk3vfzuXs/s320/SteveBillMechanicalArm01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Burg and Bill Sturgeon with a mechanical arm. No one can remember why we built this.</td></tr>
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At the risk of sounding repetitive, things were very different in 1985. Although mechanics were a specialized field, it was understood that most of us would have to do anything from sculpting, to molding, casting, seaming, etc. However, Mike Spatola was the stand out painter and was responsible for painting most of the hero pieces on the show.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l33BGuz0abVCdiQa6G6KcNhPKcA_ZU66wdqdIY51MAzyYfrjSYUTu_Mg2NQlLOJEeaELcY8QVmlaz9jFRR6Rb7OOqRgLvW8g13dryiozGjZE95DWcdf_xQ2WzKI2pXgpHXEcNei_dNU/s1600/KurtFitting01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l33BGuz0abVCdiQa6G6KcNhPKcA_ZU66wdqdIY51MAzyYfrjSYUTu_Mg2NQlLOJEeaELcY8QVmlaz9jFRR6Rb7OOqRgLvW8g13dryiozGjZE95DWcdf_xQ2WzKI2pXgpHXEcNei_dNU/s320/KurtFitting01.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James watches as Curt Wilmont is fitted into his Big Ben suit.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbae7q2MV5ceLZcPdZsrKCkK2cJ-rE22VpFCkrfj87rEMi6yaZqiQulIOSyEV7KXH86gdSfCx-FhA8urBpCweAvehgN0eFiDnpViZGXFM4YH_6HIhwkzRvu77usZYhMLE7WVn-OD-jVE/s1600/JamesFittingBen01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbae7q2MV5ceLZcPdZsrKCkK2cJ-rE22VpFCkrfj87rEMi6yaZqiQulIOSyEV7KXH86gdSfCx-FhA8urBpCweAvehgN0eFiDnpViZGXFM4YH_6HIhwkzRvu77usZYhMLE7WVn-OD-jVE/s320/JamesFittingBen01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James places the helmet on Ben's head.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEw3_Q05B4i1yKpjCQIAU_1DOcGN5-TUiV-vu0zjAx4CpBd9M4zENo54_iXvxbV0xU5vg5hs9i0oK6TiQSbOA5DXOMZBbTPbcVIi36RjPVvJVmjxJi-PmangZNfHj1-DUOg2ybKfch0M/s1600/BigBen01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEw3_Q05B4i1yKpjCQIAU_1DOcGN5-TUiV-vu0zjAx4CpBd9M4zENo54_iXvxbV0xU5vg5hs9i0oK6TiQSbOA5DXOMZBbTPbcVIi36RjPVvJVmjxJi-PmangZNfHj1-DUOg2ybKfch0M/s320/BigBen01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben's ready to kick Roger Cobb's butt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By far, the largest and most complicated piece was going to be the war demon. For a modest budget film like HOUSE, it was certainly the most ambitious effect. I was given the task of sculpting the torso of the beast, but that was nothing in comparison to the enormous body sculpture that was a mass of twisted flesh, weapons and faces. When it was completed, Brent Baker, Steve Frakes and Barney Burman made a six-piece stone mold on it in the main room of the upstairs office complex.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30NrnL6vkwf0R10nkAUcHk8lDLiAeSsgUZpyf2FS8JYvt8HuGw8t4JS6FFZbj-uwhKNswc-Cl2UufaJNDCrSXllot2MlId9GYH8lCc-a_Rz8asV0l6ZvADF6A4WRbhFzDhc1WF7n9fZo/s1600/WarDemonNeck01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30NrnL6vkwf0R10nkAUcHk8lDLiAeSsgUZpyf2FS8JYvt8HuGw8t4JS6FFZbj-uwhKNswc-Cl2UufaJNDCrSXllot2MlId9GYH8lCc-a_Rz8asV0l6ZvADF6A4WRbhFzDhc1WF7n9fZo/s320/WarDemonNeck01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The War Demon Neck sculpted by Brian Wade - You can see his face cast in there somewhere...