Creating Creatures
– MAKE-UP MAKES MAGIC –
Our SFX Make-Up takes Time, Patience and Practice. We allow our staff only 15-20 minutes each day to create their look but when the proper talent and technique is used the effects can be TERRORIFIC!
Start off your look with a pair of Coloured Contact Lenses, they really help to bring you character to life. They can be tricky to master and we find looking at yourself in the mirror as you place them on the white of your eye really helps get them in but be patient, it can take a few goes at first. Lenses come in all colours and styles so choosing one that suits your character is important. The most effective lens for scaring people are undoubtedly the White-Out or White Zombie styles, available from your local chemist or in our store. Make sure you store your lenses in Contact Solution in a cool and dry environment.
For DEAD skin-tones we’ll use are a combination of Ben Nye Makeup Wheels and Mehron Stage Blood. These brands are industry standard in SFX Make-Up and you’ll get great results with time and practice. Use a make-up pad to evenly spread the product around your face as a base-layer and then you can add finer detailing with other colours and a dry brush.
Finally, we LOVE getting Dressed Up! You can get some great outfits online or make your own. Some of our best costumes came from the Salvation Army – we cut them up and dragged them across a stony floor to get a peppered genuine holey-look. Add a few splats of red food colouring and you’re all set to SCARE!
When it comes to Halloween we like to pull out all the stops! This often means using liquid latex and a variety of prosthetics. You can use Latex combined with toilet tissue to create layers of peeled skin and once you’ve painted them the results can be truly gruesome!
We recommend our YouTube Channel for ideas and you can see our staff using some more advanced techniques to create some really cool characters. If you’re interested in more facts, get in touch with us a queenstown@fearfactory.co.nz or wellington@fearfactory.co.nz and we’ll be happy to talk to school groups about how best to start a path into the FX Make-Up Industry
Tag us online (Facebook, Instagram & TikTok) if you’re making spooky creations, we love to see what our Fear Fans are up to! In the mean time, check out some of our Creature Creations below.