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3s1gH5CK8y8yxQt2bswhsP4y_YxGyd5cnKli0VdLGtLEwnqZjp88cpBsIppJsCWV5pm_pHYj3l2raxJp5KWJtZ2UHX1BFXQ8zgCKgHYFLz30OEv46k1bsBnmwoXPeNBQDLULTxaICXDo/s1600/WarDemonTorso01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3s1gH5CK8y8yxQt2bswhsP4y_YxGyd5cnKli0VdLGtLEwnqZjp88cpBsIppJsCWV5pm_pHYj3l2raxJp5KWJtZ2UHX1BFXQ8zgCKgHYFLz30OEv46k1bsBnmwoXPeNBQDLULTxaICXDo/s320/WarDemonTorso01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The War Demon torso I sculpted. I thought I was being oh so very clever sculpting hands to serve as ribs. Whatever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoQhrCJFr4BSaV0q1BYo12RT-K5gQIouNVgg8Vlv10EISnJJ758Ap0MI6QLhv2AQunL854hjXPVimXyYcN765QSH-sNpWC-ORCoEgacZ__XYmUHh84vPpbQkvZd0-TLWKDEwEjx_zIEs/s1600/BrentSteveandMold01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoQhrCJFr4BSaV0q1BYo12RT-K5gQIouNVgg8Vlv10EISnJJ758Ap0MI6QLhv2AQunL854hjXPVimXyYcN765QSH-sNpWC-ORCoEgacZ__XYmUHh84vPpbQkvZd0-TLWKDEwEjx_zIEs/s320/BrentSteveandMold01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brent Baker and Steve Frakes with their colossal mold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtkgtHi4ypg5yIpMHJcguu8ZDwBXWS8heiA6oebuorit9h8JERXA9uw4fdCifcGdfkz_lB_c4gxCcNKDgzvG6hvSy4po6cLTSkRP8ghhvbiKk8IploL7Ad41Zrtu7fIrqhjt-08tIYuw/s1600/KingJames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtkgtHi4ypg5yIpMHJcguu8ZDwBXWS8heiA6oebuorit9h8JERXA9uw4fdCifcGdfkz_lB_c4gxCcNKDgzvG6hvSy4po6cLTSkRP8ghhvbiKk8IploL7Ad41Zrtu7fIrqhjt-08tIYuw/s320/KingJames.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"King" James addresses the War Demon Mold Crew - That's Barney Burman on the extreme right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu8sR_tZ6p5h760NmBMIIew5z5EOxNUFMoNN6yedNJEMiQhaZJOwGh0mSlbfMqCmf1fP46j1FxftOSJPhtAsOJvKgP97Amb-RaZrVkczc7wnWY-YoKOnSv-w31Xtecopk0h78E1EZIfk/s1600/SteveRiggingWarDemon01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu8sR_tZ6p5h760NmBMIIew5z5EOxNUFMoNN6yedNJEMiQhaZJOwGh0mSlbfMqCmf1fP46j1FxftOSJPhtAsOJvKgP97Amb-RaZrVkczc7wnWY-YoKOnSv-w31Xtecopk0h78E1EZIfk/s320/SteveRiggingWarDemon01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Frakes helps rig the War Demon frame onto the under structure. James Belohovek seems tickled.</td></tr>
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The mold was so huge and heavy that it wasn't opened initially. The team cleaned out the entire mold, ran a latex skin, backed it with expanding soft polyfoam, and finally cast a fiberglass shell all with the mold closed. They opened the mold, once, to free the piece, however the mold was so heavy and cumbersome that even after we left (evicted) from the building, those mold pieces were left behind in the room that they were made.<br />
<br />
Yes, we were eventually evicted from the Golden Mall, but thankfully most of the work had been completed. I'm not sure how we finally were caught manufacturing in a retail zone. Maybe it was the smell of the fiberglass, foam latex, or the skinflex that was being cast. It was probably a combination of all of it, along with the noise. The operation had to be moved, quickly, and since there was not a tremendous amount of work to complete, getting another commercial space seemed foolish. So where could we move the studio?<br />
<br />
Why, James and Rick's backyard, of course!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
TO BE CONTINUED... </div>
<br />
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</script>Shannon Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17831516230800395814noreply@blogger.com8